Transcript Slide 1

THE NORTH SEA
REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
Ann Bell MBE
Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland
Secretary to the North Sea Regional Advisory Council
European Maritime Policy
Governance of the seas has been on the agenda
since Rio
Greater cooperation is needed at all levels of
governance.
New integrated ocean policies are required
Those policies must involve a wide range of
stakeholders
Stakeholder participation has already begun in the
fisheries sector
The Commission’s Green Paper on the Future of
the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) decided that:
• many stocks are at present outside safe
biological limits.
• Poor enforcement of decisions has contributed
to over-fishing
• The fisheries sector is economically fragile
• stakeholders do not feel sufficiently involved
in fisheries management
To improve governance within the CFP the
Green paper recommended:
• Establishment of Regional Advisory Committees
to involve more effectively the stakeholders in
policy-making
• De-centralisation of management responsibilities
to address local and emergency situations
• Promoting the transparency of scientific advice
Functions of the RACs
RACs may:
Submit recommendations and suggestions, of their own or at
the request of the Commission or a Member State, on matters
relating to fisheries management to the Commission or
Member State concerned
Inform the Commission or the Member State concerned of
problems relating to the implementation of Community rules…
Conduct any other activities to fulfil their functions
Setting up the NSRAC
• The North Sea Commission Fisheries
Partnership decided to set up the North
Sea RAC (NSRAC)
• Many interest groups were consulted
• An Interim Executive Committee was
formed
In September 2004 the Interim
ExCom met in Copenhagen and a
draft proposal for the NSRAC was
approved & submitted to the
Commission
In November 2005 the First
General Assembly of the
NSRAC was held in
Edinburgh
NSRAC
AREAS
ICES Areas IV
and IIIa
The North Sea
Skaggerak
& Kattegat
Structure of the RAC
Article 4
• Each RAC shall consist of a general assembly and an
executive committee
• The general assembly shall meet at least once a year to
approve the annual report and the annual strategic plan
drawn up by the executive committee
• The general assembly shall appoint an executive
committee of up to 24 members. The executive
committee shall manage the work of the RAC
and adopt its recommendations
Structure of the NSRAC
COMMISSION & MEMBER STATES
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
WORKING
GROUPS
OBSERVERS
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
CONSULTATION
The Members
Membership
The RACs shall be composed of representatives from the
fisheries sector and other interest groups affected by
the CFP
In the general assembly and executive committee two
thirds of the seats shall be allotted to representatives
of the fisheries sector and one third to representatives
of the other interest groups affected by the CFP
At least one representative of the catching sector from
each member state concerned shall be represented
on the executive committee
Executive Committee
Catchers’ Organisation Belgium
Catchers’ Organisation France x 2
Catchers’ Organisation Denmark x 2
Catchers’ Organisation Germany
16
Catchers’ Organisation Netherlands x 2
Catchers’ Organisation Poland
Catchers’ Organisation Spain
Catchers’ Organisation Sweden
Catchers’ Organisation United Kingdom x 2
European Organisation for Fish Traders
European Association of Fishing Ports and Auctions
European Transport Worker’s Federation
Green-NGO x 4
Consumer
Aquaculture Producer
Fisher-Recreational
North Sea Women’s Network
8
CHAIRS
One for the General Assembly
Patrice Leduc of France
One for the Executive
Committee
Hugo Andersson of Sweden
The Chairs play an impartial
and independent role
First General
Assembly
Boulogne First ExCom
Spatial Planning Working Group,
Co-ordination Meetings
Meetings…… Meetings…… Meetings………
Interim ExCom Copenhagen September 04
Interim Flatfish WG Copenhagen September 04
First General Assembly Edinburgh November 04
Preliminary ExCom Edinburgh November 04
Demersal WG London December 05
Advice on Management Measures for Plaice
Opinion on TACs & Quotas for 2005
Co-ordination Meeting with Commission Brussels December 04
Coordination Meeting with Commission Brussels January 05
ExCom Boulogne January 05
Spatial Planning Workshop London May 05
Spatial Planning WG London May 05
Demersal WG Glasgow May 05
Flatfish WG Glasgow May 05
ExCom Hamburg June 05
Advice on Management Measures for Plaice
Advice on the Plaice Box
Advice on the Shetland Box
Coordination Meeting with Commission Brussels July 05
Focus Group on Long-Term Objectives Schiphol August 05
Focus Group on Criteria for Managed Areas Schiphol August 05
Steering Group Pilot Study of Fishing Areas Schiphol August 05
Focus Group on Socio- Economic Data Edinburgh September 05
Meeting with OSPAR Bristol October 05
Focus Group on the Plaice Box Schiphol October 05
Coordination Meeting with Commission Brussels October 05
Demersal WG Stockholm October 05
Second General Assembly Stockholm October 05
4, 4, 6, 7, 21
Advice during 2005
A multi-annual management plan for plaice
incorporating 15% structural effort reductions
Retention of the plaice box
Retention of the Shetland Box
Development of an effort management scheme for
the Kattegat
Detailed proposals for the future management of
the Nephrops and flatfish fisheries
Research projects
A study of new long-term fisheries objectives
for key fisheries
A pilot project on the mapping of fishing
areas
The collection of social and economic data
on fisheries and fishery dependent areas
Mapping of key fishing areas
Will further development of the
North Sea leave any space for fish
or fishers?
• There is a lack of data on areas of priority
importance to the fisheries
• NSRAC is facilitating the collection of fishers’
spatial knowledge
• Combining it with data from satellite monitoring
and other sources
• To create a full picture of the areas most
important to fish and to fisheries
Lessons Learned from the NSRAC?
• Stakeholder participation is important for
resolving the complex issues of ocean
governance
• The fisheries sector has already achieved
success in providing a voice for stakeholders
through the Regional Advisory Councils
• The RACs provide a model which can be
improved and built upon
www.nsrac.org