The Prestige Disaster One Year On h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/2 November 2003 GreenpeaceSpain Oceans Campaign. writtenby MaríaJoseA report Caballero One Year On The Prestige Disaster. n erOn Year One Executive Summary pág. 6

Repercussions of the Prestige oil slick pág. 9

Impact upon organisms and marine communities pág. 11 Impact upon the fishing industry pág. 15 Commercial effects pág. 16 Food safety pág. 18 Repercussions for the tourist sector pág. 20 Social repercussions: the case of the Galician coast pág. 21

The Prestige demands solutions pág. 23

Solutions for the recovery of the coastal and marine ecosystems affected by the Prestige oil spill. pág. 24 The vulnerability of the coastline affected by the Prestige pág. 30 Proposal for the protection of marine and coastal areas on the galician atlantic and cantabrian coasts pág. 31

Solutions aimed at preventing new catastrophes pág. 35 Measures to improve the safety of maritime traffic pág. 35 Safety measures to fight pollution and catastrophes pág. 38 The elimination of threats in the coastal region pág. 40 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/4 n erOn Year One esnbhn h rpsl tcnan.We hopethattheydonotfallondeafears. reason behindtheproposalsitcontains. That isthe That isthereasonbehindthisreport. We want thingstochange. tion. We want tostopaskingthisques- butwhenandwhere. ther ornotitwillhappen, T nothing weretochange. aftersomuchdamage, Itwouldbeshamefulif, national maritimelegislation. coastal areasinordertoensuretheirrecoverychangesthepreventiveinter- Our proposalsareambitiousbutindispensableandrangefromtheprotectionof Executive Director ofGreenpeace Spain Juan LópezdeUralde propose specificmeasuresthatwillpreventanother has passedsincethe andreviewstheyearthat onceagain, Greenpeacelooksback, With thisreport, us that “nothing happenedhere”. even thetirelesspropagandaeffortsofcertainleadershavemanagedtoconvince The figuresarestaggeringandnot thefuelcontinuesto reachourshores. later, oneyear hundredsofthousandsbirdscoveredinoiland, of coastaffected, over2,000kilometres never beforesufferedsomuchastheresultofanoilslick: wenowknowthattheEuropeancoastlinehad One yearafterthecatastrophe, hide behindunapproachablelegalstructures. continue topayahighpricewhilstthosethatprofitfromthetrafficofcrudeoil peopleandtheenvironmenthavepaidwill Resources today?Onceagain, as thatofthe unlimitedresponsibilityinaccidentssuch Withthingsastheyare, EU ortheIMO. A changeintheregimeofresponsibilityhasnotevenbeencontemplatedby Maritime Organisation(IMO)hasalreadyhittheroofoverthistimidinitiative. theInternational Nevertheless, around 5%ofalltheoilproductsthatenterEurope. thistypeoffuelrepresentsonly ships carryingheavyfuelintoEuropeanports, AlthoughtheEuropeanUnionhasforbiddenentryofsingle-hulled in legalterms. Prestige Eversincethe those ofuswhodefenddrasticmeasurestopreventnewoilslicks. those whoprofitfromthebusinessoftransportinghazardoussubstancesbyseaand F againanother Never raa rmtepeshalns analmostsilentbattleisbeingfoughtbetween ar away fromthepressheadlines, enx i lc swiigt apn The questionweaskourselvesisnotwhe- he nextoilslickiswaiting tohappen. ea opu ehlfe noteAlni n erao littlehaschanged began topourlethalfuelintothe Atlantic oneyearago, Prestige Prestige otne osudlk tpa WhereisCrown continues tosoundlike aUtopia. .H wvr bv l,wewant tolookforward and aboveall, owever, Prestige Prestige from happening.

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/5 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/6 o o n erOn Year One a tide onthe Atlantic coast continues toappearlike anever-ending of coastwhereitcomestoshore, dependingonthestretch or “galipote”, the sadlyfamous “chapapote”, theremainsofslick, One yearlater, 2 1 y recuperación económicadeGalicia. InstitutodeEstudiosEconómicos deGalicia.Pedro BarriédelaMaza. continue tobefeltforatleast adecadealong environmental repercussions oftheoilslickwill thesocio-economic and in thisarea, According tothepredictionsofexpertscientists million spentin Alaska. comparedtothe1,800 total 2,500millioneuros, the costofcleaningandrecoveryworkcould actually exceedsthatoftheExxon Valdez since Studies suchas “El Impactodel pollute the Atlantic Ocean. thefirstlitresofcrudeoilbeganto afternoon, F cnmcpito iw the economic pointofview, froman done bytheseexpertsindicatesthat, Thethe Exxon research Valdez in Alaska in1989. in theworldafterwildlifedeathscausedby suffered inEuropeandthesecondmostserious the greatestcatastropheofthistypeever indicatesthatwearetalkingof (SEO/BirdLife), estimates bytheSpanishOrnithologySociety 250,000 and300,000specimensaccordingto between The enormouslossofbirdlife, greater. that thedamagecausedby estimate ship offthecoastof A Coruñain1992, the repercussionsofsinkingMarEgeo whoalsostudied The authors, current situation. revealaparticularconcernaboutthe universities, carried outbyscientistsfromGalician Executive Summary El ImpactodelPrestige. AnálisisyEvaluación delosdañoscausadospor elaccidentedelPrestige ydispositivospara laregen The NorthAtlantic coastencompassestheCantabrian andGaliciancoasts. nser,Glca pi.Atfiveo’clockthat Spain. Galicia, inisterre, a miles (50kilometres)from an SOSatadistanceof28 sentout residual heavyfueloil, loaded with77,000tonnesof flying theBahamianflagand hulled oiltanker single- the26-year-old, 2002, on13thNovember t 3.15p.m. Prestige 1 Prestige Prestige Prestige “pichi” disaster ” is even 2 , , Prestige in evaluating thecatastrophecausedby scarce interestistheamountofmoneyinvested A fairmeasureoftheSpanishgovernment’s the affectedareaasawhole. economicandsocialrecoveryof environmental, biological balanceandmustgiveprioritytothe marine environmentplaysinthenatural government mustunderstandtherolethat The Spanish disaster fromeverhappeningagain. necessary inordertopreventsuchahuge-scale We structure andfunctionareunderthreat. are morevulnerablethaneverandtheirvery Nowthey terms ofresourcesandemployment. bothin source ofwealthforhundredsyears, T manage economicandenvironmentalresources. how itmustbeunderstoodbythosethat This is lesson andleadtoachangeindirection. T could preventsimilaraccidentsinthefuture. international globalregulatoryregimewhich therehasbeennochangeinthe Furthermore, social recoveryoftheaffectedcoastline. economicand to speeduptheenvironmental, comprehensive recoveryplanwhichwouldserve government hasstillnotpresenteda theSpanish Despite thisserioussituation, before theenvironmentaldisaster. necessary formarinelifetodevelopasitwas take manyyearstorecoverthecharacteristics whichwill jeopardised thequalityofwaters, Ithasalso the presenceofhydrocarbon). free-moving organismsfledwhenfacedwith directly (duetomortalities)orindirectly(many either eliminatedsomeofthemarinelife, cliffs, The spillhasblackened beachesand crude oil. damaged bythearrival ofcountlesswaves of Atlantic coastshaveseentheirshoresseriously The entireCantabrianandGalician affected. the 2,000kilometresofcoastthathavebeen ilo uo.The amountspentbytheNorth million euros. lessthan10 sources closetothegovernment, accordingtoseveral programmes whichtotal, T echnology hasimplementedresearch he CantabrianandGaliciancoastshavebeena he

must usealltheexpertiseandresources Prestige .T he MinistryofScienceand disaster mustserveasasalutary eración American government in evaluating and monitoring the oil slick caused by the Exxon Valdez came close to 400 million dollars. Forty times the budget for the Prestige.

This would require the development of an environmental monitoring system for the affected ecosystems. The measures put forward so far by the government are partial and fragmentary and in many cases they completely overlook the natural areas that have been affected. This is true of the so-called “Plan Galicia”, a combination of costly infrastructures (ports, roads and railways) which are totally unrelated to the recovery programmes needed by the Galician and Cantabrian coasts.

In order to prevent new oil slicks in coastal areas, it is essential to force the shipping industry to operate with the greatest safety guarantees, to control maritime traffic,

strengthen safety measures and control P.ARMESTRE GREENPEACE/ pollution from the land. ©

Greenpeace believes that urgent action This protection will accelerate the recovery of is necessary in order to prevent the damaged natural environment, as well as catrastrophes like that of the Prestige all its inhabitants. from happening again on our coasts. Currently, along the 2,000 kilometres of coast To achieve this, it is essential for affected by the Prestige, there are only two solutions to be implemented which will protected marine reserves: the Islas Atlánticas, prevent new disasters. Greenpeace also which have the protected status of a National considers the complete recovery of the Park, and a small area on the Basque coast, the protected biotope of Gaztelugatxe. The lack of

affected ecosystems to be urgently 7 necessary. protected marine reserves must be remedied quickly, as was demanded by the European Union in a report recently presented to the o o European Parliament. Together with these measures, the recovery of the areas affected by the pollution must not be further The Spanish government, and some other EU delayed . The Spanish government, in collaboration States did propose that the International with the scientific and fishing community, must Maritime Organisation (IMO) establish a prepare a comprehensive plan by which to restore Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) that the affected areas. Scientific and technical would help protect the area from dangerous knowledge must be employed to lessen the effects ships in the Atlantic. A dozen countries of the spill and accelerate the recovery of the belonging to the IMO have expressed their damaged coastal ecosystems, something which opposition to this proposal, thereby will, without doubt, benefit those economies that demonstrating the scarce importance that these are linked to the marine environment. governments give to environmental issues. On/ / The Prestige Disaster: One Year

In the scientific world, there exists a general The final decision regarding this proposal for consensus regarding the beneficial effect of protection will be taken in October 2004. Even if

