Global Marine Scientists Focus on Coastal Zones at the ICES Annual Science Conference in Nantes, France
Global Marine Scientists Focus on Coastal Zones at the ICES Annual Science Conference in Nantes, France Copenhagen, Denmark - International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the world's largest marine science and advisory body, in cooperation with Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea, will hold its Annual Science Conference (ASC), at La Cité Nantes Events Center, Nantes, France, 20-24 September 2010, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to ICES.
ICES and Ifremer invite representatives of the news media to attend the Conference. All registration fees are waived for qualified journalists.
A media briefing will be held at 11:00 on Monday, 20 September, in Hall L at La Cité Nantes Events Center. Key ICES and Ifremer scientists and officials will be present.
The ICES Annual Science Conference 2010 will focus on coastal zones, one of three major thematic axes of the ICES Strategic Plan. During the 19 theme sessions, oral presentations and posters will cover such topics as integrated coastal-zone management, marine coastal planning, contaminants, benthic indicators, aquaculture, bioinvasions, harmful algal blooms, biodiversity, and operational oceanography. Eight theme sessions will focus on fishery research to increase scientific knowledge and strengthen expertise.
Because 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, a special evening session on Wednesday, 22 September, will present the results of the programme "Census of Marine Life", and will conclude with a showing of the film "Océans" by Jacques Perrin.
The Conference will open Monday, 20 September at 13:00 with a lecture by the Honorable Dr Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, USA, on "Managing marine biodiversity: an emerging consensus".
The full programme of the 2010 ASC along with daily news updates from the Conference is available on the ICES website: http://www.ices.dk/iceswork/asc/2010/index.asp .
Selected Theme Sessions from the ICES 2010 Annual Science Conference
The following summarizes the background information and scientific rationale for the theme sessions. The letter codes correspond to the various theme sessions on the conference programme. Dates, times, and a list of all theme sessions are available on the ICES website.
The Risk of Failing in Integrated Coastal-zone Management (B)
Economic, environmental, and demographic pressures are converging sharply in the coastal regions, creating a complex situation that presents a multidimensional challenge to their effective and sustainable management and governance from the social, economic, cultural, and environment perspective. Tools are needed to effectively assist in the decision-making processes given that traditional users and interests are now being joined in the coastal area by new industries, recreational opportunities, and development interests.
With the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to integrated management of the aquatic environment, risk analysis decision-making tools and processes are being developed with the aim of assessing human activity against ecosystem component vulnerabilities. In this context, it is considered important that indicator systems be developed in conjunction with management frameworks that will ensure their implementation. For this to occur, decision-makers at all levels must be involved at all stages of the process. Using classical risk analysis processes, these tools may provide a systematic way of gathering, evaluating, recording, and disseminating information, leading to recommendations for management consideration in response to identified ecosystem vulnerabilities.
Fisheries certification; is it working and what are the implications for ICES? (D)
The independent certification of fisheries for their environmental and management performance has grown considerably in recent years. At an international scale, this has been led by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). There are also other international, regional, and local schemes, based on both eco-labelling and scorecard-based approaches. This growth reflects the failure of traditional fishery management in some fisheries, and has been driven by retailer/consumer demand for sustainably harvested seafood products and a wish by some fleets to meet this demand. ICES has been involved in the provision of scientific advice for traditional fishery management but not explicitly in fishery certification schemes, although certification processes involve ICES advice, products, and the same experts that work within the ICES framework. There have been several recent studies (some ongoing) of compliance of the certification schemes with international guidelines such as provided by the FAO, but few on the effectiveness of these approaches.
This session aims to examine whether the certification process has succeeded in terms of improved fisheries sustainability, to consider whether there are lessons that should be integrated into the traditional fishery management framework, and to consider whether and if ICES products and science might be adapted for use in the certification process.
Environmental sustainability of aquaculture activities in coastal zones (J)
Aquaculture has become increasingly important for the production of marine food and feed stock, and at present and for the near future, most aquaculture production is likely to take place in coastal zones. This causes increased pressure on the coastal zone, as well as space and resource competition among different uses or industries. In addition, aquaculture activities may have various direct and indirect effects on the coastal-zone ecosystem. Potential influences from aquaculture may include discharge of nutrients, sedimentation of organic material (i.e. pellets and faeces), dispersion of chemicals (i.e. therapeutants and impurities), spreading of "signal" substances, or concentration of pathogens. This may lead to eutrophication - potentially resulting in enhanced productivity or a shift in biodiversity. Wild species may be attracted to or displaced from aquaculture sites and may feed on pellets and/or faeces, potentially resulting in effects on the health status of wild species. Aquacultured species may also be a source for spreading of pathogens to wild organisms, as well as being susceptible to pathogens from wild species. Should all of these potential effects be realized in a coastal ecosystem, there is a potential for the aquaculture activity to become unsustainable and result in coastal ecosystem degradation. However, with scientific research, technological advances, and knowledge, the potential negative effects from aquaculture should be possible to avoid through good planning and management of aquaculture activities, as well as the implementation of efforts to minimize or mitigate any potential negative effects.
Global change and aquatic bioinvasions (K)
The invasion of alien species is considered one of the most important factors influencing marine ecosystem structure and functions, besides climate change, exploitation of marine living resources, and habitat alteration. Most likely, it is the interaction of different ecosystem drivers that ultimately determines the population abundance and role of an alien species in a new environment. In marine ecosystems, most of the ecological impact caused by alien species has been confined to coastal areas and/or regional seas, though it has been predicted that the "invasion front" is moving towards the open ocean. Although the "International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments" was adopted at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) already in 2004, an insufficient number of countries have signed the convention to bring it into effect. Furthermore, most countries do not have ballast water regulations in place. Therefore, the risk for new ballast-water-mediated invasions will remain high until the Convention standards become applicable.
Responses to climate variability: comparison of northern hemisphere marine ecosystems (S)
The climate of northern regions is changing and marine ecosystems are heavily affected by climate variability. Climate impact studies have been made within single ecosystems or between different systems of the same region. However, comparisons between ecosystems of different regions or even of different ocean basins are rare. Such comparisons are vital in order to better understand responses of ecosystems to climate forcing, particularly with a view to large-scale climate forcing and teleconnection patterns. This joint ICES/PICES theme session aims to compare the development in physical and biological oceanography in different regions of the north, concentrating on comparisons of climate variability impact between Atlantic and Pacific ecosystems.