CPMR Project “Europe of the Sea”

Bergen Seminar 16th – 17th January 2006

Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Ms Helga Pedersen

Country Mayor, Ms Nyborg, President of the North Sea Commission and Vice President of the CPMR, Ms Helgesen and co-organizers, Fellow Speakers, Former Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I

Allow me to begin by expressing my gratitude for the invitation to give a presentation on this seminar I Bergen on “Europe of the Sea”. The goal of my presentation is to give a Norwegian, non-EU member perspectives on the shaping of a future European Maritime Policy. This is unquestionably a topic of great importance. We need a common vision of welfare and employment to all European citizens whose livelihood depend on the seas surrounding our continent.

The choice of this city for such an event is particularly appropriate. For centuries Bergen was an important hub in the Hanseatic trading system linking the countries bordering Baltic and the North Sea. Bergen still holds a prominent role as a shipping centre and the in the management of the Norwegian fishing and aquaculture industries. It also holds a leading international role within areas of marine - and marine geophysical research. I anticipate that Bergen will continue to be a supplier of such expertise to the benefit of Europe’s maritime regions.

II

First of all, I would like to praise The CPMR and the North Sea Commission. The North Sea Commission has for many years dedicated their efforts and resources to maintain coastal, marine and maritime affairs high on the European agenda.

Secondly, I would like to express that Norway welcomes the initiative by the EU Commission President Barroso to establish the Task Force on Maritime Affairs. The oceans as a whole have for the first time in the history of Europe become subject of specific political focus.

A future maritime policy for the EU will address maritime issues across a broad range of sectors. Norway firmly supports the EU’s holistic approach to maritime policy where all relevant aspects are taken into account. We are also pleased that Commissioner Borg has stated that the Commission’s recent proposal for a Marine Strategy should form the environmental pillar of the new maritime policy.

Norway appreciates the opportunities provided by the European Commission to deliver our perspectives to the ongoing maritime policy process. I also honour the methods used by Task Force on Maritime Policy leader Mr. John Richardson and his team. They seam to be turning each and every stone in search for new perspectives and insights that might guide us to blooming coastal and national economies in Europe.

III

My presentation will focus on topics within my portfolio as Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. Fishing and aquaculture industries constitute one main pillar, and maritime traffic and marine infrastructures the other.

Norway's policy for the management of marine living resources is based on the principle of sustainability. We base our management on the best available scientific advice and the ecosystem approach.

The main concept of the Norwegian marine environment policy is the integrated ecosystem approach. The aim is to achieve sustainable use of resources and goods derived from the ecosystem and to preserve their productivity. Key challenges are marine pollution and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU).

IV

Pollution from urban, agricultural and industrial activities place substantial pressures on the marine environment. 80-90% of marine pollution originates from activities on land.

We see new classes of marine contaminants, influencing marine organisms, reproduction and the accumulation of pollutants in deep sea sediments. This degradation of the ecosystem will have negative consequences for regions making their living on reproductive marine resources.

I trust that The North Sea Commission will continue their focus on these new challenges. I believe that pollution must have a high priority on the European maritime policy agenda also in the future. Why – seafood is of great importance to the European diet! .

Most of the world’s marine fish catch comes from seas close to the coasts. Two-thirds of commercially valuable fish begin their life in estuaries, wetlands and coastal waters. Yet, it is in the coastal areas that the greatest degradation of the marine environment is taking place.

The Atlantic and ArcticOceans are main suppliers to the European protein diet. The North Atlantic sustains a ± 30% of the world capture production of fish and other seafood.

Marine resources hold the world’s largest single source of animal protein. Food from the sea is the fastest growing food commodity on the international market.

However,

Marine fisheries are now at a crossroad. By 2010 FAO has reported that the contribution of seafood could fall from about 80-90 million tonnes to about 40 million tonnes annually. A deficit in this food supply seriously affects the European consumer. In fact, the European Union already has the world’s second largest seafood trade deficit next to Japan.

The gap can only be closed by sustainable capture fisheries and expansion of the aquaculture industry. This can be exemplified by our important Norwegian salmon and trout aquaculture industry. The production has mounted from about 100 tonnes in 1970 to nearly 630 000 tonnes in 2004. More than 70% finds it’s way to the European consumer’s table.