protecting areas of particular biological value. the measure is finally approved, it is clearly not Greenpeace h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/8 n erOn Year One ult fsipn.These include: quality ofshipping. implemented urgentlywhichwouldincreasethe that arangeofmeasuresneedtobe Itisclear livesandlivelihoods. environment, were inadequatetoensureprotectionofthe some authoritiesthatthecurrentregulations there was arecognitionamongthepublicand sinking ofthe Following the activities oftheshippingindustry. protecting theoceansandhumanlifefrom is theUNbodychargedwithtaskof T affected areas. the environmentalandeconomicrecoveryof to preventnewcatastrophesandwillbenefit right tocreateprotectedareaswhichwillhelp whereitcannotbedeniedthe sphere ofactivity, implement allnecessarymeasureswithinits government hasadutyandobligationto The Spanish protected marinereserve. even thosethatopposethedeclarationofa asisacknowledgedbymanycountries, remain, affected bytheoilslicksinceotherthreatswill enough toensuretherecoveryofarea he InternationalMaritimeOrganisation(IMO) T governments and industryshouldfully Although order toevade theirresponsibilities. gradually reducedtheirsafety measuresin The largeoilcompanies have opposite. to anincreaseinsafetybut instead quitethe the reactionofthesecompanies didnotlead their responsibilityfortheoilslickcaused, demanded thattheoilcompaniesaccepted F the Erika(propertyofcompany Total Exxon Valdez (propertyofExxon-Mobil)and Following thecaseof responsibility. companies) areentirelyexemptofall areusuallylargemultinationaloil slicks, inthecaseofoil owners oftheload(which, operatorsand charterers, the managers, restricted exclusivelytotheshipownerwhilst thisresponsibilityis the currentsystem, Under according tothetonnageofship. responsibility oftheownervessel, system isbasedonthelimitedfinancial The currentcompensation an accident. he regimeofresponsibilitythatarisesfrom n) inwhichtheaffectedcountries ina), Prestige , and earliertheErika, taken bytheIMO. theyareatleastmore thanhasbeen enough, While neitherofthesemeasures gofar proposed certainMarineProtected Areas. The EUhasalso tankers carryingheavyfueloil. calling foranearlyphaseout ofsingle-hulled in albeitlimited, EU hastaken somesteps, the in theabsenceofanymovesbyIMO, However, be implementedgloballybytheIMO. T o hese aresomeofthemeasureswhichneedto affected by theoilspill. oftheecosystems enable therecovery asoneofthesolutionsto disaster, the coastaffectedby the alongtheentirelengthof reserves of anetworkprotectedmarine Greenpeace demandsthecreation T T A morerobustandtransparentinspection to improveshipsafetyisminimal. becomes clearthattheinterestininvesting it Inthiscontext, livelihoods depend. environment onwhichtheyandtheir the costisbornebycitizensand amount paidisabsurdandthattherestof butforgetstomentionthatthe pays” the requirementthat “he whopollutes, cost is The internationalcommunityfulfils The real commercial interestsisabsurdlylow. reality isthatthefinancialliabilitypaidby the comply withthepolluterpaysprinciple, worldwide. are lowest. vessel withacountyinwhichthestandards avoid theirresponsibilitiesbyflagginga of Conveniencewherebyshipownerscan Closure ofloopholessuchastheuseFlags results. publication ofclassificationsocietysurvey and maintenanceregimeincludingthe coastlines. Sea Areas (PSSAs)forthemostvulnerable o he rapidphaseoutofsingle-hulledtankers he establishmentofParticularly Sensitive Prestige 3 4 r r afundimento doPrestige. J.Cabrera &AGarcía-Allut (eds.).Ed.SoteloBlanco (enprensa). afundimento doPrestige. J.Cabrera &AGarcía-Allut (eds.).Ed.SoteloBlanco (enprensa). Freire EGonzález-Gurriarán&RMuiño (2003).Impactoambientaldamarea negra doPrestige: J,LFernández, efectos sobre osec Freire EGonzález-Gurriarán &RMuiño(2003).Impactoambientaldamarea negradoPrestige: J,LFernández, efectossobre osec ecursos pesqueiros. Papeldacomunidade científicanaresposta ácrise.En,¿Qué foidoPrestige?, Balanceecolóxicoesocial ecursos pesqueiros. Papel dacomunidadecientíficanaresposta á crise.En,¿QuéfoidoPrestige?, Balanceecolóxico esocial o O Repercussions ofthe eursgetatnin Analyseshaveshown requires greatattention. foodsafetyalso addition topublichealth, In which hassufferedtheimpactoffuel. aswellthatofthecoastalpopulation slick, volunteers whocollectedtheremainsofoil An evaluation isnecessary ofthehealth affected communitieshavesufferedindirecteffects. since theeconomyandwell-beingofall Prestige arealreadysufferingtheeffectsof tourism, shellfishingand fishing, marine environment, T tourismorsocialrepercussions. food safety, suchas with theissuesandsectorsaffected, public anyrecoveryplansormeasuresdealing Norhasitmade repercussions oftheoilslick. carried outbytheadministrationtoassess is knownaboutthestudiesthatarebeing Very little the situationhasimprovednoticeably. wecannotsaythat Sixmonthson, ecosystems. impact ofthespillageonaffected protested atthelackofinformationabout ( In thereport “ account. environmental issueswhichmustbetaken into socialand health-related, economic, Their consequencescoveraseriesof minds. black arenotmerelypicturesengravedinour beachesandcliffscoveredin Images ofthesea, that canbeforgotten. kilometres ofcoastisnotafleetingoccurrence The seriouspollutionofalmost2,000 clear. Prestige One yearaftertheaccidentinvolving Prestige he sectorsthataredirectlyrelatedwiththe ecological andeconomicpointofview generally moreimportantfroman term effectswhicharelessvisiblebut followed byothermedium-andlong- are obviousandspectacular, effects, The short-term cases ofpollution. il slicksareoccasionalbutintense , i lc.Hwvr theyarenotalone, However, oil slick. : the impactcausedbyspillageis Six monthsafterwards) Greenpeace Prestige : Seis mesesdespués” 3 . oenet aVnuri.12/09/03 LaVanguardia. Government. PresidentoftheGalician Autonomous Manuel Fraga. defend itself”. large andcan The seaisvery have actedinbadfaith. of the exaggerated theconsequences thosewhohave doubt, “Without hrfr,official therefore, converted intoregulationsand arenot, however theyhavenotbeen Government, been establishedbytheGalician Autonomous These limitshaveonly their presenceinfood. nor Europehasyetdecreedlimitsregarding forwhichneither Spain hydrocarbons (PAHs), suchaspolycyclicaromatic human health, that areclassedasbeinghighlydangerousfor Itscompositionincludessubstances highly toxic. that thefueloilspilledby Prestige Prestige 4 . oil tanker spillage oil slick sobre ascausaseefectosdo sobre ascausas eefectosdo Prestige osistemas mariños eos osistemas mariñoseos is

©GREENPEACE/ MABEL URIBES

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/9 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/10 following thesinkingof onreinforcingEuropean Parliament maritimesafety report threatening theEnglishcoastline. g peninsula andtheFrench Atlantic, oftheIberian theNorth Galicia, continues toreachthecoastsof Heavy fueloilfromthe oing beyondBrittany andeven September w (2003/2066 (INI)). 15 July2003. 7 6 5 the reporton asacknowledgedin habitat hasbeenobserved, certain speciesandadeclineinthemarine F evaluation bemadeoftheaffectedecosystems. Itisessentialthataserious happening. step inpreventinganother An analysisofalltheserepercussionsisthefirst taken tospeeditsrecovery. studied andevaluated andmeasuresmustbe suffered atalllevelsoftheecosystemmustbe The effects will clearaway thelumpsoffuel. enough tofillthebeacheswithmachinesthat Itisnot marine environmentcannotbeignored. T performed. promise sincethestudyhasstillnotbeen howeveritappearstohaveforgottenits so, theMinistryannouncedthatitwoulddo March, Inmid- risks forhumanhealthtobeevaluated. epidemiological studywhichwouldallowthe that theMinistryofHealthcarryoutan Greenpeacedemanded At theendofFebruary, public administration. comprehensive recoveryplan organisedbythe until nowhasnotbeenframedwithina T rightfromtheverystart. scientific community, administration clearlychosetomarginalisethe the When itcametoevaluating theeffects, Statement madeby ElviraRodríguez.Ministerforthe Environment. IdealNewspaper. 12/08/03. El SucesoPrestige. MinistryoftheEnvironment. http://www.mma.es. Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism Committee.Informesobre elrefuerzo delaseguridadmarítimatraselnaufragio delpetr o ilgclpito iw areduction in rom abiologicalpointofview, he deteriorationofthecoastalareasand he scientificworkthathasbeencarriedout as presentedtotheEuropeanParliament in n erOn Year One 5 . Prestige Prestige Prestige Prestige catastrophe that i akr 15July2003. oil tanker. from o o to the ministry oftheenvironment/ to theministry Álamo asPresidentoftheIslas Atlánticas NationalPark. oftheEnvironment laterappointedDel theMinistry many, To thesurpriseof to hispoorconductduringtheoilslick. Environment in theGalician due Autonomous Government w who came fromacompany delÁlamo, chairedby Carlos Oneoftheproposals posals werepresentedin August. have stillnotbeen awarded despitethefactthatpro- howeverthesecontracts order tocompletethestudies, announced thatitwouldbecontracting assistancein oftheEnvironment TheMinistry ding ofthephenomenon. dies willbeinsufficienttoprovideanoverall understan- Thereisnodoubtthatthesestu- and theBasqueCountry. Cantabria of theaffectedautonomousregions: Asturias, inGaliciaandoneeach other protectednaturereserves two totheIslas Atlánticas NationalPark, “various parts” obtainedby Greenpeacelimits these The information priate measures appro- wherenecessary, inordertoadopt, Galician coast, exact impactoftheoilslickonvarious ofthe parts outadetailedstudyoverthreeyearstoevaluate the carry oftheEnvironment hasassuredthatitwill The Ministry order torecover. visitors eachday werenotwhattheislandsneededin admitted thatthedecisionhadbeenhastyand3,000 himself EmilioRodríguezMerino, Director ofthepark, the afteritwas Shortly opened, affected environment. callinto questionitsinterestinrestoringthe this summer, sion toopentheIslas Atlánticas NationalPark totourists suchasthedeci- Some ofthestepstaken by theMinistry, mediumandlongterm. repercussions intheshort, outtoanalyse theimpactand dies thatarebeingcarried tostu- whatsoeverhasbeenprovided referring information no Asofnow, about thepresenceorabsenceoffuel. isonlygiven information affected coastalecosystems, Nothing issaidabouttheeffectsofthispollutionon from theseabed ved fromthelandand1,593.5tonneshadbeenextracted 4,589.9tonnesofwaste hadbeen remo- 19th September, by thisarea, In Islas Atlánticas NationalPark separately. oftheEnvironment dealswiththe TheMinistry coastline. had beenremovedfromthe1,900kilometresofaffected by thatsamedate83,751.28tonnes the waste collected, regard With to layers and2hadfuelremainsonthesurface. had remainsofhydrocarbons onrocksand/orinunderlying 9 these beacheswereconsideredtobecompletelyclean, 1,053of onthe2ndOctober, According tothesefigures, ofthedisaster.which hastotalled1,064sincethestart regardinginformation thenumberofbeachesaffected, oftheEnvironment hasonlyoffered theMinistry Until now, The impactofthe as removedfromhispostRegional Ministerforthe 6 7 . . Prestige according olero Prestige Impact uponorganismsandmarinecommunities 9 8 paradigms inoilecostoxicology. Prestige. J.Cabrera & AGarcía-Allut (eds.). Ed.SoteloBlanco(enprensa). Prestige?, Balanceecolóxicoesocial sobre ascausas eefectosdoafundimento pesqueiros. Papelda comunidadecientíficanaresposta ácrise.En,¿Qué foido da marea negrado Prestige: efectossobre osecosistemas mariñoseosrecursos Ott. R.,C.Peterson &R.Rice.ExxonValdez oilspill (EVOS) legacy:Shifting Freire EGonzález-Gurriarán &RMuiño(2003).Impactoambiental J,LFernández, o be classifiedinthefollowingway: T demographic changes. theirpopulationsundergo these processes, Asaresultof provoking geneticalterations. whilstalso viability andreproductivesuccess, organisms whichhaveconsequencesfortheir and biochemicalproblemsintheaffected Hydrocarbon spillscausedifferentphysiological coastal areas. concentration increasesasweheadtowards the whereasinhorizontalterms, seabed, hydrocarbons increasesasweapproachthe theamountof look attheecosystemvertically, ifwe Therefore, distributed inamarinecontext. One mustrememberthatpollutionisnotevenly habitats havebeenandarestillindanger. meanthatpracticallyallmarine submerged, with thelocationofareainwhichitlies followed bytheshipbeforeitsankcombined fetd Inthecaseof affected. depend essentiallyonthetypeofhabitat T he effectsofspillpollutiononorganismsmay he ecologicaleffectsofahydrocarbonspill trophic network. changesinthe lastly, productivity levelsand, alterationsin and betweencompetitors, relationship betweenpredatorsandtheirprey changesinthe alterations inthehabitat, T disruptionoftheecosystem. Indirect effects: reduce viabilityandbiologicalefficiency. physiological alterationsdooccurwhichmay biochemicalor genetic, Nonetheless, withoutcausingdeath. organism, contact betweenthepollutantand causedbydirect Direct sublethaleffects: impregnation orasphyxia. causedbyfuel Direct lethaleffects: he mainprocessestobeaffectedinclude Prestige , the route will entermostorganismsviathefoodchain. substances intheecosystemmeansthatthey sincethecontinuedpresenceofpollutant term, effects willappearinthemediumandlong make itreasonabletosupposethatthemain T above allinthecaseofsmallpopulations. where theconsequencesmaybeveryserious, easier toidentifydirecteffectsincoastalareas Itissomewhat hydrocarbons tendstobelow. observe andinwhichtheconcentrationofspilt since thesearehabitatswhichdifficultto aboveallinthecaseofoceanregions, to detect, The othereffectsaremuchmoredifficult species. of coastalfloraandfaunaespeciallysedentary thesmothering catastrophic seabirdmortalities, exceptinthecaseof direct effectsofoilslicks, thereisnotalotofevidencethe In general, he characteristicsofthe g even genetic alterations whichcauseddama- or increasedmortality such asreducedgrowth, witheffects andembryos, effects onfishlarvae low concentrations ofpollutantshadtoxic Theresultsshowedthatvery ecological value. and fishspeciesduetotheireconomicand/or V outinthecaseofExxon The workcarried tions tominimallevels. reducing theirpopula- deposited insuchareas, w habitat consistsofsandyareasinshallow Theirnatural in1978). fish species(thoseborn inthefirstagemortality classofvarious flat Brittany region ofFrance causedalmost total the Amoco Cádizoilslickinthe In 1978, effects/ Oil slicks:directandindirect increase in mortality wasincrease inmortality observed. a reductioninreproductivesuccess and/oran Atthesametime, been affectedby theoilspill. contained othermarinespecies whichhad the factthatdietsof speciesanalysed cause forthehighlevelofpollutants was dueto itwas shownthatthe marine mammalsorbirds, le ocnrtdo aiemma,bird aldez concentrated onmarinemammal, ed infollowinggenerations aters andalarge ofthehydrocarbon was part Prestige 9 .I n thecaseof oil slick 8

