Shetland 'black fish'

£47.5m Shetland 'black fish' scam details revealed

the fishermen to land more mackerel and herring than they were allowed under EU quotas.

Scales at Lerwick-based processing company Shetland Catch Ltd were set to underestimate the weight of the fish being landed by the boats.

Seventeen skippers have previously admitted their part in the scam.

Earlier this month they were ordered to hand over almost £3m in confiscation orders.

They are due to be sentenced next month.

The BBC had challenged the reporting restrictions which had prevented the reporting of the extent of the false declarations to the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, and the method used to make the undeclared landings.

Proper weight

Weighing scales at Shetland Fisheries were linked to computer screens showing the weight of fish landed.

The screen in the main floor of the fisheries, which was viewed by SFPA officials, was set to give a lower weight of fish than had been landed.

The proper weight was displayed on a screen in the engineer's room, in a part of the operation which was off limits to SFPA officials.

The SFPA had launched an investigation due to suspicions of widespread illegal landing of pelagic fish.

Accountants found that Shetland Catch Ltd's outgoings could not be supported by declared earnings.

Confiscation orders

The company has been taken over since its involvement in the scam, which took place between February 2003 and March 2005.

The 17 skippers have been ordered to pay back sums ranging from £2,700 to £425,900. The confiscation orders are:

Laurence Irvine, 66, of Aviemore, Symbister, Whalsay - £210,700; Gary Williamson, 52, of Norvag, Symbister, Whalsay - £118,500; William Williamson, 64, of Westerlea, Symbister, Whalsay - £213,200; George Henry, 60, of Noonsbrough, Clousta, Bixta - £51,300; John Stewart, 56, of 57 King Harald Street, Lerwick - £41,300, and Colin Leask, 38, of Vaarhjem; Simbister, Whalsay - £12,000.

David Hutchison, 66 of Ankerhus, Hillhead, Symbister - £140,900 Robert Polson, 48, of 17 Breiwick Road, Lerwick - £371,300; Thomas Eunson, 56, of Westwinds, Symbister - £140,500; Allen Anderson, 55, of Solvei, Symbister - £2,700; John Irvine, 68, of Braeside, Symbister - £236,000 and Allister Irvine, 63, of Karinya, Symbister - £120,600.

Victor Buschini, 51, of Cuckoos Nest, Kiln Lane, Hambleton, Poulton Le Flyde, Lancashire - £341,000, and Hamish Slater, 52, of 8 Strichan Road, Fraserburgh - £425,900.

George Anderson, 55, of Harbourview, Symbister - £40,700; Alexander Masson, 65, of 89 Strichen Road, Fraserburgh - £283,000 and Alexander Wiseman, 60, of 3 Sandyhills Gardens, Banff - £196,000.

hydrothermal vent

The team used an underwater robot to film the creatures living around the hydrothermal vent (Footage: University of Southampton)

Continue reading the main story

Remarkable images of life from one of the most inhospitable spots in the ocean have been captured by scientists.

Researchers have been surveying volcanic underwater vents - sometimes called black smokers - in the South West Indian Ridge in the Indian Ocean.

The UK team found an array of creatures living in the super-heated waters, including yeti crabs, scaly-foot snails and sea cucumbers.

They believe some of the species may be new to science.

Hydrothermal vents were first discovered in 1977. These fissures in the ocean floor spew out fiercely hot, mineral-rich water, yet somehow, diverse ecosystems are able to thrive in these hostile conditions.

The team, from the University of Southampton, was particularly interested in the vents on the South West Indian Ridge because this range is linked to the Mid Atlantic Ridge and the Central Indian Ridge, where vent life has been well documented.

This area is also unusual because it is an "ultra-slow spreading" ridge, which means it is less volcanically active than other ridges, with fewer vents that are further apart.

Dr Jon Copley, chief scientist of the Indian Ocean vents project, said: "This place is a real crossroads in terms of the vent species around the world."

Using a remote-operated, underwater robot called Kiel 6000, from the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM Geomar), in Germany, the team was able to train their cameras on the vents.

