Information & Meetings
	What's new in the website
	Conferences & Events
	New Coastal Publications

Organisations
	New hyperlinks to websites

Environment
	Fishing gear kills guillemots in the Baltic Sea
	Greek coastal waters highly polluted by anti-fouling paints

Development & Trends
	The King Crab heading South to European markets
	Fish stock recovery slower than believed
	Whale watching brings in millions
	Alaska Salmon awarded Global eco-label

Funds
	EC's popular Town Twinning programme
	LIFE Environment and Third Countires Call for Proposals published

What's new in the website

400 additional titles on-line

The Online Database of books and articles has been extended to over 2600 titles after 400 titles on coastal and biodiversity policy issues from EUCC's library were included. Check it out at http://www.coastalguide.org/search/publicat/
 

Please note:
The overview of the Coastal Guide conference and event  meeting list can be found at http://www.coastalguide.org/meetings/

New Coastal Publications
 
 

Marine Biodiversity By Peter van der Heijden and Carien van Zwol (2000, 66 pp). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DVL/VM/SL), P.O. Box 20061, NL-2500 EB The Hague. ISBN 90-5328-263-7, Order code OSDR 0414/E. This document outlines the importance of marine living resources for humankind and gives guidelines for sustainable development with regard to marine biodiversity, following the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992) and the Jakarta Mandate (1995). The document is not meant to be a technical handbook, but a general description of the Netherlands policy with  technical elaboration on some aspects and complemented with some field experiences from developing countries (Africa, Asia, Latin America).

Mediterranean wetlands at the dawn of the 21st century By Thymio Papayannis and Tobias Salathé (1999, 137 pp.) MedWet, Tour du Valat, Le Sambuc, 13200 Arles, France. Fax +33 4 90 97 20 19  email: secretariat@tour-du-valat.com   ISBN 2 910368 27 7, Price  FF  70.00  (+ postage according to the weight). This publication provides an overview of the current issues facing Mediterranean wetlands, the solutions proposed by the MedWet Initiative, and the actions required to conserve the region's wetlands. The book presents some of the many viewpoints, summarises lessons learned to date, and suggests actions for wetlands at the beginning of the 21st century. It also provides an up-to-date reference to all the major documents and methodological tools elaborated so far under the MedWet Initiative.

The Øresund Fixed Link's Coast to Coast Installation Ed. by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, the Danish National Forest and Nature Agency, and the Swedish Control and Steering Group for the Øresund fixed link. (2000, 25 pp.) Published by Control and Steering Group for the Øresund fixed link, County Administrative Board of Skåne, Danish Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Danish Ministry of Transport. Printed by Richard Larsen A/S, Kobenhavn. ISBN: 87-7944-027-4. To order contact Miljøbutikken, Laederstraede 1-3, DK-1201 København K, Denmark. Tel: +45 3337 929, Fax: +45 3392 7690, Email: butik@mem.dk. Price: 50 DKK. The report is a brief but thorough review of the Øresund bridge project. After a short note of the status of the construction project it introduces the guidelines for environmental monitoring and assessment. It continues with environmental control and monitoring programmes and finally discusses the impacts of the construction project on water quality, benthic fauna and vegetation, fishes, birds, beaches and coastline. Many tables and numeric data are presented with complete references.

Topics 2000. Natural catastrophes - The current position By Munich Re Group (1999, 126 pp). Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft, Corporate Communications, Königinstrasse 107, D-80802 München. Fax +49 89 38915696, e-mail: AWirtz@munichre.com This report reviews and illustrates the extent of catastrophic natural events throughout the world over the last 1000 years. The authors conclude that the frequency and severity of these catastrophes have increased dramatically as a combination of the global increase of population and alterations in the environment and climate. Obviously many catastrophes occur in the coastal zone including hurricanes and storm surges (impacting low lying areas but also drill rigs and tankers), earthquakes, volcanoes and forest fires.

