Aquaculture and Environmental Regulations: The German Situation within the North Sea

The use of the North Sea is extremely multi-faceted and highly competitive. Within the vast variety of regulations inside the EU and in Germany, the regulative framework relevant to aquaculture is not yet complete. This chapter provides a short summary of the current legislative framework on international, national, and regional levels, which pertain to the development of aquaculture in Germany. Next, it highlights the question of decision-making in the coastal zone within an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) approach. It can be shown that there is an ample need for sufficient regulations to optimise the management of marine resources, especially with respect to further ecological and socio-economic sound aquaculture development. Within the ICZM framework for aquaculture management in the North Sea, we propose a scheme for further development and the establishment of an independent regulatory/advisory body, which encompasses all spatial levels. Additionally, we show which tools, such as DSS (e.g. GIS) and active participation, could be used in such a scheme in the decision-making process and what outcomes are to be expected at which stage. The article closes with a call for integrative action in Germany for the further promotion of aquaculture development by endorsing the idea of ICZM in order to sustain the ecological and economic potential of the North Sea while providing an alternative livelihood for coastal communities.

[1]  Read,et al.  The derivation of scientific guidelines for best environmental practice for the monitoring and regulation of marine aquaculture in Europe , 2001 .

[2]  Pearson,et al.  The scientific principles underlying the monitoring of the environmental impacts of aquaculture. , 2001 .

[3]  Burbridge,et al.  Social and economic policy issues relevant to marine aquaculture , 2001 .

[4]  T. Fernandes,et al.  Monitoring and regulation of marine aquaculture in Europe , 2000 .

[5]  H. Rosenthal,et al.  Aquaculture production and environmental regulations in Germany , 2000 .

[6]  R. J. James.  From beaches to beach environments: linking the ecology, human-use and management of beaches in Australia , 2000 .

[7]  L. V. Mulekom.  An institutional development process in community based coastal resource management: building the capacity and opportunity for community based co-management in a small-scale fisheries community , 1999 .

[8]  David Short,et al.  Appendix 4 The text of Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 amending Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment , 1998 .

[9]  K. Fabbri.  A methodology for supporting decision making in integrated coastal zone management , 1998 .

[10]  A. J. Underwood,et al.  Ecological Research and (and Research into) Environmental Management , 1995 .

[11]  A. Cropper.  Convention on Biological Diversity , 1993, Environmental Conservation.

[12]  Daniel Bodansky,et al.  Law: Scientific Uncertainty and the Precautionary Principle , 1991 .

[13]  Lea Brilmayer,et al.  Land and Sea: Two Sovereignty Regimes In Search of a Common Denominator , 2001 .

[14]  Rodney Turner,et al.  Science and Integrated Coastal Management , 2001 .

[15]  I. Davies,et al.  MARAQUA. The monitoring and regulation of marine aquaculture in Europe. Proceedings of the 1st Workshop, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal, 6-8 September, 1999. , 2000 .

[16]  D. Czybulka,et al.  Legal regulations, legal instruments and competent authorities with relevance for marine protected areas [MPAs] in the exclusive economic zone [EEZ] and the high seas of the OSPAR maritime area , 2000 .

[17]  Bram F. Noble,et al.  Institutional criteria for co-management , 2000 .

[18]  A. Lakshmi,et al.  Socio-economic implications of coastal zone degradation and their mitigation: a case study from coastal villages in India , 2000 .

[19]  A. Anonymous.  Lessons from the European commission's demonstration programme on integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) , 1999 .

[20]  John S. Dryzek,et al.  Debating the Earth: the environmental politics reader. , 1998 .

[21]  M. Warner,et al.  ASSESSING THE NEED TO MANAGE CONFLICT IN COMMUNITY-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE PROJECTS , 1998 .

[22]  J. Tobey,et al.  A common framework for learning from ICM experience , 1997 .

[23]  P. Burbridge.  A generic framework for measuring success in integrated coastal management , 1997 .