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Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/12 n erOn Year One Blue ling OCÉAN CONTINENTAL RISE DEEP OCEANABYSS CONTINENTAL SLOPE Horse mackerel Horse Mackerel Albacore Pilchard Common sole Anglerfish Red goatfish Hake Lobster Rooster Octopus SHELF CONTINENTAL Razor clam Spider crab Cockle Clam ZONE COASTAL 11 10 12 do afundimento Prestige. J.Cabrera &AGarcía-Allut (eds.).Ed.Sotelo Blanco (enprensa). os recursos pesqueiros. Papeldacomunidadecientífica naresposta ácrise.En,¿QuéfoidoPrestige?, Balance ecolóxicoesoci do afundimentoPrestige. J.Cabrera &AGarcía-Allut (eds.). Ed.SoteloBlanco(enprensa). os recursos pesqueiros. Papeldacomunidadecientíficanaresposta ácrise.En,¿QuéfoidoPrestige?, Balanceecolóxicoesoci Freire EGonzález-Gurriarán&RMuiño (2003).Impactoambientaldamarea negra do Prestige: J,LFernández, efectos sobre osec “No hallanfuelen losfondosmarinosdelCantábrico”. Gara.net.3/09/03. Freire EGonzález-Gurriarán &RMuiño(2003).Impactoambientaldamarea negradoPrestige: J,LFernández, efectossobre osec DEGREE OFEXPECTEDEFFECTONCERTAIN COMMERCIALSPECIES/ Source/ a largepartoftheGaliciancontinentalshelf. seabed showveryhighlevelsofpollutantsover sediments andthepresenceoffuelon polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons(PAHs) in Oceanography Instituteregardingthelevelof dataprovidedbytheSpanish However, the situationisoneofpracticalnormality. whichcouldleadonetobelievethat da Morte), of the Vigo RiaandincertainpartsoftheCosta high values onlyinveryspecificlocations(south Samplestaken inDecember2002detected shelf. relatively lowthroughouttheGaliciancontinental indicates thatthelevelofhydrocarbonsis T PCE AIA DEGREEOFEXPECTEDEFFECT HABITAT SPECIES uteihCatlae Medium Low Medium Medium-Low Medium Very high High Low Medium Medium Very high Low High Coastalarea Pelagic (surface) Medium Medium-Low Continentalshelf Medium Medium High Coastalarea High Medium Low Continentalshelf Cuttlefish Coastalarea Sardine Continentalshelf Coastalarea Coastalarea T Monkfish Octopus Horned Coastalarea Coastalarea Octopus Goose barnacle Common Ormer Pelagic (surface) Continentalshelf V Coastalarea Razor shell Coastalarea Hake Mussel (seed) Coastalarea Continentalshelf Coastalarea Sea bass Mackerel Horse Pelagic (surface) Coastalarea Elephant Fish Coastalarea P Sea urchin Conger eel Norway lobster Spider crab Shrimp Mackerel Cockle Clam he evidencethathasbeengathereduntilnow ro osa raMedium Coastalarea urbot le wmigCa osa raMedium-High Coastalarea elvet SwimmingCrab uigCatlae Medium Coastalarea outing Impacto ambiental de la marea negra del Prestige: efectos sobre los ecosistemas marinos y los recursos pesqueros losecosistemasmarinosyrecursos efectossobre negradelPrestige: Impacto ambientaldelamarea sediments ofcoastalareas Similar patternshavebeenobservedinthe beginning tobecomeavailable abundance ofPAHs inmarineorganismsis Initial dataaboutthedistributionand been unabletofindit simplythattheyhad that nofuelremained, responsible specifiedthatthisdidnotmean althoughthose fuel hadbeenfound, The resultsshowedthatno Basque seabeds. Cantabrianand investigate the Asturian, Guard carriedoutanexplorationprojectto theCoast During themonthofSeptember, 11 . al sobre ascausaseefectos al sobre as causaseefectos 10 . osistemas mariños e osistemas mariñose 12 .

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/13 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/14 o

©GREENPEACE/ P.ARMESTRE o medium andlongterm that themaineffectswillappearin slick make itreasonabletosuppose The characteristics ofthe in predatorswillincreaseduringthecomingyears. Itisforeseeablethatthelevelofpollutants lower. althoughthelevelofpollutantsis coastal areas, continental shelfshowsimilarpatternstothosein the resultsforfishandcephalopodsfrom Lastly, they havehighvalues intheaffectedarea. butnonetheless degree thansedentaryorganisms, areaffectedtoalesser cephalopod molluscs, decapodcrustaceansor suchasfish, trophic levels, The organismssituatedathigher other predators. rest ofthechainwhentheyareconsumedby thereforetheircontaminationwillenterthe chain, These animalsareatthebaseoffood affected. seaurchins)inthegeographicareas barnacles, sessile orsedentarycoastalanimals(bivalves, T hese resultsshowhighlevelsofpollutantsin n erOn Year One Prestige oil contaminated individuals. order toallowthedevelopment ofnewnon- vely extract theaffected goose in barnacles outinordertoselecti- work shouldbecarried activerecovery Nonetheless, period oftime. long collection shouldbeforbidden foravery F lower thannormal. productionis andmean thattheirlarva very pollutants willprobablyjeopardisetheirreco- Thehighlevelof den foralongperiodoftime. sincetheirextraction hasbeenforbid- mens, level ofpollutantsandahighdensityspeci- g This datahighlightsasituationinwhichthe slowly.so very contamination willnotdiminishoronlydo fuel anditisthereforelikely thatthedegree of forthe makes themactlikebarnacles a “trap” ofgoose themorphology However, mortalities. although ithasnotproducedcatastrophic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)high, isvery the oilslickshowthatlevelofpolycyclic outonpopulationsaffected by Studies carried donotdevelop. young barnacles g thereis Iftherearemany adults, on therocks. they gradually moveandpositionthemselves r is mainlydoneby fixingontoadultindividuals, Thisattachment themselves torockyhabitats. theindividualsattach they arefullydeveloped, Once along aconsiderable lengthofthecoast. population onesinglelarval order toform fromdifferentbeds)in therefore, coast (and, ofthe arereleasedfromdifferentparts larvae Goosebarnacle and thepopulation’s density. r population whosegrowth andreproduction alocal Each bedofgoose forms barnacles of organisms inresponsetoanoilspill. huge impactcausedandthecomplexreaction The goose providesanexampleofthe barnacle The caseofthegoose barnacle/ te hndrcl noterc.Later on, ather thandirectlyontotherock. ates dependontheenvironmental conditions rfo aeyproe,theircommercial or foodsafetypurposes, oose barnacle populationpresentsahigh oose barnacle reat competitionforthesubstrata andthe 13 “El Gobierno mantiene susplanesdeaperturapese alrechazo delascofradías”. 18March“El Gobierno 2003.http://www1.lonxanet.org. o ociei.I ssernnes”. Itissheernonsense” no criteria. thereis their opinion: “This isthepathofabsurdity, Thefishingskippersalsoexpressed untouchable. heries representativewas categorical: theorderis Theresponsegivenby thefis- ness ofthemeasure. of therenewal offishingactivitiesduetothehasti- andexpresstheiroutrightrejection Fraga, Carmen forFisheries, withtheGeneral Secretary interview guilds travelled toMadridin March toattendan Seven seniorskippersfromGalicianfishermen’s “The re-openingorderisuntouchable” Impact uponthefishingindustry Despite thefactthatspill was muchsmaller in France following theErikacatastrophe. affected bythe again resumedalongthewholeofcoast that fishingandshellfishingactivitieswereonce meaning stretch oftheGaliciancoastwas lifted, thebanonshellfishinginlast 7th October, On of thefishermenand-womenthemselves. insomecasesagainstthewishes been resumed, fishingandshellfishing hasnow affected areas, Inmostofthe operation endedon8thOctober. This according tothefishingmethodandzone. begun bywhichfishingareaswereopened F T to temporarilyclosetheirfishinggrounds. on theirwaters andcoastswerealsoforced Country) wereaffectedbythearrival ofcrudeoil CantabriaandtheBasque regions (Asturias, theotherautonomous Lateron, December 2002. decreed between16thNovemberandearly activities alongtheGaliciancoastwas gradually T arrival ofthe shellfishing bansintheareasaffectedby with regardtotheestablishmentoffishingand and Food forexteriorwaters) reactedquickly w Galician Autonomous Governmentforinterior the managementofmarineresources(the T T bur,atwhichtimeagradualprocesswas ebruary, u,thesuspensionoffishingandshellfishing hus, he suspensionoffishingactivitieslasteduntil he administrativeauthoritiesresponsiblefor his situationcontrastswith that experienced tr n h iityo giutr,Fisheries aters andtheMinistryof Agriculture, Prestige Prestige oil spill. spill. 13 than thatofthe fundamentally politicalcomponent. hada on scientificconsiderations, althoughbased recommence fishingactivities, in thecaseof There isnodoubtthat, resumed after3months. fishingwas whereasinthiscase, months, shellfishing activitiesweresuspendedfor18 result difficulttopredict. makingtheend effects causedbytheoilslick, superimposed uponthenegative biological This positivesideeffectistherefore exploitation. of whicharealreadyinaprior stateofover- many allows thegrowthandrecoveryofstocks, which shouldhavepositiveeffectssinceit constitutes acompletebanonfishingactivities theprecautionary moratorium At thesametime, areas whichmayquicklybecomeover-exploited. it theconcentrationoffishingeffortsinspecific type ofgradualre-openingprocessbringswith wemusttake intoaccountthatthis However, size ofthecatcheshadreachedall-timelows. the afewweeks, Within vity was concentrated). to fishing(whereagreat amountoffishingacti- r theseinitiallylarge catches However, ves. ches andthebodysizeofanimalsthemsel- inthesizeofcat- increase was observed aconsiderable When fishingrecommenced, due totheabsenceoffishingactivities. addedtoareducedmortality new generations, sed by of thegrowth ofindividualsandthebirth expect anincreaseinitsoverall biomasscau- onemay given thesuspensionofitscapture, highgrowth rate and, This specieshasavery activities. side effectsofthemoratorium onfishing The octopusprovidesagood exampleofthe The caseoftheoctopus/ apidly diminishedintheareasthatwereopen Prestige Prestige , fishing and , the decisionto

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/15 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/16 o n erOn Year One Commercial effects lentv,substituteproducts: alternative, duetotheappearanceof preferences, the variety ofgoodssuppliedandconsumer A secondconsequencemayinvolveachangein demand fortheseitemsmaydropconsiderably. the administration’s transparentmanagement), evolution oftheoilslickand eliminated (whichdependsonboththe Untilthisinitialmistrustis in question. distrust amongconsumerstowards theproduct aninitial therefore, catastrophe ofthistypeis, T traditionally consume. incident whichaffectstheproductsthey perceived byconsumersasasuddenpollution which canbeobservedsinceanoilslickis thereareaseriesofrepercussions Despite this, themarket. therefore, slick ontheconsumersofseaproductsand, reflecting therepercussionsof No market researchhasyetbeenpublished he firstpredictableconsequenceofa Prestige oil o o would provoke aseriouscrisisinthesector. somethingwhich damage theseproducts, pollution causedbythe Itispossiblethattheserious fishing industry). many casesexplainstheprofitabilityof consumers ofthistypeproduct(whichin intended forahigh-pricedmarket basedon therefore, high-quality productsandare, as both anationalandinternationallevel, at is thatmanyseaproductsarerecognised, Another pointthatmustbetaken intoaccount products. “wild” whichunderminethedemandfor marketplace, low pricesmaymake themattractivetoconsumers. etc. octopuses andsardines, Moroccan French spidercrabs, swimming crab, This couldincludetheScottishvelvet origin. consumer butfromadifferentgeographical o T whosequalityand Preference fornewspecies, Commercial speciesalreadyknowntothe he appearanceofaquacultureproductsinthe © GREENPEACE/ JUAN FELIPECARRASCO Prestige may hugely 15 14 16 Classification ofGalicia asaRegionHighlyDependent onFishing. Galicia asaRegion HighlyDependentonFishing. figures comefrom the dataprovided by theRegionalMinistryofFisheries and MaritimeAffairs andtheReportforEuropean The figures comefrom thedataprovided bytheRegionalMinistryofFisheries andMaritimeAffairs andtheReportforEurop Galician ChambersofCommerce. Informesobre lossectores afectadosporelPrestige: Problemas empresariales ypropuestas desi “La marea negraprovoca unadrásticacaídadeloscréditos”.http://www.masmar.com/articulos/art/113,1534,1.html fall by0.5%inrelationtothepreviousyear Government estimatethattheGalicianGDPwill T per year. 2,300 peopleandproduce91millioneuros which providedirectemploymenttomorethan traditional inshorefleetconsistsof325boats the Inthelatter, Basque Countryissimilar. The situationofCantabriaandthe activities. marketing sectorandotherassociated the canning, shellfishing, aquaculture, the incomeearnedbyotheractivitiessuchas towhichonemustadd million eurosperyear, fleet consistsof464boatswhichproduce39 thetraditional In Asturias, and employment. all haveastrongfleetwhichprovideswealth however they regions affectedbytheoilslick, T Prestige sufferedmostduetothe inturn, has, theareawhich is tobefoundin A Coruña, a resultofthepollutioncausedbyoilspill, affected bythetemporarybanonactivitiesas thefleetmost traditional Galicianfleet, 51%ofthe 50% oftheSpanishfleet. number ofGalicianboatsrepresentsaround The total the fishingjobsincountry. in itsfishingsectorprovidesmorethanhalfof Employment 64% ofmolluscsand30%fish. Itsupplies the economicvalue oftheproduct. T represents onethirdofnationalproduction. T sector initseconomy. impact andtheimportanceoffishing duetotheextentofoilslick’s affected, Galiciawillbethemost Withoutdoubt, sector. according totheimportanceoffishing T he officialfiguresoftheGalician Autonomous he fishingsectorislessimportantintheother his percentageincreasesto40%ifwelookat he Galicianfishingsector’s production he seriousnessofthecrisiswillvary oil spill. 14 . o The lossesaredistributedinthefollowingway Galician fishingsectorandprocessingindustry Commerce have estimatedalossof1,390millioneurosinthe The initialfiguresproducedby thePontevedra Chamberof Aquaculture: 75%loss(90millionof120predicted) Frozen-food industry: 10%loss(70millionof700predicted) Frozen-food industry: 30%loss(255millionof850predicted) Canning industry: 40%loss(700millionof1,750predicted) Marketing sector: Extractive fishing:80%loss(176millionof220predicted) Shellfishing: 90%loss(54millionofthe60predicted) Union Classification of ean Union tuación. 2003.The 16 15 :

©GREENPEACE/ PEDRO ARMESTRE .

