Euro Coml Workshop

Euro CoML Workshop

October 9-10, 2003

Barcelona, Spain

Introduction Fourteen scientists from 13 European countries, one representative of the European Commission and one representative of the CoML Secretariat in Washington DC (Appendic I) met in Barcelona, Spain to discuss the formation of a Census of Marine Life (CoML) European Committee (Appendix II). The workshop took place in the excellent facilities of the Spanish Research Council (Consejo de Investigaciones Cientificas) and housing for participants was provided at the Residencia of the Research Council.

Information and Discussion Agenda item 1: Opening Ulf Lie welcomed the participants and explained that the major goals of the workshop were to discuss the feasibility of formation of a regional CoML European Committee, to review existing European participation in CoML programmes, and to recommend potential new contributions of European marine science to the objectives of CoML.

Agenda item 2: CoML: an overview Giselle Firme provided an overview of existing Census of Marine Life programmes in effect and in development.

Agenda item 3: Relevant European scientific activities Carlo Heip summarized relevant European biodiversity activities in Europe, including among others MARBEF, DIVERSITAS, MARBENA, BIOMARE, BIOCOMBE and MARS.

Agenda item 4: CoML Field Projects 1) Patterns and Processes of the Ecosystems of the Northern Mid-Atlantic (MAR- ECO) The MAR-ECO Principal Investigator Odd Aksel Bergstad provided an overview of MAR-Eco activities that aim to describe and understand the patterns of distribution, abundance and trophic relationships of the organisms inhabiting the mid-oceanic North Atlantic, and identify and model ecological processes that cause variability in these patterns. Mar-Eco includes scientists from both sides of the Atlantic and the secretariat is located in Norway. Several cruises are already scheduled that provide opportunities for collaboration with other projects. The next cruise is scheduled for 2 months in 2004, where 60 scientists from 15 countries will participate.

2) Biogeography of Chemosynthetic Ecosystemn (ChESS) 2

Eva Ramirez-Llodra provided and overview of ChEss, a project that looks at the biogeography of deep-water chemosynthetic systems at a global scale. The main objectives are to enhance understanding of the forces driving these ecosystems, including hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, whale carcasses and wood falls. The strategy for determining research sites is to identify regions that have not been explored previously.

3) Census and Diversity of Abyssal Marine Life (CeDAMar) The Principal Investigator of CeDAMar, Pedro Martinez Arbizu, provided an overview of the project that looks at the diversity of abyssal marine life, focusing on benthic, epibenthic and hyperbenthic organisms of all sizes and classes. The project aims are to describe the species diversity of abyssal plains and to study historical causes and ecological factors regulating the diversity. CeDaMar is based in Germany, and future research cruises include the West coast of Africa, the Southern Ocean (Atlantic), Mediterranean Sea and possibly the Brazilian coast, and the Arctic. There is possibility for collaboration with other projects in these cruises.

Item 5: Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) Annelies C. Pierrot-Bults gave a presentation on OBIS, which is a species database storing all data from CoML projects as well as providing an interface to databases already in existence. OBIS is an open website that provides species distribution records of high taxonomic quality and the tools needed to use data effectively for research, management and education. Today the portal provides access to 2,000,000 data points, as well as mapping, range prediction and name translation and it is constantly expanding and looking for new technologies to be incorporated. The goal is that OBIS will be the next information infrastructure for marine biology and living marine resource management.

Item 6: Education & Outreach Ulf Lie discussed the importance of education and outreach to raise awareness to the issue of marine biodiversity, as well as to increase visibility of current efforts of the Census of Marine Life. CoML places great importance on including educational components into CoML projects, where 5-10% funding must be devoted to education and outreach plans. The Office of Marine Programs of University of Rhode Island, USA, is presently engaged in developing an outreach and education strategy for CoML activities for the period 2004-2005.

Item 7: EuroCoML background Alasdair McIntyre provided background information on a Census of Marine Life European Committee. Ideas and beginning of talks started in 2001 at the Mar del Plata, Argentina meeting, and continued at a workshop in Amsterdam in September 2002. An ad hoc group was formed to prepare a formal proposal for a European CoML committee for consideration by the CoML SSC at its meeting in Southampton in June 2003. a core of Europeans wrote a letter of intent to present to the Steering Committee. Outcome was funding for EuroCoML workshop. Items included in letter of interest: - identify new projects - integrate activities in Europe - liase with international Steering Group of CoML 3

