HELCOM adopts Recommendation on sustainable aquaculture
HELCOM Annual Meeting with delegates from the nine Baltic coastal states and the EU has today adopted the Recommendation on sustainable aquaculture. The Recommendation gives tools for the Baltic Sea region to develop this growing sector based on the Best Available Technologies (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) and it will be followed by expert work to jointly develop a menu of BAT/BEP descriptions.
In addition, three other HELCOM Recommendations were adopted by the Meeting, helping to improve the status of the Baltic marine environment: Recommendation on Conservation of Baltic Sea species categorized as threatened, Recommendation on Safety of winter navigation with updated part on correspondence between Ice Classes (25/7), as well as Recommendation concerning co-operation and coordination of research vessel based monitoring and procedures for granting permits.
How is the region doing in more detail in implementing Baltic Sea Action Plan was one Meeting topic (see summary graphs), through a new online explorer demonstrated to the participants. The portal, expecting launch in April, will show the level of accomplishment by the HELCOM countries of a selection of actions agreed on in HELCOM.
Among the many topics of the 2-day Meeting were maritime spatial planning and supporting the future of the Joint HELCOM-VASAB Working Group, being a unique set-up and good example of sea-basin cooperation.
The delegates also addressed possible improvements for following up the nutrient input reduction scheme and countries progress in their annual targets for Phosphorus and Nitrogen; as well as reviewed the requested information on dredging activities in the Gulf of Finland and the situation of HELCOM Hot Spots - significant sources of pollution in the Baltic Sea. Russian Federation discussed one of the Hot Spots (No. 23) and was requested to provide more information on the situation and planned activities around the Krasny Bor landfill on the next HELCOM Pressure Working Group meeting in April 2016.
Moreover, the meeting adopted yesterday the Roadmap for a Baltic Sea NECA, with potential to significantly reduce Nutrient inputs from ships to the Baltic Sea.
Meeting outcome will be available next week. All meeting documents are available in Meeting site.