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/17 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/18 http://www.msc.es 20 19 18 17 do afundimento Prestige. J.Cabrera &AGarcía-Allut (eds.).Ed.Sotelo Blanco (enprensa). os recursos pesqueiros. Papeldacomunidadecientífica na resposta ácrise.En,¿QuéfoidoPrestige?, Balanceecolóxico esoci of 2mg/kgoilforeachindividual compoundand5forthecompoundsintotal. and Restoration,NOAA. Repercusiones delvertidoPrestige enlaSeguridadAlimentaria (2003).SpanishFoodSafety Agency. MinistryofHealthandC Freire EGonzález-Gurriarán &RMuiño(2003).Impactoambientaldamarea negradoPrestige: J,LFernández, efectossobre osec The MinistryofHealthandConsumer Affairs lists8PAHs todeterminethesuitabilityofolive pomaceoilforconsumption,esta Y ender R.,J.Michel&C.Lord (2002).Managingseafoodsafetyafteranoilspill. Seattle:Hazardous MaterialsResponseDivisi o n erOn Year One F pomace oil madeinrelationtoolive legislative reference, thereexistsonly one In thecaseofSpain, strategies whichincludefoodsafetyissues. development ofoilslickmanagement been madebothintermsofpreventionandthe established criteriaregardingsafetylimits to monitorPAHs inmarineresourcesandhas Galician Autonomous Governmenthasbegun U. whereasinothercountriessuchasthe limited, isextremely Spain andtheEuropeanUnion, particularlyfishandseafoodinboth food, T (PAHs) tobefoundintheirtissues such aspolycyclicaromatichydrocarbons regard tothelevelofdangerouspollutants with food resourcesintheaffectedarea, recommendations abouttheconditionof aswellasetof for riskassessment, Drug Administration (FDA) drewupaprotocol V F more likely tobecontaminated. bynature, those areasorresourceswhichare, increase theanalyticalandcontroleffortsin thereforeitisessentialto food safetyissues, makes itimpossibletocoveralltherelated T for manygenerationsinordertoobtainfood. the foodresourcesthathumanshaveexploited directly affectedbytheoilslickformpartof An importantnumberofthelivingorganisms As aresultofthe potential toxicity. itrepresents officialrecognitionofits in food, legislation thatexistsregardinglimitsforPAHs ood safety ollowing theoilspillcausedbyExxon he existinglegislationonsafePAH limitsin he magnitudeofthe le nAak n18,teUS Food and theU.S. aldez in Alaska in1989, S. and Canadaconsiderableprogresshas 18 . Although thisistheonlynational Prestige Prestige iatr the disaster, catastrophe 17 . 19 . the resultsobtainedareamazinglygood. Nonetheless, fishing sectorprofitsevenfurther. therebyreducing prohibit theirconsumption, samples containtoxicsubstanceswhich crustaceanandcephalopod some ofthefish, The resultsoftheanalysisshowthat accident. the entirelengthofcoastaffectedby hydrocarbons (PAHs) infishingproductsfrom study ofthepresencepolycyclicaromatic T total exceededthemaximumlimitsestablished etc)showedthat3.77% ofthe limpets, oysters, mussels, samples ofbivalve molluscs(clams, The analysiscarriedouton consumption. than themaximumlimitsallowedforhuman samples analysedcontainedhigheramounts crustaceanandcephalopod 30.23% ofthefish, Spanish Food Safety Agency the Between 8thJanuary and5thJune2003, (EPA). Protection Agency Environmental carcinogenic bytheU.S. 16 compoundsthatareclassifiedaspotentially European Unionbutdonotinclude10ofthe T he resultsofthestudyshowthatinCantabria hese coincidewiththoseusedinthe humans isinsufficient. but theproofofcarcinogenic effectson carcinogenic animals effectonlaboratory that thereexistssufficientproofoftheir whichmeans classifies PAHs astype “2b”, Prestige the 77,000tonnesoffuelstoredin P AHs represent46.4%ofthecomposition . The International Cancer The International Agency 20 al sobre ascausaseefectos carried outa on. Office ofResponse blishing amaximumlimit onsumer Affairs. osistemas mariñose 21 Maximum PAH limits: 0.2mg/kgofdryweightforPAH total inmolluscs,crustaceansandcephalopods and0.02mg/kgofdry weight RSNEO AsINFISHINGPRODUCTS/ PRESENCE OFPAHs for PAHs21 contained nonotableremainsofpolycyclic whereas100%ofthebivalves those allowed, analysed containedtracesoffuelgreaterthan crustaceansandcephalopods the fish, only7.87%of most affectedbythetoxicspill, o

FISH, CRUSTACEAN BIVALVE AND CEPHALOPODS of dryweightforfish. and cephalopods0.02mg/kg P 0.2 mg/kgofdryweightfor MAXIMUM PAH LIMITS: MOLLUSCS AH totalinmolluscs,crustaceans 21 authorised limit above maximun 7,8% . AII SUISCNARABASQUE COUNTRY CANTABRIA ASTURIAS GALICIA oee,i aii,theregion inGalicia, However, F inisterre authorised limit below maximum 100% P ontevedra A Coruña A Coruña authorised limit above maximun 14,2% NO DATA Gijón o T no fuelremainswerefoundinanyspecies. IntheBasqueCountry, than theguidevalues. bivalve molluscshadaPAH content higher 14.5%of In Asturias, aromatic hydrocarbons. not make themanylesssurprising. eerslsaeofca,howeverthisdoes hese resultsareofficial, authorised limit above maximun 3,7% authorised limit above maximun 30,2% spider crabandfiddlercrab. pilchard, hake,seaurchin, crab, r mackerel, mackerel, mergrim, goose barnacle,octopus,horse Mussel, cockle,oister, limpet,clam, SPECIES ANALYSED: ooster, bluewhiting, turbot, Santander Bilbao Sebastián authorised limit below maximum 100% authorised limit below maximum 100% San for fish.

Source/ Spanish Food Safety Agency

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/19 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/20 compliance with27 criteria(waterquality, environmental educationandinformation, environmental management, safetyandservi 22 The BlueFlagCampaign isownedandrunbytheFoundation forEnvironmental Education(FEE).Theaward ofaEuropean BlueFlag Source/ UKD 41 66 04 38 45 91 -1.26 -4.07 -3.58 -1,65 59,16 49,84 64,52 60,22 60,75 56,69 53,80 71,51 39,45 69,94 49,98 60,42 43,43 53,91 64,33 66,65 58,34 64,33 54,19 74,71 43,48 70,91 53,95 EUSKADI 45,76 GALICIA CANTABRIA ASTURIAS o n erOn Year One National StatisticsInstitute Repercussions forthetouristsector BY THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY LEVELSIN THE COASTAL REGIONS AFFECTED “blue flags” witnessing thewithdrawal ofallthebluetourist directly forexample, despite, the touristsector, deny theexistenceofany “ governments hasbeentominimiseandeven Prestige affected bysuccessiveoilslicksfromthe been goodinthecoastalregionsthathave They showthattouristfigureshavenot sector. indications oftherepercussionsfortourist T Spain’s GrossDomesticProduct(GDP). sinceoverallitrepresents12%of insignificant, importance ofthissectorisbynomeans The affected bytheenvironmentaldisaster. oneofthesectorsworst fishing industry, T arrival offoreigntouristsshowaneven for Commerceand Tourism regardingthe T has beentheleastaffected. significant decreaseandtheBasqueCountry Asturiashasexperienced aless Cantabria. followedcloselyby suffered isGalicia, The autonomousregionthathasmost observed. decrease inhoteloccupancylevelscanbe a July and August ofthisyearand2002, National StatisticsInstituteforthemonthsof If onecomparesthefiguresprovidedby he statisticsforthissummerrepresentthefirst togetherwiththe he touristsectorispossibly, he figuresprovidedbytheStateDepartment 0220 0220 0320 % 2003 2003 2003 2002 2002 2002 uyAgs VRG uyAgs VRG DIFFERENCE AVERAGE August July AVERAGE August July .T PRESTIGE he generaltendencyoftheregional 22 . OIL SPILL/ Prestige fet on effect” document. administration hasnotyetpresentedanysuch howeverthe central tourist sector, government todevelopastrategicplanforthe Asturias andCantabriahaveasked the DIFFERENCES BETWEEN2002&2003 PRESENCE OFFOREIGN TOURISTS experienced anoverallincreaseof2.4%. same tendencyastherestofSpainwhich followingthe 12.1% uponthepreviousyear, Basque Countryregisteredanincreaseof Onlythe which sufferedadropof10.1%. followed byGaliciawith10.2%andCantabria witha19.2%fallinrelationto2002, Asturias, The worstaffectedwas visitors thisyear. affected bytheoilspillhavelostforeign Almostalloftheregions sharper decline. suisGlcaCnaraBsu t.Spain BasqueCty. Cantabria Galicia Asturias 1,0-02-011, 2,4 12,1 -10,1 -10,2 -19,20 -19,20 1, -10,1 -10,2 12,1 ces). beach isbasedon 2,4 h rsieDisaster Prestige The 24 23 Regional Fisheries Ministry of the Galician Autonomous Government. 2002. Regional Fisheries Ministry oftheGalicianAutonomous Government. Antonio García-Allut. (2003)“OPrestige eAsComunidades Pesqueiras”.HumanitiesDepartment, UniversityofACoruña. the caseofGalicianCoast Social repercussions: n erOn Year One employment inGalicia 120,000 peopleandrepresents12.2%ofall thisinvolves Intotal, in otherrelatedactivities. threemorejobsarecreated works onthesea, For eachfishermanorwomanwho importance. socialandcultural enormous economic, fishinghasan InGalicia, economic terms. inbothsocialand coast hassufferedthemost, T domestic unitswithfamilyties. concentrates theeffectsof impactin it weakens themutualhelpnetworkand catastrophe suchasthatof the further worsenstherepercussionofa This pattern are usuallyrelatedinsomeway. between oneandfourfishermen/womenwho T used tocatchapproximately135fishspecies. over 40differentmethodsare Intotal, species. yearly cycleinordertocatchawidevariety of alternate various methods throughoutthe thefishermen/women of fishingactivities, Interms gatherers ofvarious seaweedspecies. polychaetecollectorsand seed collectors, mussel seaurchincollectors, shell collectors, w inshallow shellfishers whoworkonthebeach, which includeawidevariety oftrades: toharvestingactivities, in itsstrictestsense, of extractiveactivitieswhichrangefromfishing, This isreflectedintheclassification complexity. variability andspatial great biodiversity, coastal ecosystemthatischaracterisedbyits ina intertidal areatoadistanceof25miles, goingfromthe 1,200 kilometrestretchofcoast, This fleetperformsitsworkalonga in length. mostofwhicharelessthan10metres vessels, T most affectedbythe coastal communitieswerethosetobefirstand The inhabitantsofthe over 10%oftheterritory. and ahalfmillionlivenexttotheseainlittle one Of the2,750,000inhabitantsofGalicia, he fishingsectorthatworksalongtheGalician he crewsofthecoastalfishingvesselsrange he Galicianinshorefleetconsistsofover6,000 tr rfo ot,bral olcos razor- barnaclecollectors, aters orfromboats, Prestige 24 . catastrophe. Prestige since o o are perceivedlocallyandthis leadstosolutions The sector’s problems for themtointerrelate. along thelengthofcoast makes itdifficult spatial dispersionofthefishing communities The great economically dismemberedsector. politicallyand constitutes asocially, F the smallsizeofanimalscaught. complained ofthescarcitycatchesand thefishingcommunity after returningtowork, notlong Indeed, the market fromtakingitstoll. the deteriorationofmarineecosystemand itdoesnotresolvethemorprevent short term, assistance lessenstheeconomiceffectsin Although this fishing areaswerere-opened. These subsidiescametoanendwhenthe day. T imposed asaresultofthehydrocarbonspill. their hardshipduringtheperiodofinactivity women withafinancialaidsystemtolessen authorities providedtheaffectedfishermenand thepublic Right fromthestartofcrisis, alternative employmentexists. problem isgreaterinthosecaseswhereno The structure willtake theirtollovertime. Prestige therepercussionsof fishing communities, It isclearthatinthecaseofmanyGalician represents themainsourceofemployment. shellfishing activitiesandinmanyofthemthis communities dependsdirectlyonfishingand T rvrosraos traditionalinshorefishing or various reasons, he shellfishersandsailorsreceived40eurosa he socio-economicbalanceofmanyfishing o fishing communitybecomes ofthe socio-economic structure themorevulnerable the resources, population ontheaffectednatural The greater thedependencyof oil spillonthesocialandeconomic 23