V

Aquaculture is an industry with an enormous potential for growth, and a source of employment and income supporting marine regions economies. Its expansion implies, however, many challenges.

Marine life and vital coastal habitats are now straining under the increasing pressure of demographic mobility, industry development, recreation, leisure needs and tourism. Due to competition of space in the coastal zone we need to find new ways of coexistence between different stakeholders.

Norway has experienced an exceptional growth in the aquaculture industry. This again forced comprehensive spatial planning and management in the coastal zone . The legal framework was established by the 1985 Planning and Building Act. The introduction of this instrument has been a success.

One explanation is probably the central role of the local authorities and not least the participation of all stakeholders in the planning process. The Act enables Government, the municipalities and industry associations, to work strategically and in cooperation, rather than being reactive and uncoordinated. Of the 283 municipalities along our coast, 212 have developed or are in the process of developing coastal management plans.

The Planning and Building Act success represents an example of best practice of use of the principle of subsidiarity and influence to local stakeholders.

VI

Illegal unreported and unregulated fishing is probably one of the most serious problems facing the management of marine fish stocks.

No doubt, IUU fishing activity generates harmful effects on the economic and social welfare of those involved in legal fishing. It consequently threatens the sustainability of marine regions dependent on marine resources for employ-ment.

IUU activities result in lower income and lower employment where rules are followed. The effect may be even more serious in the longer term. Fish stocks become overexploited or severely depleted and legal fishermen are forced to reduce or even cease their activity.

The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization reports that overall, IUU fishing accounts for up to 30 per cent of total catches in some important fisheries. Furthermore catches of particular species could be up to three times the permitted amount. Estimates from the Barents Sea North Atlantic is that around 100 000 metric tonnes at a first hand value of approximately 1.5 billion NOK are subject to IUU fishing.

It is essential to notice that the issue of IUU fishing is not only an issue of ethical standards amongst fishermen. The driving forces behind overfishing today are: 1) failure to manage domestic and regional overcapacity 2) failure to agree on criteria for allocation of fish resources between nations and 3) lack of political commitment to enforce and implement existing regulations.

At the domestic level we have sought viable solution by combining efforts directed towards overcapacity in the commercial fishing fleet. We have implemented comprehensive measures aiming at strengthening control with the fishing activities at sea and the landing of fish.

The effective cooperation between the Coastguard at sea and the Directorate of Fisheries and the sales organisations on the landside is a key factor in this process.

This government has further strengthened the control capacity by allocating funds that will bring more activity both through the Coastguard and the Directorate of Fisheries.

As already noted the problems of IUU-fishing in the Barents Sea are substantial, and the combat of this problem is at the forefront of the Norwegian-Russian cooperation for managing the common fish stocks in these waters.

Measures such as mandatory satellite tracking of both fishing vessels and transport vessels and check points for the transfer of catches between fishing and transport vessels have been implemented.

Norway wishes to strengthen the cooperation with the EU and its member states on fisheries control. Much of the fish taken illegally in the Barents Sea is landed in ports in the EU. It is therefore extremely important to strengthen international cooperation on port state control.

The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission is soon going to introduce a port state regime for its contracting and cooperating parties. The regime includes mandatory control of landings and exchange of information. With this tool we can chase IUU-vessels from port to port until there is nowhere left to go. This way we hope to significantly reduce IUU fishing.

We believe that the issue of IUU fishing should be in the forefront of EU’s maritime policy. A fragmented response to the IUU problem will not be effective. A holistic approach is required addressing legal, institutional, economic and social dimensions. Furthermore it needs to involve local, national, regional and international fisheries authorities. I hope all European marine regions will be supportive in this regard.

The issue of IUU-fishing is a top priority for this government. We, the European nations facing the sea, share a common responsibility for the environment and the opportunities inherent in the sea that will bring welfare and employment to future generations.

VII

Safe, secure, sound, efficient and sustainable sea transport is vital for coastal economies. We see the demand for transport of ever increasing volumes of goods and services. Likewise we need to find cost-effective alternatives to congested motorways. This altogether places greater focus on maritime transport.