New hyperlinks to websites

Arc Manche
Co-operation of the region across the Channel in the environment and coastal fields 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada 
Network of marine sciences centres 

Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries
Administration of the fisheries and aquaculture industry and coastal administration 

Oceans Conservation
Implementation of the science based conservation and protection provisions of Canadas Oceans Act 

Scottish Coastal Forum
Established by the government to encourage debate on coastal issues at national level and to provide advice 

Solway Coast
Virtual home of the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Solway Plain 

Stock Recruitment Database
Maps, plots, and numerical data relating to over 600 fish populations (over 100 species) from all over the world. Approximately 100 new populations are added per year 
 

Check out the other Website Links on the Coastal Guide 

Fishing gear kills guillemots in the Baltic Sea

Since 1970, the population of the common guillemot in the Baltic sea region has recovered from the effects of environmental toxins. However, a study from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and WWF Sweden shows a new threat. A significant number of guillemots die being entangled in drift nets used for salmon fishery. A total of 43,000 common guillemots (Uria aalge) were ringed in the Baltic Sea during the period 1912 to 1998. 2,500 (6%) of these ringed birds have been retraced dead. Half of this amount had drowned in fishing gear. The survival rate of the common guillemot also has dropped from about 90% in 1962-89 to 78% in 1989-97. As it is a fact that survival rates of Baltic guillemot are lower than those from in the North Sea, this result confirms the premise that the long drift nets that are used in the Baltic probably account for the difference in survival and form a serious threat. In 1991, the European Union decided to prohibit drift nets longer than 2.5 km, but an exception for Baltic fisheries permit the use of drift nets up to 21 km in length. Drift nets for Baltic salmon also catch grey seals and harbour porpoises. This is another reason for prohibiting the use of such long drift nets. For further information read the full press release at http://www.internat.environ.se/index.php3
 

Greek coastal waters highly polluted by anti-fouling paints

Research commissioned by Greenpeace of sediment taken from Piraeus and Thessaloniki harbours and the sea close to popular swimming beaches around Salamina island have shown that toxic TBT(tributyl tin) and other organotin compounds are leaching from the anti-fouling paint used on ships into the Mediterranean Sea. The toxicity of TBT prevents the growth of algae, barnacles and other marine organisms on the ship's hull. TBT is responsible for the disruption of the immune and endocrine systems of marine shellfish, leading to the development of male sex characteristics in females. It has furthermore been detected in the tissues of marine mammals, such as seals, sea otters and water birds and shellfish around the world. The impact of TBT on human health is also in question. Last year, following increased concern about the damage caused by these toxic chemicals, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) passed a resolution calling for a complete phase-out of the use of organotins, especially TBT, in ship paints by 2003 and for TBT-free alternatives to be used. However, the European Commission has recently rejected draft proposals by Belgium for a national ban on all organotin anti-fouling paints for use on ships. 
For more detailed information, visit the Greenpeace website at http://www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/reports/tbtgreek.html. A copy of the submission by the governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain to the 
IMO to be found at http://www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/reports/medsubmission.pdf. Greenpeace factsheet on TBT: A Global Problem for the Marine Environment at http://www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/reports/tbtfactsheet.html. 

The King Crab heading South to European markets

The King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), one of the largest crab species in the world (1.5 meter across), introduced by Russian scientists in the 1960s in a fjord on what was then the Soviet Union's north-west coast, has now migrated westwards to Norwegian waters in the Barents Sea, and is heading south. The Norwegians found the invader in their nets by chance in the 1980s, but are only now realising its lucrative potential. In the shops of Oslo a king crab can fetch 245 EURO. At the moment, the huge crabs are exported to Japan. However, most of the caught crabs are too young to sell, and the trawler crews are left with damaged nets. Therefor an experiment has already begun to farm the juvenile crabs and feed them for six months through the summer, when they discard their shells. 
The king crab seems not to be harming native species, and the Norwegians hope to find new markets in Europe. 
Further info: Fiskeriforskning http://www.fiskforsk.norut.no/jhs/endex.html
 

Fish stock recovery slower than believed

According to a recent study conducted by a Canadian scientist, fish stocks recover considerably slower from overfishing than previously believed. Analysis of 90 stocks revealed that many gadids (e.g. cod, haddock) and other non-clupeids (e.g. flatfishes) showed little, if any, recovery even 15 years after 45-99% reductions in reproductive biomass. However, clupeids (e.g. herring) are more likely to recover to previously recorded population sizes and are more resilient than other marine fishes. Among those for which data were available (http://fish.dal.ca/welcome.html), 90 marine fish stocks experienced 15-year declines of 13 to 99%, followed by 5-year changes in population size ranging from 0.3 to 178% of the size from which the declines began. Of these 90 stocks, 37 continued to decline after the 15-year period, 46 exhibited some recovery, and 7 had fully recovered. Worldwide, overfishing has raised concerns that collapses of fish stocks may significantly increase the extinction probability of targeted and incidentally harvested marine fishes. Although the effects of overfishing can be generally reversible, the time required for population recovery in many marine fishes appears to be considerably longer than previously believed. 
The full article, authored by Jeffrey Hutchings from Dalhousie University, was published in the journal Nature: 406, pp. 882 - 885, 24 August 2000. For more information contact Jeffrey Hutchings, jhutch@mscs.dal.ca or the Coastal Guide helpdesk (for subscribers and members) at helpdesk@coastalguide.org. 
 