Item 8: EuroCoML Committee Ulf Lie introduced the Agenda item for discussion. He explained that a EuroCoML scientific steering committee will be a regional subsidiary of the CoML International SSC, and that the structure of regional committees are expected to follow the model of the international committee. The major duties of the regional CoML committees are: 1. To inform and communicate the overall goals and governance of the CoML scientific research and management communities and relevant stakeholders in the area such as fishing industry, conservation organisations, and the general public. 2. To work with national or regional funding sources identifying research priorities in ocean biodiversity, distribution and abundance that meet the overall goals of CoML. 3. To identify research projects for the CoML that will be carried out within the 10- year framework of the program, including research jointly with other national and regional entities. 4. To identify funding for such projects and insure that they are consistent with the overall CoML program and coordinated with HMAP, OBIS and other CoML activities. 5. To identify existing and historical data of the region on marine biodiversity,, distribution and abundance, with a view to incorporate such data in HMAP or OBIS.

The EuroCoML SSC should be made up of individuals from academia, industry, governmental and non-governmental bodies representing the scientific and technical interests in the program. Representatives of national or international funding agencies may also be members, or may prefer to be affiliated members. The EuroCoML SSC must establish a project office or secretariat and provide for its funding and staff sufficient for carrying out the work of the steering committee.

SSC members should be selected to ensure a wide range of relevant expertise, knowledge about the CoML programme and knowledge about relevant European marine science and institutions. It is also important to have a broad geographical representation in the committee, but with about 30 coastal and island states in Europe the committee would be too large. Efforts should therefore be made to ensure that the European seas are well represented on the committee. Representatives of major marine institutions and funding agencies should be approached for full or affiliated membership in the committee.

The workshop agreed to the criteria for selecting member of the EuroCoML SSC and proposed ideas for tasks and mode of operation of the committee. The establishment of the EuroCoML and efforts to ensure its proper funding were considered issues of the highest priority. Ulf Lie informed the workshop that the structure and composition of EuroCoML would be determined after the workshop, and included in the report to the CoML SSC.

Item 9: History of Martine Animal Populations (HMAP) 4

Henn Ojaveer provided an overview of HMAP that looks at case studies in different regions for information on how marine populations have changed over time using tax records, fishing data, middens, and other such sources. Currently seven case studies are in place: Northwest Atlantic; Southwest Atlantic; White and Barents Seas; Norwegian, North and Baltic Seas; Southwest African Shelf; World Wide Whaling and California Current. The intention is to expand HMAP to include Black Sea, Aral Sea, and Mediterranean Sea.

Item 10: European participation in existing projects The workshop expressed interest in forming European components of on-going CoML projects such as the Arctic Transects project, Genetic Diversity of Marine Microbes, FMAP and for a North Atlantic project like the Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (TOPP).

Item 11: Possible new field projects on specific European issues Anastasios Eleftheriou provided an overview of the marine biodiversity situation in the Mediterranean ocean and the potential for European CoML projects in the area. He pointed to the wide range of users of Mediterranean environment and resources, and also to the lack of coordination within the Mediterranean Sea and the scarcity of data in certain regions. The amount of data diminishes from the Western to the Eastern part of the area, and data are also scarce and fragmented from the southern part of the Mediterranean ocean. Eleftheriou recommended that a scientist from the North African Mediterranean countries should be considered for membership in EuroCoML and he suggested that EuroCoML as a first step should make an inventory of existing data and literature from the Mediterranean – Black Sea area

Recommendations The workshop recommended the following priority actions for EuroCoML:

1.) Arrange a workshop to inventory data existing in Europe and seek funding for mining old archival records, possibly in cooperation with MARBEF. The recent SCOR Executive Board meeting in Moscow decided that a workshop be done to look at archives in Russia to be put into OBIS.

2.) Establish a EuroCoML website to link CoML efforts and provide a forum for collaboration and exchange of information.

3.) Make efforts to enhance public relations and education on CoML issues, with a view to mobilize the general public and through them the decision takers on the importance of marine science and research. EuroCoML should also establish links with media, museums, schools and publishers and engage a professional to advise on outreach and education.

4.) EuroCoML should provide assistance to existing and new projects for facilitating funding from national and regional science funding institutions and from industry. 5

5.) EuroCoML should stimulate cooperation among research units in sharing of resources (equipment, software) and in co-ordinating approaches to funding.