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/21 The Prestige Disaster One Year On

that are created within and for a specific organisation responsible for compensating those location. The diversity of the methods used and affected by hydrocarbon spills. The amount the species caught generates internal friction requested (130 million euros) was calculated on and conflict. the basis of the income that all the fishermen and women would cease to earn during the Local problems are dealt with by each of the 63 period of inactivity. This amount did not take into Galician fishermen’s guilds. Each one functions account the intangible aspects of the disaster, as an autonomous and separate entity in such as social costs, the impoverishment of the relation to the others, thereby complicating the coastal ecosystem or the repercussions of joint resolution of common problems that affect pollution on the future of the fishing industry. In them all. The guilds are organised into order to avoid any delay in the payments, the provincial federations but there is no Galician Committee reached an agreement with the federation of guilds to unite them all. Administration according to which the latter would advance the stipulated amount to the However, when faced with the Prestige sector and later negotiate with the IOPC Funds catastrophe, the sector’s initial reaction was to or make a legal claim against those responsible. join forces in fighting the problem. A few days after the disaster, a Committee of Affected Together with the claim, the Committee signed a Guilds was created to defend the interests of the series of collaboration agreements with the affected fishermen and women. This currently Universities of A Coruña and Santiago de encompasses 48 guilds. A further seven guilds Compostela in order to obtain independent are in the process of constituting another co- scientific information regarding the level of ordinating body. The rest do not consider pollution in the affected species, as well as an themselves to be affected by the oil slick. evaluation of the economic and social damaged caused by the spill. Likewise, it participated in The objectives of the committee of guilds social revitalisation and environmental recovery focussed first and foremost on defending the projects intended to encourage the development economic and social interests of those affected. of the fishing sector and a rational and They presented a claim to the IOPC Funds, the responsible use of resources. 22 GREENPEACE/Candan © Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/ Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year 25 26 from theExxonValdez oilspill.AnnualReview ofEcologyandSystematics27: 197-235. do afundimento Prestige. J.Cabrera &AGarcía-Allut (eds.).Ed.Sotelo Blanco (enprensa). os recursos pesqueiros. Papeldacomunidadecientífica na resposta ácrise.En,¿QuéfoidoPrestige?, Balance ecolóxicoesoci Paine R.T., J.L.Ruensink,A.Sun,E.L.Sounlanille, M.J.Wonham, C.D.G.Harley, D.R.Brumbaugh &D.L.Second(1996).Trouble onoi Freire EGonzález-Gurriarán &RMuiño(2003).Impactoambientaldamarea negradoPrestige: J,LFernández, efectossobre osec o o factor whichishardtoexplainthethousands anaggravating withoutdoubt, catastrophes is, has alreadysufferedseveralseriousoil-related that thissituationhasariseninanareawhich The fact lack ofcapacitytocarryoutsuchplans. the atleast, absence ofcontingencyplansor, T ecosystems. caused andtherestorationofaffected arigorousevaluation ofthedamage its effects, also requiresfastresponseswhichwillminimise It and mobilisesextremelydiversesocialforces. that affectsahugenumberofeconomicsectors An oilslickprovokes anenvironmentalcrisis The he habitats totheiroil-affected return r use inhelpinggoose barnacles, whichwillbeofno and ports trains plan thatproposesroads, Itisaninfrastructures Prestige. has nothingtodowiththe the so-called “Plan Galicia”, forward by the Administration, The onlyplansofarput Prestige azor shellsoroctopusesto Prestige catastrophe hashighlightedthe demands solutions amounts tolessthan10millioneuros and Technology toevaluate thecatastrophe research carriedoutbytheMinistryofScience thefundingfor close tothegovernment, Accordingtoseveralsources in termsoffinancing. becomes clearifoneexaminestheeffortsmade T coastline damagedbythe that ofcleaning)the2,000kilometres restore (amuchmorecomplicatedconceptthan none ofthemdealwiththeurgentneedto However, affected bythehydrocarbonpollution. reducing theenvironmentalimpactinareas the startofcatastrophehavebeenaimedat executive duringtheyearthathaspassedsince T return totheiroil-affectedhabitats. razorshellsoroctopusesto goose barnacles, and portswhichwillbeofnouseinhelping trains infrastructures planthatproposesroads, nothing todowiththe has theso-called “Plan Galicia”, Administration, T and mustcoverallrelevant aspects. Solutions mustbeimplementedwithoutdelay not helptolessentheeffectsofcatastrophe. given bythedifferentadministrativebodiesdoes The slownessoftheresponse of peopleaffected. case oftheExxon Valdez oilslick, allocated forthe fortytimesthebudget Inotherwords, monitoring. 180 millionthatwas invested inresearchand besidesanother costs totalled214milliondollars, he apathyshownbythepublicadministration he othermeasurespresentedbytheSpanish he onlyplansofarputforward bythe Prestige Prestige Prestige al sobre ascausaseefectos oil slick. led waters:Lessons osistemas mariñose 26 . the evaluation It isan 25 spill. . In the

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/23 h rsieDisaster Prestige The protección atodacosta

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/24 y recuperación económicadeGalicia. GalicianEconomicStudiesInstitute, Pedro BarriédelaMaza. 30 29 28 27 Minister for the Galician Autonomous Government. ‘Expansión’newspaper.Minister fortheGalician AutonomousGovernment. 17/10/03. (2003/2066 (INI)).15July2003. For more detailed information about international agreementsFor more regarding detailedinformationabout international protected marinereserves, seeAppendices. El ImpactodelPrestige. AnálisisyEvaluación delosdañoscausadospor elaccidentedelPrestige ydispositivospara laregen “Galicia hasuperadolosdañosdel Prestige” (Galiciahasovercome thedamagecausedbyPrestige). Xosé AntónOrza,Regiona Regional Policy, Transport andTourism Committee. Informesobre elrefuerzo dela seguridadmarítimatraselnaufragiodelpetr n erOn Year One ecosystems affected bythe ofthecoastalandmarine Solutions fortherecovery t restoration ofalldamagedareasandthe visible hydrocarbonwaste butratherthe referring tothecleaningaway ofthemost affected bythe plan hasbeenannouncedfortheareas norecovery Despite thesealarmingfigures, normality couldtake untiltheyear2015 whilstareturntobiological to returnnormal, for theareasaffectedby universities estimatesthatitwilltake 10years professors anddoctorsfromGalician astudycarriedoutbyover40 However, T follows: The fundamentalstepstobetaken areas world. catastrophe hasbeen “overcome” responsibilities atallcostsbyaffirmingthatthe whichattemptstoavoidits government, not beenundertaken bytheSpanish thisEuropeanUniondemandhasstill disaster, Oneyearafterthe environmental recovery. placingspecialemphasison accident, evaluation oftheimpactcausedby September underlinestheneedtocarryoutan presented beforetheEuropeanParliament last T he reportonthe order tospeeduprecovery. Protection ofthemostvaluable areasin repercussions inspaceandtime. Environmental monitoringofthe Prestige Evaluation oftheimpactcausedby oil slick. cases ofoilslicksthroughoutthe protocols taken fromsimilar research projectsandaction T simply beleftinnature’s hands. the marine ecosystemsaffectedby he recoveryofthecoastaland here existmanystudies, Prestige Prestige Prestige pl.We arenot spill. 27 disaster cannot Prestige that was 28 . oil spill 29 . Prestige reserves the establishmentofprotectedmarine of treatiesandconventionswhichprovidefor thereexistanumber At aninternationallevel, oil slickonthe Atlantic andCantabriancoasts. with adisasterasseriousthatcausedbyan becomes evenmorenecessarywhendealing T environmental deteriorationsufferedbyoceans. most powerfultoolswithwhichtofightthe more andfrequentlyusedasoneofthe They are establishing protectedmarinereserves. consensus regardingthebeneficialeffectof There existswidespreadscientific a whole. will speeduptherecoveryofecosystemas T sectors whoseexistenceislinked tothecoast. to therecoveryofeconomicandsocial something whichwoulddoubtlesslycontribute that weredevastated bytheoilslick, recovery oftheanimalandplantpopulations possess suitablefacilitiesfordealingwithoil that enterstheseaandensureports aims tolimittheamountofhydrocarbonwaste MARPOL 73/78andsignedbySpainin1979, otherwiseknownas of Pollution fromShips, T o his conservation andmanagementmethod he protectionofareasgreatbiologicalvalue he InternationalConventionforthePrevention their ecologicaleffect evolution ofthepollutantsand coverage inordertopredictthe adequate spatialandtemporal with and theaffectedecosystems, about theevolutionofslick real-time datatobegathered monitoring systemwhichallows develop anenvironmental to important It iscrucially o 30 . oil spill eración medioambiental olero Prestige l Economics 31 32 protecting againstmarinepollutionfrom ships. Web page:www.imo.org The International MaritimeOrganisationisaSpecialist AgencyoftheUnitedNations which isresponsible forensuringmaritime The International United Nations’Convention ontheLawofSea.Spain hasformedpartofthisconvention since1982. o o threatened orareindanger. which have beendecimated, ofmarinelife species andotherforms aswellthehabitatsof ecosystems, specialorvulnerable and conserve inordertoprotect that arenecessary states theneedtotake themeasures 194oftheLawArticle oftheSea referred toasPSSA)forareas whichrequire (commonly “Particularly SensitiveSea Areas” Organisation (IMO) T network ofprotectedmarinereservesis2010. The timescaleforadoptingthis Directives. according totheEUBirdsandHabitats designate asSpecial Areas ofConservation that theEuropeanUnionmemberstates This networkwillalsoincludeareas OSPAR area. network ofprotectedmarinereserveswithinthe haveproposedthecreationofa including Spain, themembersofthisconvention, this end, To affectedbyhumanactivities. orcouldbe, are, protect andconservemarineecosystemswhich The aimofthisstrategyisto maritime area. ecosystems andbiologicaldiversityofthe areas ofworkaStrategyontheprotection includesamongits knownasOSPAR, Atlantic, of theMarineEnvironmentNorth-East T hydrocarbons oroilmixturesintheirwaters. forbidden foranykindofshiptodump benefit fromstricterregulationsanditis These specialareas the GreatCaribbeanarea. theNorthSeaand the Antarctic Ocean, Aden, theGulfof thePersian Gulfarea, the RedSea, theBlackSea, theMediterraneanSea, Baltic Sea, the Nine areashavesofarbeendesignated: control ofseapollutionmustbeimplemented. obligatory regulationsforthepreventionand well asthemaritimetrafficthattheywithstand, as oceanographic andecologicalcharacteristics, fortechnicalreasonsrelatedto which, in specifies theestablishmentof “special areas” International MaritimeOrganisationand w he UnitedNations’InternationalMaritime he OsloandParis ConventionfortheProtection se This conventionisapprovedbythe aste. 32 establishes theso-called 31 v course andsailthroughareas ofgreatecological by tankers andwillforcethemtoaltertheir sea areaisthatitwillaffecttheroutesfollowed Another argumentusedtoopposethisprotected hulled shippingtraffic. many otherthreatsbesidesthatofsingle- claiming thatthespecifiedareaissensitiveto have stronglyopposedthisdeclaration, Liberiaand Argentina Brazil, Panama, Zealand, New Greece, Countries suchasRussia, within theboundariesofprotectedseaarea. tarandtheiremulsions bitumen, heavy fueloil, hull tankers whichtransportheavycrudeoil, T between theUnitedKingdomandFrance. andtheEnglishChannel, United Kingdom, tothenorthof the Faeroe Islands’channel, passageways forinternationalshippingtraffic, alsoincludestwoimportant European PSSA” The “West the GalicianandCantabriancoasts. This areathereforeincludes Islands inScotland. coast ofPortugal tothenorthofShetland P an initiativefortheestablishmentofa of theInternationalMaritimeOrganisationwith the MarineEnvironmentalProtectionCommittee F with fiveothercountries(theUnitedKingdom, together theSpanishgovernment, In April 2003, Prestige as thosecausedbytheErikaand the aimof “preventing oilslicksintheareasuch with seventh “Particularly SensitiveSea Area”, proposal todesignatetheBalticSeaas Baltic transportministersrecentlybacked the The Nordicand National Park inPeru (2003). Germany andHolland(2002)theParacas the Wadden SeainDenmark, States (2002), FloridaKeys intheUnited in Colombia(2002), theMalpeloIsland Archipelago inCuba(1997), theSabana-Camagüey in Australia (1990), theGreatBarrierReef thereexistsix: Currently, caused byinternationalmaritimeactivities. andmaybesusceptibletodamage reasons, scientificorsocio-economic due toecological, special protectionbecauseoftheirimportance, ac,Prua,IrelandandBelgium)presented Portugal, rance, he proposalseekstobanthepassingofsingle- le therebyincreasing theriskofdisasters. alue, articularly SensitiveSea Area fromthesouth ”.

traffic safetyand

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/25 The Prestige Disaster One Year On

Other nations such as India, Canada, the other coastal countries since it would United States, Singapore, Norway and Cuba increase the number of dangerous ships that have also expressed their reluctance to pass along their coasts33.The decision of the designate this stretch of the Atlantic as a International Maritime Organisation in protected sea area, both due to its vast relation to this proposal will be announced dimension and the risk that it involves for in 2004.

