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 SeaSkaggerak& Kattegat

Structure of the RACArticle 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

GENERALASSEMBLY

EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE

COMMISSION & MEMBER STATES

CONSULTATION

WORKINGGROUPS

OBSERVERS

Structure of the NSRAC

The Members

MembershipThe 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 CommitteeCatchers’ Organisation Belgium

Catchers’ Organisation France x 2Catchers’ Organisation Denmark x 2

Catchers’ Organisation GermanyCatchers’ Organisation Netherlands x 2

Catchers’ Organisation PolandCatchers’ Organisation Spain

Catchers’ Organisation SwedenCatchers’ Organisation United Kingdom x 2

European Organisation for Fish TradersEuropean Association of Fishing Ports and Auctions

European Transport Worker’s Federation

Green-NGO x 4Consumer

Aquaculture ProducerFisher-Recreational

North Sea Women’s Network

16

8

CHAIRSOne 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 04Interim Flatfish WG Copenhagen September 04

First General Assembly Edinburgh November 04 Preliminary ExCom Edinburgh November 04

Demersal WG London December 05Advice on Management Measures for PlaiceOpinion on TACs & Quotas for 2005

Co-ordination Meeting with Commission Brussels December 04Coordination Meeting with Commission Brussels January 05

ExCom Boulogne January 05 Spatial Planning Workshop London May 05

Spatial Planning WG London May 05Demersal WG Glasgow May 05Flatfish WG Glasgow May 05

ExCom Hamburg June 05Advice on Management Measures for Plaice Advice on the Plaice BoxAdvice on the Shetland Box

Coordination Meeting with Commission Brussels July 05Focus Group on Long-Term Objectives Schiphol August 05Focus Group on Criteria for Managed Areas Schiphol August 05Steering Group Pilot Study of Fishing Areas Schiphol August 05Focus Group on Socio- Economic Data Edinburgh September 05 Meeting with OSPAR Bristol October 05Focus Group on the Plaice Box Schiphol October 05

Coordination Meeting with Commission Brussels October 05Demersal WG Stockholm October 05

Second General Assembly Stockholm October 05 4, 4, 6, 7, 21

Advice during 2005A 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