Abstract
The aim of this note is to discuss the relevance of the interaction/integration of monitoring of contaminants for the protection of the marine environment and for human health safety (descriptors 8 and 9, respectively) within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The identification of possible relations between contaminant levels in sediments and tissues of fish and other seafood, as well as the association of those levels to pollution sources, are major challenges for marine researchers. The Spanish initial assessment in the North-East Atlantic marine region was used as an example to show some gaps and loopholes when dealing with the relationship between descriptors 8 and 9. The main problem to deal with is that monitoring programmes intended for the assessment of marine environmental quality and for human health safety usually apply different approaches and methodologies, and even different tissues are analysed in some species (mainly fish). It is therefore recommended to make a profound revision of current sampling strategies, procedures and methodologies, including the selection of target species and tissues and to improve the traceability of samples of fish and other seafood for human consumption. On the other hand, despite the scope of descriptor 9 which is limited to commercially relevant species, this fact should not be an obstacle in the application of the ‘ecosystem approach’ within the MSFD. In order to appropriately solve these shortcomings, an information exchange system between authorities dealing with descriptors 8 and 9 should be strongly encouraged for the next steps of the MSFD’s implementation.
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Notes
European Commission (EC), Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy.
European Commission (EC), Commission Decision 2010/477 of 1 September 2010 on criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status of marine waters.
European Commission (EC), Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy.
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).
European Commission (EC), Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy.
Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC as regards priority substances in the field of water policy (COM(2011)/876).
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Acknowledgments
This work has been supported by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO). We are very grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Environment and to all the people involved in the MSFD process in Spain, especially to those dealing with descriptors 8 and 9. We are very grateful to the three reviewers that made a number of good suggestions to improve this work.
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Gago, J., Viñas, L., Besada, V. et al. The link between descriptors 8 and 9 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive: lessons learnt in Spain. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 13664–13671 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3283-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3283-z