The North Sea The Baltic Sea

The Wadden Sea The Black Sea

The Mediterranean Sea Florida Keys The Persian Gulf area The Sabana- Camagüey The Red Sea The Gulf of Aden Archipelago The Great Caribbean area

The Malpelo Island

The Paracas National Park The Great Barrier Reef

The Antarctic Ocean

o

Special area MARPOL The IMO considers expelling Greenpeace/o Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) - (IMO) 26 The IMO must accept its responsibilities and protect the planet’s seas and oceans from all the threats that are currently posed by maritime traffic. Greenpeace has formed part of the IMO, as an observing body, since 1991. In June The discrepancies between all these countries of this year, following complaints presented on behalf of the serve to demonstrate the scarce importance that industry and certain countries (not clearly identified) regar- countries give to the environment, as well as the ding the environmental protest activities that Greenpeace hypocrisy that surrounds international has been carrying out for over 30 years, the International agreements and agencies. In the case in hand, Agency considered its expulsion. The final decision will be taken in a meeting which will be held at the end of some countries (including some recognised flags November. of convenience) prefer not to protect an area that is seriously threatened by oil slicks, arguing that there exist other threats or that the area to be protected is too large, despite being aware of the risks involved. However, they avoid dealing / The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/ / The Prestige Disaster: One Year with the root of the problem and say nothing about those who are really to blame: the thousands of ships that sail all around the world Greenpeace 33This is a recurring problem. When the Exxon Valdez accident took place in Alaska, the United States toughed its laws to ban the passing of single-hull tankers through its waters, which meant that this kind of vessel moved to Europe. 38 37 36 35 34 July 2003. areas. providing alistofimportantsitesand thepresentation of incompletelistshashugelydelayed theimplementationofthisEuro Regional Policy, Transport andTourism. Informesobre elrefuerzo delaseguridadmarítimatraselnaufragio delpetrolero Pres The Natura2000Networkshouldhave beeninoperationsince2000,asitsnamesuggests,butthedelays suffered bypractically This Directive designates SitesofCommunityImportanceorSCIs. FaunaandFlora. the conservationofNaturalHabitatsandWild Later modifiedbyDirective 97/62/EC,concerning This Directive designates SpecialProtection Areas forBirds orSPABs. o not provideany realprotection technical measuresthenitwill is notaccompaniedby other of aprotectedseaarea ifthedeclaration Furthermore, ymn onre.The by manycountries. asisacknowledged threats willcontinuetoexist, sincetheother the areaaffectedbyoilslick, themeasureisinsufficienttorecover next year, protected marineareaisapprovedinOctoberof butevenifthis Maritime Organisationwilltake, We coast intheIberianPeninsula. and socialdestructionalong2,000kilometresof economic caused anepisodeofenvironmental, evenwhenthishasjust hazardous substances, interests thatcontroltheworld-widetrafficof implement themifthiswillaffectthehuge measures butthememberstatesdonotwant to Maritime Organisationestablishesprotective The International of thousandspeople. genuine timebombsreadytoruintheway oflife and whosedeplorableconditionsturntheminto benefit fromstrictprotectionbeenidentified. the mostvaluable natural areaswhichmust Norhave community norwithscientificbodies. for theareahasnotbeenagreedwithfishing theprotectivemeasure Whatismore, its ports. hulled shipstransportingcertainsubstancesinto European Uniontoforbidtheentryofsingle- the regulatorymeasureestablishedby itwouldonlygivealegalstatusto In thiscase, of adisastrousoutcomebecomesgreater. takes longertogoitsrescueandthelikelihood it difficulty atagreatdistancefromthecoast, whenashipfindsitselfin Moreover, a closedbay. much greaterthaniftheaccidenthadoccurredin distance onlymeantthattheareaaffectedwas this 130 milesaway fromthepeninsularcoast, Despitethefactthatshipsank the problem. asolutionto initself, of maritimetrafficisnot, good exampletodemonstratethatthedistancing

do notknowwhatdecisiontheInternational Prestige serves asa o network called “Natura 2000”, led tothecreationofaEuropeanenvironmental these twoDirectivesforBirdsandHabitatshas The practicalimplementationof member states. and faunaintheEuropeanterritoryof wildflora the conservation ofnaturalhabitats, contribute toguaranteeingbiodiversitythrough report aboutthe the Natura2000Networkisexplainedin T (SPAs). Protection Areas” so-called “Special T Directive 92/43/EEC conservation ofwildbirds concerningthe Directive 79/409/EEC, areas arecontainedwithintwodirectives: T distinct statustoprotectmarineareas. butthereexistsnospecificor natural areas, provides fortheestablishmentofprotected theEuropeanUnion At aninternationallevel, recovery oftheaffectedareas. benefit theenvironmentalandeconomic will helptopreventnewcatastrophesand denied therighttocreateprotectedareaswhich whereitcannotbe within itssphereofactivity, obligation toimplementallnecessarymeasures of naturalhabitats iial,theEuropeanParliament report: Similarly, by theoilslick. which liewithintheareaaffected and naturalareasofenvironmentalinterest for inclusionwithintheNatura2000network placing specialemphasisonthesitesproposed of thenegativeenvironmentalrepercussions, whichdemandsanevaluation in September, in theEuropeanParliament he regulationsreferringtoprotectedmarine he importanceoftheareasthatconstitute he Spanishgovernmenthasadutyand network. their immediateinclusionintheNatura2000 corresponding coastalregionsoftheEUand environmental interestlocatedinthe Directive relatingtohabitatsinareasof Requests theimmediatefulfilmentof Prestige 36 35 , whose objectivesareto concerning theconservation 34 38 n,aboveall, and, that was presented pean networkofprotected 37 tige (2003/2066(INI)). 15 consisting ofthe all countriesin

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/27 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/28 40 39 The IslasAtlánticas NationalParkincludesthemarine areas that surround thefollowingislands:Cíes, Ons,SálvoraandCortej EUROPARC-España yearbook ontheconditionofprotected natural areas 2002. n erOn Year One legal protectionaretobefound inthe majority ofmarineareaswith someformof Another facttobearinmind isthatthe environmental units. administrative divisionswithintheexisting coastal ecoregionsandcreate “artificial” divisions donotcoincidewiththemaritime- These legislative regional andnational). administrative authorities(fundamentally for certainterritoriesisassignedtodifferent legislative situationinwhichtheresponsibility marine environmentcreatesacomplex land environmentandthoseaffectingthe T conflictive situations. inanattempttoavoidsocially motives, instead beentheconsequenceofopportunistic ithas conservation andmanagementneeds, been theresultofanobjectiveanalysis protected marinereservesinSpainhasnot The creationof to protectedmarinereserves. ofwhichonly19correspond protected areas, tteedo 02 Spainpossessed874 At theendof2002, supposedly receiveisnotenforced. or controlandtheprotectionthatthey cases therebarelyexistsanyformofsurveillance sinceinmany real protectionprovidedforthem, andthelack of by protectedmarinereserves, when itcomestoenjoyingthebenefitsprovided alimitingfactor many oftheprotectedareas, thesmallsizeof provide effectiveprotection, whichmakes itimpossibleto marine reserves, thescarcenumberofprotected three factors: areas strategyisnotinverygoodhealthdueto We recovery andprotectioninthissense. announced anyproposalsforevaluation, Spainhasstillnot Despite thisrequest, he combinationofcoastallawsaffectingthe populations ontheseresources. wealth andthehighdependencyoftheir a resultoftheirgreatfishingandshellfishing chosenas European fishing-maritimeareas, Prestige regarding thecatastrophecausedby coast ofGaliciaand19thDecember2002 the resolutions of21stNovember2002regarding Reiterates therequestsapprovedinits

a fimta,i eea,theprotectedsea ingeneral, can affirmthat, Prestige i akr tocreatesensitive oil tanker, oil tanker catastropheoffthe 39 coastal andmarineareasaffected. exportingbiodiversity totheother arks”, and wouldallowthemtoact astrue “Noah’s substantial improvementin their naturalstate the threatsthattheyfacewould bringabouta protection ofthemostvaluable areasfromall The for coastalandmarineecosystems. with totalprotectionasakey management tool establishment ofprotectedmarinereserves Existing scientificinformationjustifiesthe this protectionwouldprovide. community’s recognitionofthebenefits that despitetheinternationalscientific slick, maritime andcoastalareasaffectedbytheoil single proposalfortheprotectionofnatural T great naturalwealthandbiodiversity. v buried agoodpartofsomeexceptionally the coastline hasbeenaggravated bytheimpactof thevulnerablesituationofthis Without doubt, marine reserve. hasnotonesingle with manyfishinggrounds, acoastalarea situation inwhichthe Atlantic, howeverithaspermitteda equal thebalance, this inequalityandshouldhavetaken stepsto T protection ofcoastalandmarineareas. and theCanaryIslandswhichfavours administrative contextintheMediterranean tool havecreatedasocio-economicand usefulness asamanagementandconservation reserves areusedandanunderstandingoftheir how andtowhatextentprotectedmarine Differencesin political andadministrativeareas. economic, for thisdisproportioninsocial, We mustseekanexplanation Mediterranean. coastline equalsorexceedsthatofthe since thatofthe Atlantic andCantabrian protection isnotbasedonecologicalworth, T declared aNationalPark intheyear2002 Islas Atlánticas ontheGaliciancoastbeing despitethe number andmuchsmallerinsize, on the Atlantic coastaremuchfewerin theprotectedareas Incontrast, Canary Islands. inthe toalesserdegree, Mediterranean and, his geographicalimbalanceinthedegreeof he Spanishgovernmenthasnotpresenteda he administrationshouldhavebeenaware of aluable marineandcoastalecosystemsof Prestige i lc,whosefueloilhas oil slick, ada. 40 . 21 SPANISH MARINEPROTECTED AREAS/ 19 20 16 17 18 15 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (El Hierro-CanaryIsland) Punta delaRestinga-Marlas Calmas (Canary Island) Isla GraciosaeIslotesdelNortedeLanzarote Islas Atlánticas (Galicia) Islas Atlánticas Isla delaPalma (CanaryIsland) Gaztelugatxe (Bizkaia-BasqueCountry) Isla de Alborán (Andalucía) Cabo deGata-Níjar(Almería-Andalucía) Cabo dePalos-Islas Hormigas(Murcia) Valenciana) Isla de Tabarca (Alicante-C. Valenciana) Cabo deSan Antonio (Alicante-C. Valenciana) Islas Columbretes(Castellón-C. Archipiélago deCabrera(BalearicIsland) Llevant (Mallorca-BalearicIsland) F Migjorn deMallorca(BalearicIsland) Nord deMenorca(BalearicIsland) Bahía dePalma (Mallorca-BalearicIsland) Masía Balanca(Tarragona-Catalunya) Ses Negres(Girona-Catalunya) Cap deCreus(Girona-Catalunya) Illes Medes(Girona-Catalunya) reus d´EivissaIFormentera (BalearicIsland) 14 13 12 11 8 4 5 10 1 3 7 2 9 6