Appendix I : List of Participants

Ahmet E. Kideys Institute of Marine Sciences Erdenti, Mersin Turkey Ph: 90 3245213434 Email: [email protected]

Alasdair McIntire 63 Hamilton Place Aberdeen, AB15 5BN U.K. Ph: 44 1224645633 Email: [email protected]

Anastasios Eleftheriou Institute of Marine Biology, Crete (HCMS) PO Box 2214, 71003 Heraklion Crete, Greece Ph: 30 2810337750 30 2810337806 Cell: 6944153738 Email: [email protected]

Andrey Gebruk P.P. Shirshou Institute of Oceanology Russian Academy of Sciences Nakhimousky Pr., 36 Moscow 119851 Russia Ph: 70 951248504 Email: [email protected]

Annelies C. Pierrot-Bults Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) Zoological Museum University of Amsterdam The Netherlands Ph: 31 205257194 Fax: 31 205255402 6

Email: [email protected]

Carlo Heip Netherlands Institute of Ecology POB 140 4400 AC Yerseke The Netherlands Ph: 31 113577445 Email: [email protected]

Eva Ramirez-Llodra Southampton Oceanography Centre SOES- ChEss Office European Way SO14 3ZH Southampton U.K. Ph: 44 2380546446 Email: [email protected]

Giselle Firme Census of Marine Life Secretariat Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036-2102 USA E-mail: [email protected]

Henn Ojaveer E-mail: [email protected]

Isabel Sousa-Pinto Centre for Marine and Environmental Research R. dos Bragas, 177 4050-123 Porto Portugal Ph: 35 1962562856 Email: [email protected]

Jean-Pierre Féral Centre d’Oceanologie de Marseille UMR CARS 6540- DIMAR Rue de la Batterie des Lions 13007 Marseille, France 7

Cell: 33 610153478 Email: [email protected]

Odd Aksel Bergstad Institute of Marine Research Flødevigen Marine Research Station N-4817 HIS Norway Ph: 47 37059019 Fax: 47 37059001 Email: [email protected]

Victor Surugiu Universitatea “Al.I.Cuza” Iaşi Facultatea de Biologie B-dul Carol I, nr 20 A 6600 Iaşi, România Email: [email protected]

Piia Tuomisto European Commission DG Research, Biodiversity & Marine Ecosystems Ph: 32 22992138 Email: [email protected]

Appendix II: Workshop agenda

Thursday 9 October 2003

12:00 – 12:30 Registration

Item 1: 12:30 – 13:00 Opening: Ulf Lie

Lunch 13:00 – 14:00

Item 2: 14:00 – 15:00 CoML: an overview: Giselle Firme

Coffee break 15:00 – 15:30

Item 3: 15:30 – 16:30 Relevant European scientific activities : Carlo Heip 8

Item 4: 16:30 – 18:00 CoML Field Projects: (30 min for each project) MAR-ECO: Odd Aksel Bergstad ChEss: Eva Ramirez Llodra CeDaMar: Pedro Martinez Arbizu

Friday 10 October 2003

Item 5: 09:00 – 10:00 OBIS: Annelies C. Pierrot-Bults

Item 6: 10:00 – 10:30 Education & Outreach: Ulf Lie

Item 7: 10:30 – 11:00 EuroCoML background: Alasdair Mcintyre

Coffee break 11:00 – 11:30

Item 8: 11:30 – 12:30 EuroCoML Committee Tasks and mode of operation of the committee: Ulf Lie Funding: Alasdair Mcintyre

Item 9: 12:30 – 13:00 HMAP: Henn Ojaveer

Lunch 13:00 – 14:30

Item 10: 14:30– 15:30 European participation in existing projects: Arctic Transect; Genetic Diversity of Marine Microbes; FMAP

Item 11: 15:30 – 16:30 Possible new field projects on specific European issues

Item 12: 16:30 Closure

Appendix III. The European CoML Committee

EuroCoML Chairman Ulf Lie, (Norway) [email protected]

EuroCoML Executive Committee Alasdair D. McIntyre, (UK) [email protected] Anastasios Eleftheriou, (Greece) [email protected] Carlo Heip, (The Netherlands) [email protected] Henn Ojaveer, (Estonia) [email protected] Graham Shimmield, (UK) [email protected] 9

EuroCoML Scientific Steering Committee Ahmet Kideys, (Turkey) [email protected] Alasdair D. McIntyre, (UK) [email protected] Anastasios Eleftheriou, (Greece) [email protected] Andrey Gebruk, (Russia) [email protected] Carlo Heip, (The Netherlands) [email protected] David J. Starkey, (UK) [email protected] Graham Shimmield, (UK) [email protected] Henn Ojaveer, (Estonia) [email protected] Isabel Sousa-Pinto, (Portugal) [email protected] Jean-Pierre Féral, (France) [email protected] Pedro Martinez Arbizu, (Germany) [email protected] Per Nilsson, (Sweden) [email protected]