Whale watching brings in millions

The total whale watching tourism expenditures worldwide have more than doubled from 1994 to 1998 and are now more than one billion USD per year. These figures were revealed by a report on the economic aspects of whale watching released by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). The fastest growth is seen in Africa, while Central America and the West Indies are second and Asia third. In total 492 communities in 87 countries offer whale watching for tourists. Whale watching does not only have significant impacts on tourism and local communities, but it has also makes important educational, environmental, socio-economic and scientific contributions according to the report. 
Eric Hoyt, a Canadian whale researcher, authored the report, which is titled “Whale watching 2000: Worldwide Tourism Numbers, Expenditures, and Expanding Socioeconomic Benefits.” Read the executive summary at http://www.ifaw.org/press/whalewatching2000.html, or download the full report at http://www.ifaw.org/press/2000report.doc. 
 

Alaska Salmon awarded Global eco-label

The Alaska salmon industry is the first one in the U.S. to be certified as sustainable. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced that Alaska’s salmon fishery, responsible for about 90 percent of the wild-caught salmon in North America, had passed its certification programme for well-managed fisheries. Uniquely, during the fishing season a special management program is employed by biologists to evaluate the abundance of fish stocks, based on which exact quotas can be set to ensure that enough fish will remain for reproduction. Salmon fishermen are also told when they can and cannot fish on a daily basis. The MSC eco-label indicates that Alaska salmon products were caught in an environmentally sustainable manner, helping to solve the over-fishing problem of the world. Over 100 major seafood buyers represent the label all over the globe including major supermarket chains in Europe and the U.S. State officials hope certification will help Alaskan products in Europe, where eco-labels have considerably more market power than in the U.S. However, in recent years, farm-raised salmon, which now accounts for about 50 percent of the market, have caused the dollar value of wild salmon to drop considerably. 
For more information, visit the MSC website at http://www.msc.org/alsal.htm.

EC's popular Town Twinning programme

The town twinning programme of the European Commission (EC) that aims at establishing ties between municipalities has been so successful that the degree of interest far exceeds the Community’s capacity to provide financial support. In order to make the system of granting support more transparent and efficient, the EC will start issuing regular calls for proposals focusing on priority topics with clearly defined selection criteria. The first call will be published before the end of 2000. Full text at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/oj/2000/c_23820000822en.html
 

LIFE Environment and Third Countires Call for Proposals published

The European Commission’s LIFE Environment programme is funding demonstration projects which contribute to the development of innovative and integrated techniques and methods and the further development of Community environment policy, including integrated coastal management. Each Member State has set its own deadline in September or October for submitting applications to the competent national authorities. For more information visit 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/life/envir/index.htm

Countries eligible for LIFE Third Country grants are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, West Bank and Gaza, Syria, Tunesia, Turkey, and the Baltic shoreline of the Russian Federation. Proposals must aim at contributing to capacity building in the environment sector and the development of environmental policies. Deadline is 31 October. More information on 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/life/3countr/infopack.htm

Deadline for submitting contributions to Coastal Guide News No 19:
20 September,  2000

COASTAL GUIDE NEWS is a biweekly newsletter published by the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) with financial support of Stichting DOEN, the foundation of the Dutch lottery "Postcode Loterij" and the Department of International Nature Affairs of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. For free subscriptions, comments or contributions to this newsletter, please contact news@coastalguide.org. 

Members of the Coastal Guide News editorial team: Erik Devilee, Levente Galambosi, Irene Lucius, Hanneke Mesters, René van Oers, and Albert Salman. 
 

Established in 1989, the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) is an association involving the largest coastal network in Europe with 750 members and member organisations in 40 countries. For more information please contact EUCC International Secretariat, POB 11232, NL-2301 EE Leiden, the Netherlands, tel.: +31-71-5122900, internet: http://www.eucc.nl

© European Union for Coastal Conservation