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/29 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/30 41 Data provided byBiosferaXXI,Estudios Ambientales,S.L. by the The vulnerabilityofthecoastlineaffected n erOn Year One aiasDrcie ofwhich1,183kilometres Habitats Directive, constitutes priorityhabitatsaccordingtothe 88%(2,336km) Ofthisstretch, coastal region. vulnerability ofthis2,653kilometre-long Prestige An analysisofthecoastaffectedby CANTABRIA GALICIA Prestige 1.000 1.200 1.400 1.600 1.000 1.200 1.400 1.600 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 0 0 Coast longitude oil slickenablesustoobservethe roiyhbtt Csdsgae ProtectedNatural SCIsdesignated Priority habitats roiyhbtt Csdsgae ProtectedNatural SCIsdesignated Priority habitats 2.653 Km 100% 86% 100% 49% 45% o (Habitats Directive) Coast longitude Coast longitude Priority habitats 2.336 Km Areas Areas 1.685 Km 299 Km 88% 13% 23% protection. affected bytheoilslickcurrentlyreceivesreal only16.9%oftheentirecoast other words, declared tobeProtectedNatural Areas Importance (SCIs)butonly449kmhavebeen have beendesignatedSitesofCommunity Csdsgae ProtectedNatural SCIs designated 1.183 Km BASQUE COUNTRY ASTURIAS 44,5% 1.000 1.200 1.400 1.600 1.000 1.200 1.400 1.600 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 0 0 Priority habitats roiyhbtt Csdsgae v SCIsdesignated Priority habitats 80% 96% Csdsgae Protected Natural SCIs designated 16,9% 449 Km 67% 13% Areas Coast longitude Coast longitude Areas 263 Km 406 Km 48% 10% 41 .In 42 43 (2003/2066 (INI)). 15 July2003. July 2003. Regional Policy, Transport andTourism Committee.Informe sobre elrefuerzo delaseguridadmarítima traselnaufragiodelpetr Regional Policy, Transport andTourism. Informe sobre elrefuerzo delaseguridad marítimatraselnaufragiodelpetrolero Pres o n erOn Year One o process and theirusefulnessintherecovery duetotheirecologicalvalueimportant The protectionoftheseareasisdoubly areas ontheGalicianAtlanticandCantabriancoasts Proposal fortheprotectionofmarineandcoastal the with therecoveryofthoseareasaffectedby compatible marine resourcesinthefuture, the foundationsforasustainableuseof protection againstnewcatastrophesandlay considerable areainordertoprovide This networkmustcovera stretch ofcoast. been affectedalongthe2,000kilometre recovery ofthecoastalecosystemsthathave protection wouldgreatlyspeedupthe This Cantabrian andGalician Atlantic coastline. effective networkofprotectedareasalongthe Greenpeace demandsthecreationofan and Galician Atlantic coasts. maritime-coastal regionalongtheCantabrian situation isparticularlyclearinthecaseof This protecting themarineenvironment. authorities havetaken particularinterestin the Spanishgovernmentnorregional neither environment intheecologicalbalance, Despite theessentialroleplayedbymarine accident occurred. from beingarealitybeforetheoil-tanker o Prestige .A

sustainable usethatwas far European Parliament inSeptember Prestige maritime safetyafterthesinkingof expressed inthereportaboutreinforcing the EuropeanUnion’s specificrequest despite forward anyproposalsinthisrespect, nogovernmentaldepartmenthasput However, forward thefollowingproposalsforprotection: Greenpeaceputs On thebasisoftheseideas, use mustbedefined. the permittedintensityandnatureofhuman forwhich areas mustbedividedintozones, the different accordance withthisinformation, In habitats andgeographicallocations. services thatareofferedbythevarious resourcesand which analysesalltheuses, based onanintegratedmanagementmethod conservation strategiesestablishedmustbe the Insuchareas, economy andsociety. benefittheenvironment, withoutdoubt, will, T he creationofnewprotectedmarinereserves neighbouring areasofopen coast. aswellother smallerislandsand areas, IslasLoberías andadjacentcoastal Sisargas, Islas bodies atthetimeofitscreation: aswas requestedby several northwards, number ofareasincludedmustbeextended Islas AtlánticasNationalPark: w alterationsto eutrophication, (pollution, ecological balancemustbeprevented limited andactivitiesthataffectthe Surrounding urbandevelopmentmustbe sedimentary habitatmustbeforbidden. trawling) whichdisturbthecharacteristic (particularly differentformsofdredgingand use ofdestructivefishingmethods European Parliament aswas recentlydemandedbythe network, included withintheEuropeanNatura2000 areas ofthistypemustbeprotectedand Estuaries andcoastalwetlands: ater floworsediments). i akr presentedbeforethe oil tanker, 43 . nteeaes the In theseareas, tige (2003/2066(INI)). 15 olero Prestige 42 . The All

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/31 h rsieDisaster Prestige The protección atodacosta

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/32 44 University ofVigo Proposal forcoastalprotection: "Arcas de Noe".Dr. Elsa VázquezOtero andDr. Jesús Souza Troncoso. DepartmentofEcologyand n erOn Year One by the Noah’s torecover thecoastaffected Arks mato h i pl.These areashavebeen impact oftheoilspill. v T coast. alongtheentireGalician called “Noah’s Arks” creation ofanetworkspecial-interestareas the Universityof Vigo whichsuggeststhe Department ofEcologyand Animal Biologyof a coastalprotectionproposalpreparedbythe n neetdpris includingfishermen and interestedparties, The processshouldbeopentoallusers areas. design processforthisnetworkofprotected T long stretchesofthecoast. local populationshavebeendestroyedalong allthe inthiscase, disasters ofthistypesince, will beslowerthanthatobservedinprevious that therecoveryofaffectedpopulations T affected bythe Among thestudiescarriedoutinarea he aimofthisnetworkisto protect agroupof aluable areasthathavebeen affectedbythe u,theadministrationshouldbegina hus, hese factsmake itreasonabletosuppose slick causedbythe has beenseverelyaffectedbytherecentoil This typeofecosystem nearby populations. depends ontheirinterrelationwithother populations andtheirreproductivesuccess these habitatsconsistofrestrictedlocal Manyofthespeciesthatlivein example). for mussel seedsanddiversefishspecies, certain fishingresources(goosebarnacles, and arehighlyimportantashabitatsfor Cantabrian coastpossessgreatbiodiversity exposed seaareasalongtheGalicianand along theentire coastline: Chain ofexposedcoastalareas oe theimpacthasbeenextensive. more, Prestige Prestige Prestige 44 o iatr thereexists disaster, . What is

The o o once theyhavebeencleaned. that havesurvivedtheoilslick. marine reservesistwofold: establishment ofanetworkprotected The objectiveofthe infrastructures. and closenesstopollution-fighting well astechnicalcriteriasuchaccessibility chosen onthebasisoftheirecologicalvalue as that theyarecarriedouteffectively. itisverydifficulttoensure natural resources, decisions thataffectthemanagementof fishermen and-womenarenotinvolvedinthe management haveclearlyshownthatif since decadesofcentralisedfisheries fishermen andwomenisofvitalimportance The involvementof society ingeneral. thescientificcommunityand and women, o a networkofmarineprotectedareas begin adesignprocessfor The Spanishadministration should to repopulatetheareasdamaged byfuel, to guaranteethereproductionoforganisms

Animal Biology, V From A GuardatoCaboSilleiro Lugo Coast From CaboPriortoEstacadeBares Golfo Ártabro From MonteLourotoCaión Muros &NoiaRia Arousa Ria Ria Pontevedra THE PROPOSAL PUTFORWARD IN THIS SCIENTIFICSTUDY IS AS FOLLOWS/ igo Ria Rocks totherightof Valdoviño Punta delCastrooppositeIllasGabeiras Cariño inFerrolRia Punta doSegañoinFerrolRia Islas Mirandasin Ares-Betanzos Ria Punta Corbal(Lorbé)ontheleftsideof Ares-Betanzos Ria Punta BufadoiroinMera Punta Herminiain A Coruña Islas deSanPedroin A Coruña Punta Langosteirain Arteixo &Caión Rocks betweenFisterra Punta CarballinotothesouthofOPindo Punta deCaldebarcos Punta InsuainLira Castro deBaroña Punta Centolleiroin Aguiño Punta Aguieira ontheOGrovepeninsula Punta FagildainSanxenxo Cabo Udra Punta Robaleira&CaboHome Punta Borneira Punta Sobreira Rocks betweenMonteferroandtheleftsideofPatosbeach Rocky areatotheleftofPlaya América Cabo Silleiro Rocks surroundingSantaMaríadeOia Punta dosPicos(AGuarda) Ribadeo Lighthouse Rocky outcropinRinlo Punta doCaboinFoz Between CaboBurelaandPlaya deMarosa(rightside) Punta deMorásinSanCiprián Punta RoncadoirainPortocelo Punta Padiñasin Ria Viveiro Illa CoelleirainEstacadeBares Punta dosPradosontheoutersideofEspasanteharbour Punta doCastroontheoutersideofCariñoharbour Rocks ontheoutersideofCedeiraharbour 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 24 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/33 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/34 15 17 14 16 n erOn Year One 13 12 11 3 1 2 10 8 4 9 which wouldcoverthewholeofaffectedcoastline. T i rpsl rw pb cetss couldbethestartingpointforamuchlargernetwork drawnupbyscientists, his proposal, 7 5 6 18 19 25 20 21 26 22 23 24 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 h rsieDisaster Prestige The (2003/2066 (INI)). 15 July2003. 45 Regional Policy, Transport andToursim Committee.Informe sobre elrefuerzo delaseguridadmarítima traselnaufragiodelpetr n erOn Year One of maritimetraffic Measures toimprove thesafety new catastrophes new Solutions aimedatpreventing t fmrtm aey theSpanishgovernment of maritimesafety, Together withthereinforcement responsibility. which causespillsdonotescapefinancial regulations shouldalsoensurethatthose These regulations topreventoilslicks. donotstrengthenthe throughout theworld, aiieOgnsto eiul.The Maritime Organisationseriously. must take theirroleintheInternational T transportation ofdangerousproducts. aswellaban onthe discharges, levelofpolluting need toestablisha “zero” the EuropeanUnionwhichcontemplates sensitive maritimeroutesalongthecoastsof Maritime Organisationforthedeclarationof ordinated proposaltotheInternational and theEuropeanCounciltopresentaco- The reportaskstheCommission accidents. are exposedtotheriskofchemicalandoil those areaswhicharemostvulnerableand implemented formaritimetransportroutesin and surveillanceprogrammestobe prevention itasksforprotection, Similarly, plans inareasofheavymaritimetraffic necessary topreparespecificemergency the of maritimesafetyfollowingthesinking European Parliament aboutthereinforcement T T he memberstatesoftheEuropean Union he recentreportthatwas presentedinthe Prestige safety ofmaritimetraffic responsibleforthe Organisation, International Maritime governments andthe will notbesufficientif slick causedbythe marine areasaffectedbytheoil he recoveryofcoastaland oil tanker considersit Prestige 45 o . o witnessed duringthe The shortcomingsthatwere efficiently. that arenecessaryinordertofightoilslicks must worktoprovidethemeasuresandplans ‘rustbuckets’ towards countriesintheSouth. serve tomovethecurrentfleetof measures inEuropeanwaters alonewillonly The tougheningof measures withintheIMO. States needtoarguethecaseforstronger The EUanditsmember full memberstatus. initial moveshouldbethattheEUitselfgains hencean is thestatesthatarefullmembers, it European UnionisanobserverattheIMO, environment. deteriorate thequalityofmarine whichrelentlessly dumping ofallkinds, form ofindustrialandurbansewage and v coastalwaters receive spectacular oilslicks, Besideslargeand be anotherobjective. T this veryclear. he fightagainstpollutionfromthelandmust ast amountsofpollutioneverydayinthe o Prestige that ayearhaspassedsincethe maritime safetydespitethefact progress onissuesrelatingto which has madeno Organisation, Maritime International take intoaccountby the the EuropeanUnionhave notbeen thedemandsmadeby Until now, catastrophe Prestige accident made olero Prestige