All modes of transportation should also meet non-discriminatory principles for taxation and fees. This is necessary in order to ensure better correspondence between prices and social transportation costs.

Developing efficient sea ports is a key strategy to enhancing maritime transport. An overall policy of inter-modality and implementation of efficient transport corridors is crucial in making ports attractive and profitable.

Compared to for example road transport, maritime transport is more environ-mentally friendly. On the downside there are some challenges related to this form of transport. One challenge is harmful operational emissions another the risk of introducing alien species in marine ecosystems from ships ballast water.

This requires a maximum effort to establish a sustainable maritime transport policy and pre-emptive actions. Reduction of risks should be met by new technologies and best practices.

Last year a White Paper was submitted to Parliament on maritime safety and oil spill preparedness. The paper presents measures directed at preventing intentional or accidental oil spills as well as measures directed at limiting the impact on the marine ecosystem and the coastal areas caused by such incidents.

National measures concerning safety are now established in Norway. This includes traffic separation schemes within the territorial sea, In North - Norway vessel traffic centres (VTS), improving sailing channels and updating procedures for ports of refuge. Sailing channels with separation of the traffic routing is planned in Northern Norway outside the territorial waters. A draft has been sent for comments to national organizations and authorities before applying IMO for approval.

A new instrument developed for security purposes, the Long Range Information and Tracking System in combination with satellite images may prove useful to prevent discharges. This satellite based system will make it possible to track the source of oil spills. The effectiveness of the system is however contingent upon participation from all ships and flag states.

VIII

The High North, which roughly means the Norwegian Sea, the Barents Sea and the North East Atlantic, will be a strategic priority for Norway in many years to come. Vast natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, are to be found in this area.

Up to 25% of the world’s undiscovered petroleum resources are believed to be in the Arctic. Thus the Barents Sea might well become Europe’s most important petroleum province in a few decades. New technology must be developed to meet the challenges of a harsh environment including ice and long distances.

The crucial issue is if or how these promising prospects can be utilized without doing harm to anybody’s interests or threatening the ecosystem.

Norway has set high environmental and safety standards for the petroleum industry on the Norwegian continental shelf. The petroleum activities in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea are and will be subject to stringent environmental requirements.

In order to ensure that the state of the ecosystem in the High North is main-tained key measures will be implemented. These include a number of elements; like;

• suitable safety at sea,
• higher level of emergency and oil spill preparedness and
• continuous improvement of risk management in the oil and gas sector.

Close co-operation with the Russian Federation is being developed in these fields.

Norway is presently in the final phase of completing a project aimed at the development of a coherent strategyfor the High North. The strategy is build on the following principles

1) integrated and holistic management

2) ecosystem approach

3) application of science and

4) stakeholder involvement.

The first Management Plan for the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea will be published in the spring of 2006. It will encompass a review of shipping, oil and gas activities to be carried out in coexistence with the fisheries and environmental interests. It is intended to guide Norwegian activities and measures for many years in the future. The plan will serve as a tool for facilitating industrial development and maintaining the quality of the environment along the coast

A key pillar in the development of Norway’s maritime policy has been TheNorwegian Research Council. The Council contributes to knowledge platforms across sector interests. But as important it provides an arena for developing a holistic understanding of present and future opportunities, and challenges across sectors within the marine area.

As a means of building up expertise on questions relevant to the High North, the Norwegian Government has recently introduced an initiative under the heading Barents 2020. This is to be a platform for cooperation between relevant Norwegian and foreign institutions, investors and government actors on research and development in the High North. It is indeed also an invitation to the EU Commission to grasp new opportunities.

In general the 7the Framework on research should adhere to a widely defined approach in order to accommodate the extremely exiting, but also demanding challenges and opportunities in our marine environment.

IX

I will no close my intervention with a few concluding remarks.

Norway adheres to the principle that we should seek global solutions for international challenges.

However, as we have learned by our own experience with coastal zone management and the work organized by the CPMR/ North Sea Commission, we are in many respects best served by adhering to a focused, practical and targeted approach at local or regional levels.

I believe that you will all experience a mutually beneficial and fruitful exchange of views around the Maritime Policy process.

Thank you very much for your attention.