Report of the Benthos Ecology Working Group (BEWG)

3,52
MB

83
stron

3790
ID International Council for the Explorations of the Sea

2006
rok

Contents

Executive Summary.

1 Opening of the meeting.

1.1 Appointment of Rapporteur.

1.2 Terms of Reference.

2 Adoption of the agenda.

3 Report on ICES meetings and other meetings of interest

3.1 ASC, Aberdeen 2005.

3.2 MHC, Aberdeen 2005

3.3 ACE, Aberdeen 2005.

3.4 ACME, Aberdeen 2005.

3.5 SGQAB.

3.6 WGMHM, Galway 2006.

3.7 WGEXT, Cork 2006

3.8 OSPAR

3.8.1 OSPAR Eutrophication Task Group (ETG)

3.8.2 OSPAR Biodiversity Committee (BDC)

3.9 MARBEF, Crete 2005.

3.10 WGRED, Copenhagen 2006

3.11 History and future of BEWG.

4 Review and consider recent developments in ongoing benthos research in Europe (ToR a)

4.1 Benthic research projects in Greek waters and the wider Mediterranean

4.1.1 Trawling Impact Studies in Greece.

4.1.2 Aquaculture and fish farming.

4.2 Cooperative studies

4.2.1 EPICATCH.

4.2.2 RESPONSE

4.2.3 MAFCONS.

4.2.4 SPEEK

4.2.5 MAREANO

4.2.6 Benthic habitats in the Barents Sea (IMR)

4.2.7 The response of hyperbenthos to hypoxia in fjords: searching for indicator-organisms and

controlling environmental factors

4.2.8 Research of benthos in the Russian part of the Baltic Sea (2001–2005).

4.3 Benthos of soft sediments

4.3.1 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)

4.3.2 Monitoring programmes and long term data series on the Belgian continental shelf

4.4 Benthos of hard substrates.

4.4.1 BeoFINO II.

4.4.2 ECOMARG

4.4.3 Mapping of offshore shallow reefs along the Swedish coast

4.4.4 Long-term monitoring of a benthic rocky-bottom community in a high-arctic fjord

(Kongsfjorden, Svalbard).14

4.5 Other studies

4.5.1 Preparation of TIME report "The importance of the phytobenthic plant and animal communities

to marine ecosystems and their scientific study"

4.5.2 ECASA (Ecosystem Approach for Sustainable Aquaculture)

4.5.3 Benthic intercalibration made by the Working Group for the implementation of the Water

Framework Directive:

4.5.4 Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs)

4.5.5 BWZee

4.5.6 Recent developments in the use of the Internet for benthos ecologists

5 Review the final meeting report of the SGNSBP and consider future joint activities in the North

Sea (ToR b).

6 on request by OSPAR, develop a list of area-specific (groups of) benthic indicator species in

relation to the development of the ecological quality objectives for changes in zoobenthos in relation

to long-term eutrophication (ToR c)

7 Discuss the environmental implications of off-shore renewable energy generation (wind, wave,

tide, etc.) (ToR d)

8 Review and update sub-regional data tables and where necessary include new data (parameters)

and/or existing data (parameters) updated where relevant. The data tables will be subject to thematic

assessment to be undertaken at a REGNS thematic assessment workshop. (ToR e).

9 Based on the outcome of the ICES ASC Theme Session on Oil Spills in Marine Ecosystems,

review progress on guidelines for the assessment of long-term impacts of oil spill (ToR f).

10 Work intersessionally to produce a draft report on the use of benthic biological criteria for

selecting dredging disposal sites (ToR g)

11 Relate a list of indicators to the impacts of human-induced activities and changes in ecological

state. Assess the effectiveness of any potential performance indicators in identifying cause-effect

relationships (ToR h)

12 Consider the outcome of a Workshop on statistical analysis with special emphasis on minimum

sampling area and trend analysis in ecological studies (ToR i)

13 Discuss and report on potential contributions for the ecosystem overview of the advisory

reports describing the quantity and quality of marine habitat and/or the health of the marine

ecosystem, and to consider and report on potential indicators of significant change in these

ecosystem attributes (ToR j)

14 Review and comment on the draft text on the application of AQC Criteria (Annex 8, SGQAE

2004). (The answer to this TOR demands intersessional work by BEWG) (ToR k)

15 Specify and request an overview of database contents from ICES Data Centre (ToR i)

16 Any other business.

16.1 Theme session proposal.

16.2 Upcoming symposia etc.

16.3 Proposed Draft Resolutions 2006

17 Closing of the meeting.

Annex 1: List of participants.

Annex 2: BEWG Terms of Reference 2005

Annex 3: Agenda.

Annex 4: Draft Resolutions 2006.

Annex 5: Recommendations and actions

Annex 6: SPEEK: Post-extractie studie van het Macrobenthos op de Kwintebank

Annex 7: Mareano

Annex 8: Barents Sea Data

Annex 9: Recent benthic research in the Russian part of the Baltic Sea.

Annex 10: ECOMARG PROJECT.

Annex 11: Long-term monitoring of a benthic rocky-bottom community in a high-arctic fjord

(Kongsfjorden, Svalbard)

Annex 12: Area-specific (groups of) benthic indicator species in relation to the development of the

ecological quality objectives for changes in zoobenthos in relation to long-term eutrophication.

Annex 13: Contributions for the ecosystem overview of the advisory reports describing the

quantity and quality of marine habitat and/or the health of the marine ecosystem.

Annex 14: Update on the effects of the Prestige oil spill on the benthic and demersal communities

of the Continental Shelf off Galicia and in the Cantabrian Sea