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Marine environment protection caught in a web of inefficient bureaucracy

06.06.14 | Uutinen
Færøsk trawler, Vágar
Photographer
Erik Christensen, Porkeri
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The decision-making processes to ensure a balance between environmental protection and fishing in the North Sea are cumbersome and ineffective for the marine environment and also for the public purse. A more streamlined process is needed according to a report by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

International co-operation around fisheries and nature conservation in the North Sea is time-consuming, expensive and inefficient. A new, more streamlined process will save time, money and resources while strengthening dialogue between the players to the benefit of both the ecosystems and public budgets. This is the conclusion of a new report drawn up by the think tank Nordic Marine Think Tank (NMTT) on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Cumbersome decision-making

The report has studied international co-operation balancing considerations of environmental protection and the fisheries industry in the Dogger Bank, about 100 km off the coast of Great Britain. The sandbank is home to a number of North Sea fish species and is therefore very important to the North Sea's overall ecosystem.

The study identifies a decision process which calls for more efficiency and stringency. Instead of being co-ordinated internationally from the start, the decision-making process starts on national level in an environmental policy framework with the involvement of environmental stakeholders. Thereafter, it shifts course and is dealt with by the fishery authorities and their stakeholders.

Need for better co-ordination and knowledge base

Based on this analysis, the report presents a number of recommendations for streamlining the process:

  • International co-ordination

Co-ordination between the countries should be improved and take place as early as possible in the regional organisations. There should also be more effective use of the international scientific institutions and a common knowledge base should be created in the form of common access to relevant databases and co-ordination of data analysis.

  • Introduction of a streamlined decision-making system

The procedure should be divided into four steps: 1) establishment of a political agenda; 2) scientific consultation; 3) involvement of interested parties and 4) agreed measures. Then the adoption of clear time frames and mechanisms to ensure compliance with agreed deadlines.

  • Involvement of stakeholders

The process should be changed to increase the pressure on the participants to reach a consensus. This involvement could happily be done through existing forums - the so-called Advisory Councils, already established in the fisheries sector.

  • International law

A framework for a streamlined decision-making system based on international harmonisation of maritime policies. This work is in full swing in the EU, so the new process could form part of an international legal framework.

Download the report here [link]

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