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/35 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/36 o n erOn Year One that ofthe There isnobetterexample than dispersed. responsibilityis event ofanaccident, inthe Thus, from intermediarycompanies. hazardous productsincheapvesselshired fleet andhavechosentotransporttheir large partoftheircrudeoiltransportation theyhavedoneaway witha the lastdecade, Over in ordertoevade theirresponsibilities. have graduallyreducedtheirsafetymeasures The largeoilcompanies quite theopposite. not leadtoanincreaseinsafetybutinstead the reaction ofthesecompaniesdid caused, accepted theirresponsibilityfortheoilslick countries demandedthattheoilcompanies inwhichtheaffected the company TotalFina), (property ofExxon)andtheErika F exempt ofallresponsibility. multinational oilcompanies)areentirely areusuallylarge the caseofoilslicks, in operators andownersoftheload(which, charterers, shipowner whilstthemanagers, responsibility isrestrictedexclusivelytothe this underthecurrentsystem, more, Whatis totalled almost1,000millioneuros. accumulated asaresultoftheoilslick despitethefactthatdamage euros, responsibility was limitedto13.5million tanker offtheFrench coastthreeyearsago, In thecaseofsinkingErikaoil accordingtothetonnageofship. vessel, financial responsibilityoftheowner compensation systemisbasedonthelimited The current arises fromanaccident. modify istheregimeofresponsibilitythat One ofthefirstaspectsthatIMOshould eore,legallyvanished aftertheaccident. Resources, the SwissfirmCrown owning company, o ollowing thecaseofExxon Valdez the ownersofcargo including transport chain, be extendedtotheentire in orderthatresponsibility a change inthesystem, Greenpeace hasdemanded Prestige , in whichthecargo- this measureis insufficientsinceitdoesnot Despite beingimportant, October onwards. hull tankers inEuropeanportsfrom20th regulations inordertoban the entryofsingle- Ithasmodifiedthe inthisarea. albeit limited, theEuropeanUnion hastaken action, IMO, intheabsenceoanymovesby However, substances allaroundtheworld. these shipsfromtransportinghazardous Organisation hasdonenothingtoprevent The InternationalMaritime suffer accidents. situation showsthattheyaremorelikely to The realityofthe cheaper. generally, are, kinds ofproductsisverycommonsincethey these vesselsforthetransportationofall The hiringof equipped withadoublehull. much lowerlevelsofsafetythanthose whichprovide slicks aresingle-hulledtankers, anothercommonfactorinmanyoil Lastly, absolute impunity. countries thatviolatethelegislationwith to preventtheiruseorsanctionthose not introducedanychangesintheregulations the InternationalMaritimeOrganisationhas Despitethis, can avoidtheirresponsibilities. disreputable shippingcompaniesandowners provide aloopholethroughwhich number ofshippingaccidentsinthatthey convenience areacommonfactorinlarge Flagsof maritime transportsafety. includingthosereferringto regulations, concern forthefulfilmentofinternational of thenationswhichawards flagswithoutany Prestige The slicks istheso-calledflagsofconvenience. Another oftheissuesoftenrelatedtooil and seasoftheentireworld. timebombstosailtheoceans of “profitable” responsibility andcontinuestoallowhundreds no stepstochangethecurrentregimeof International MaritimeOrganisationhastaken involving the oneyearaftertheaccident However, lucrative. transportation ofproductswouldnolongerbe mean thattheuseof ‘rustbuckets’ forthe This would including theownersofcargo. extended totheentiretransportchain, inorderthatresponsibilitybe system, Greenpeace hasdemandedachangeinthe w srgsee nteBhms one as registeredintheBahamas, Prestige i akr the oil tanker, h rsieDisaster Prestige The n erOn Year One investing toimprove shipsafetyisminimal. itbecomes clearthattheinterestin this context, In on whichtheyandtheirlivelihoods depend. cost isbornebythecitizens and theenvironment The real commercial interestsisabsurdly low. reality isthatthefinancialliability paidby the comply withthepolluterpaysprinciple, Although governmentsandindustryshouldfully and coastalenvironment. as muchimportancetoprotectingthemarine certain commercialinterestswhichdonotgive clearlyadaptedto toughening oftherules, EU arereducedtopromisesandaselective The regulationsdecreedbythe oil companies. safety policiesfrombeingdeterminedbythe T than hasbeentaken bytheIMO. theyareat least more measures gofarenough, Whileneitherofthese Marine Protected Areas. The EUhasalsoproposedcertain Alaska. in adouble-hulledoiltanker, Exxon Valdez, fighting oilslickssuchasthatcausedbythe to dockinitsports)andnorisituseful through Europeanwaters (itonlyforbidsthem prevent shipslike the he EuropeanUnionmustdomoretoprevent ol nraeteqaiyo hpig Theseinclude: would increasethequalityofshipping. It isclearthatarange ofmeasuresneedstobeimplementedurgently which NOW! IMO: ACT their responsibilitiesby flaggingavesselwithcountyinwhichthestandardsarelowest. Closure ofloopholessuchastheuseFlagsConvenience whereby shipownerscanavoid results. of classificationsocietysurvey A morerobustandtransparent inspectionandmaintenanceregime includingthepublication vulnerable coastlines. SensitiveSea The establishmentofParticularly Areas (PSSAs)forthemost The rapid phaseoutofsingle-hulledtankers worldwide. thesituation. should notbeexcludedfromliabilityasiscurrently the oilcompaniesinthecaseoftankers) (i.e. This meansthatthecharterers ships andcrewswhichismoreconsistentwiththepolluterpays principle. A liabilityregime whichcanbothactasanincentivetousehighquality Prestige

from sailing !

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/37 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/38 49 48 47 46 Galicia). LaVoz deGalicia. 8/10/03. r ecuperación económicadeGalicia. Galician EconomicStudiesInstitute,Pedro Barrié delaMaza. “El Gobierno presupuesta más de mil millones para arrancar el Plan Galicia” (The government budgetsover onethousandmilliont presupuesta másdemil millonesparaarrancarelPlanGalicia” (Thegovernment “El Gobierno Note 299oftheMinistry ofPublicWorks. LaSeguridadMarítimaenlos PGE-2004.http://www.xunta.es El libro 2003. blancodelPrestige. FundaciónAlternativas. El ImpactodelPrestige. AnálisisyEvaluacióndelosdañoscausadosporelaccidentedel Prestige ydispositivosparalaregen Source/ 0 200 400 600 800 1.000 1.200 (MILLIONS OFEUROS)/ SPANISH GOVERNMENT INVESTMENTFOR2004 o n erOn Year One General NationalBudget2004 and catastrophes Safety measurestofightpollution natural phenomenatobepredicted allows toacertaindegree, fully explainedand, these processesallowstheirevolutiontobe an evermoreexhaustiveunderstandingof thetruesituationdemonstratesthat However, one tobelievethatnatureisunpredictable. place indifferentpartsoftheworldmaylead Ignorance ofthenaturalprocessesthattake will take thespiltcargofaraway. more canbedonethantotrustthatthewind andthatlittle lips ofmorethanoneofficial, somethingwehaveheardfromthe inevitable, cannot continuetobelievethatoilslicksare We preventionisfundamental. opposite, expressed bythegovernmentstating Despitetheopinions a catastropheofthistype. or contingencyplanningtolessentheeffectsof Spainstillhasnoresources shipping accidents, serious pollutiononourcoastsastheresultof Despite havingsufferedsuccessiveincidentsof lnt ih e olto,requiredbyboththe Plan tofightseapollution, applying andimplementingtheContingency T he MinistryofPublic Works isresponsiblefor lnGlcaMaritimesafety P. Plan Galicia 1.045 123,5 46 . o Galicia traffic safetyandcoastalsurveillancein million eurosonaprogrammeformaritime announced thatin2004itwouldspend123.5 theMinistryofPublic Works In October2003, dualcarriageways andmotorways. airports, environment viatheconstructionofports, financing thetransformationofnatural tocontinue given bytheEuropeanUnion, manyofwhichhavebeen Infrastructures Plan, thousands ofmillionseurostothe the MinistryofPublic Works hasassigned Despitethis, necessary todealwithoilslicks. Spain lacksthetugsandanti-pollutionbarriers thishasnotyetcomeintobeing. However, necessary intheeventofanotheroilslick. incidents andpredicttheresourcesservices between competentbodiesduringpollution toguaranteetheco-ordination of September, Contingency PlanforSeaPollution atthestart planning toapproveaDecreewithBasic T Urgent InterventionPlansfor all Europeancoastal Commission toincludetheestablishment of arequestismadeforthe European Parliament, In thereportabout called “Plan Galicia” called “Plan aspartoftheso- infrastructures inthisregion, 1,045 millioneurosthatitwillinvestin were notevendevelopeduntiltheyear2001 The basicregulationsfortheircreation Spain. notasingleplaniscurrentlyoperativein Spain, the maritimeareasofcoastalregions possible tofightaccidentalseapollutioninall contingency planswhichwouldmake it for thecreationandimplementationof Despitethislegalmandate and theirspillages. inordertocontrolships MARPOL Convention, Law onPorts andtheMerchantNavy he Galician Autonomous Governmentwas 48 .T his figuresharplycontrastswiththe 49 Prestige . eración medioambientaly prepared bythe o startthePlan 47 . h rsieDisaster Prestige The n erOn Year One to havesufficient anti-pollutionresources in Both portsand oilcompaniesmustbeobliged above commercialorcorporate interests. overand to safeguardingtheenvironment, efficient managementwhich wouldgivepriority immediate andco-ordinated responseand environment inordertoguaranteean conservation ofthemaritime-coastal powers regardingtheprotectionand Another necessarymeasureistheredefinitionof the activitiesofacommercialport. to thistaskandisthereforeincompatiblewith that aportofrefugemustbeexclusivelydevoted unsuited tothefunctionofashelterareaand It isclearthatanexteriorportcompletely justify asa “port ofrefuge”. Coruña whichsomeofficialshaveattemptedto is theconstructionofanewexteriorportin A One oftheprojectsenvisagedinPlanGalicia the effectsofaccident. withtheaimofspatiallylimiting damaged ships, created whicharespeciallyequippedtoharbour refugeorshelterareasmustbe Equally, Spain. accidents inthevarious maritimeregionsof for actionintheeventofdifferenttypes It isthereforenecessarytoestablishprotocols solely theirresponsibility. sincethisisexclusivelyand protect thecoast, the sametimetakingimmediatemeasuresto the developmentofEuropeanactionswhilstat The Spanishgovernment mustpromote coasts. and solvetheproblemsthatoccuronour back andwait fortheEuropeanUniontocome theSpanishadministrationcannotsit However, treatment ofwaste. technologies forenvironmentalrecoveryandthe cleaning toxicseaspillsandthepromotionofnew technologically developedforcollectingand as wellthedesignandconstructionofnewships possible tofaceallkindsofrisksandcatastrophes, These planswouldmake it for theyear2004. T areas withintheagendaof VI Research and echnological DevelopmentFramework Programme threatened coastline. tothedetrimentofour increase therisks, doesnothingbut traffic inordertosurvive, amongst themselvestoattract newmaritime whichcompete apart fromthe43existingports, T resources: T intheeventofanaccident. unloaded, loadedor substances thatarebeingtransported, order todealwiththepollutioncausedby he currentincreaseingeneral-purpose ports, he statemustalsoinvestinanti-pollution sank. The rest of the story iswell-known. The rest ofthestory sank. pened was inevitable:theboatsplitintwoand Whathap- seriously damaged by thesea’s actions. the boatwas alreadylosingoilandhadbeen the “ Spaintookthedecisiontosend some ofitscargo. crack onitsstarboardsidemeantthatitwas losing A inSpain. a distanceof28milesfromFinisterre, sentoutanSOSat 77,000 tonnesofheavy fueloil, the “ In November2002, empty. with thecracks onthedeckweldedandhertanks TheshipleftIrelandafewmonthslater, Ireland. in and provisionallyrepairthe “Princess Eva” ping operator transfer thecargo toanothership Officedemandedthattheship- the MarineSurvey together withtheIrishCoastGuardand Directorate, theMarineSafety Onceinsidethebay, could occur. acceptingtheriskthatanoilspill boat inthebay, Irelandtookthedecisiontokeep the violent storm. withcracks onthedeckasresultofa Ireland, oilenteredDonegal55,000 tonnesofcrude Bay in loadedwith “PrincessEva”, 2003, In January versus “ “Princess Eva” Anti-pollution barrierstofightseriouscases Anti-pollution shipswiththecapacityto the resourcesnecessaryfortheirinstallation. with throughout thevarious maritimeareas, alsodistributed weather conditions, of pollutionintheworstpossibleseaand Islands. theMediterraneanandCanary Andalusia, Galicia, BayofBiscay, maritime traffic: permanently locatedinareasofgreatest absorb andstorepollutingsubstances, Prestige ” a rmiscat u osa when outtosea, far fromitscoast, Prestige Prestige ,loadedwith ”, ”/

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/39 h rsieDisaster Prestige The

Greenpeace/ The Prestige Disaster: One Year On/40 o n erOn Year One coast affectedby the willinnowayDrilling activitiesandthefutureinstallationofoilplatforms contributetoimprovingthe opposite the Asturian coast. right tosearch forhydrocarbons duringaperiodofsixyearsinanarea478,863hectareslocated giving ittheexclusive S.A. licences wereawarded tothecompany RepsolInvestigaciones Petrolíferas, thecabinetministersapprovedaRoyal Decreeby whichfiveresearch On 24thOctoberofthisyear, opposite the Asturian coast/ Hydrocarbon researchlicencesinthebay ofbiscay, g theyare adding Insteadofeliminatingexistingthreats, plan forthearea. having presentedarecovery whichallowsadangerous outalongthedamaged activitytobecarried coastlinewithouteven ment, reater uncertainty tothecoast’sreater uncertainty future. in thecoastalregion The eliminationofthreats condition isreflectedintheinconceivable, be obtainedbypreservingthemingood coastal ecosystemsandthebenefitsthatcan T rest comesfromtheland. The pollution thatreachesthecoastandsea. They represent25%ofthe environment. source ofpollutionforthemaritime-coastal arenottheonly accidental orotherwise, T gravel extraction. excessive portinfrastructuresandsand waste dumping, hazardous substances, accumulation andtransportationof the maritimetransport, prospecting, oilandgas overfishing, time now: activities thathavebeenidentifiedforsome are themostobviousresultsofaseries pollution andtheeffectsofclimatechange The destructionofhabitats, deterioration. itisnottheonlycauseofthis However, environment alongtheaffectedcoast. poor situationofthemarineandcoastal T he lackofknowledgeaboutmarineand he spillswhichoriginatefromships, he Prestige disaster hasaggravated the Prestige i lc.Hwvr thisdoesnotseemtomatterthe Spanishgovern- However, oil slick. w inordertocompletelypreventall possible, coast mustbecomearealityassoon from portslocatedalongthelengthof T certain coastalareasintosewers. w plant communitiesandpourallkindsof destroyanimaland marine hydrodynamics, whichalter etc, exteriorports, landfills, taken regardingthelocationofindustries, arbitrary andthoughtlessdecisionsthatare he controlofpollutionfromthelandand o aste materialsfromenteringthesea. promisingtoconvert aste intothesea, The the affectedcoast environment along of themarineandcoastal aggravated thepoorsituation Prestige disaster has o