1. Rodney Forster Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) Lowestoft, UK Products from the EMECO North Sea Observatory: an EU policy perspective rodney.forster@cefas.co.uk

2. To put in place measures to achieve Good Environmental Status in Europe’s seas by 2020 ‘Good Environmental Status means the environmental status of marine waters where these provide ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean, healthy and productive within their intrinsic conditions, and the use of the marine environment is at a level that is sustainable, thus safeguarding the potential for uses and activities by current and future generations...’ What does the Directive commit us to?

3. What are the regional requirements? OSPAR currently reviewing its priorities to ensure it supports the delivery of the Directive “Member States sharing a marine region...shall cooperate to ensure that... the measures required to achieve...this Directive...are coherent and coordinated across the marine region...” UK keen to use the Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) as the forum to deliver all key regional elements of the Directive

4. 2008202020102012201420152016 Directive transposed Initial assessment of UK seas GES defined, including targets and indicators Monitoring programme established Programme of measures implemented GES achieved for UK seas Summary: Directive’s requirements

5. Determination of Good Environmental Status – 2012 11 high level descriptors of GES set out in the Directive Member States to set out how GES will be defined for their marine waters by 2012 Common criteria and standards to underpin GES across the EU to be agreed with Commission and other Member States by 2010 “Concentrations of contaminants are at levels not giving rise to pollution effects” “Populations of all commercially exploited fish and shellfish are within safe biological limits” “Biological diversity is maintained”

6. Healthy Seas Desc 1Biodiversity Desc 2Invasive Species Desc 5Eutrophication Clean Seas Desc 8Contaminants & pollution Desc 10Marine Litter Habitats Desc 6Seafloor integrity Desc 7Hydrography Desc 11Energy Productive Seas Desc 3Sustainable commercial species Desc 9Fish / shellfish hygiene Desc 4Food webs

8. Mapping MSFD descriptors to current observations in the North Sea Desc 1Biodiversity Desc 2Invasive Species Desc 5Eutrophication Desc 8Contaminants & pollution Desc 10Marine Litter Desc 6Seafloor Desc 6Seafloor Desc 7Hydrography Desc 11Energy Desc 3Commercial species Desc 9Fish shellfish hygiene Desc 4Food webs

9. The challenge: To harmonise our observations of the North Sea in order to assess the ecological status Questions: Is further R&D required? Is the existing instrumentation sufficient? How do we communicate with policy makers in the next 12 months?

11. Desc 5Eutrophication

12. Desc 5Eutrophication

13. Desc 5Eutrophication