In the hottest habitat around the black smokers, they found snails and shrimp, as well as mussels, sea cucumbers and crabs. They then compared these with the animals found at vents on the neighbouring ridges.

Dr Copley said: "I was expecting there to be some similarities to what we know from the Atlantic, and some similarities to what we know from the Indian Ocean vents, and that was true, but we also found types of animals here which are not known from either of those neighbouring areas, and that was a big surprise.

"One was a type of yeti crab. There are two currently described species of yeti crab known from the Pacific, and it isn't like those, but it is the same type of animal, with long, hairy arms.

The team used an underwater robot to find creatures, such as this scaly-foot snail, around the vents in the Indian Ocean

"Also some sea cucumbers - not known from the Atlantic or Central Indian vents, but known from the Pacific."

He added: "We've got links to lots of different parts of the world here, which is very exciting."

The team was also surprised at the diversity of life they found during this expedition, which was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc).

Dr Copley said: "In a lot of other vent fields I've been to, in this hot zone where you get the animals there is often just one type of animal living there: in the deep Mid Atlantic Ridge, it's the shrimp. But here, we have seen three to four all in the same zone."

There was a diverse mix of creatures, including this stalked barnacle, around the vents

The findings should help researchers to learn more about how life moves from vent to vent: vents are short lived, and without the ability to hop from one system to the next, life there would go extinct.

"That is why vents are a great place to understand how species disperse and evolve in the deep oceans, because they are like little islands," Prof Copley added.

Despite these findings, the researchers are worried about the future of this underwater terrain.

China has been granted an exploratory licence by the International Seabed Authority to explore the potential of mining the vents in this area for their rich minerals.

Dr Copley said: "This vent field is the size of a few football pitches, and it seems possible that it is the only known range of some of these species.

"It would be very premature to start disrupting it before we really know the true extent of what lives in it."

Shrimp like this one may be under threat from deep-sea mining

Mercosur is a South American trade bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay

Mercosur was set up in March 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay under the Treaty of Asuncion. The 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto gave the body a wider international status and formalised a customs union.

Brazil and Argentina are Mercosur's economic giants. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are associate members; they can join free-trade agreements but remain outside the bloc's customs union. Moves to include Chile as a full member were suspended after Santiago signed a free-trade deal with the US in 2002.

Argentine minister Ivan Heyn dies at Mercosur summit

BBC News - ‎18 hours ago‎

A senior Argentine official has been found dead at the Mercosur summit in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo. Undersecretary for foreign trade Ivan Heyn was found hanged in his hotel room, police said. He is thought to have taken his own life. .

South Atlantic waters.

South American states ban Falklands vessels from ports

Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which lie 400 miles from its coast

Continue reading the main story

A South American trading bloc has agreed to close its ports to ships flying the Falkland Islands flag.

Mercosur, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, came to the decision at a summit in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.

But Uruguayan President Jose Mujica said British-flagged civilian ships that may supply the islands would still be allowed to use its ports.

The Foreign Office said there was "no justification" for the action.

The Falklands flag is flown by 25 boats, mostly fishing vessels operated in joint ventures with Spanish companies.

The Mercosur decision is the latest in a series by Latin American regional bodies designed to show solidarity with Argentina which has long claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which it calls Las Malvinas.

Britain has held them since the 1830s and says their future is not negotiable. The two countries fought a brief but bloody war over the islands in 1982.

Their dispute has flared again recently. Last year, Argentina accused the UK of breaking international rules by allowing oil drilling under a seabed off the islands, located in a vast area of potentially mineral-rich South Atlantic waters.

'Very concerned'

Britain has also refused recent requests to re-open negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falklands.

Uruguay proposed the move to close ports to Falklands-flagged vessels. Mr Mujica said: "We hold nothing against the UK. But we have a lot in favour of Argentina."He said solidarity among South America's neighbours was key to his country's foreign policy, adding: "For the moment, this means accepting that this territory is a colonial British position in our America."However, the president of the Falklands Chamber of Commerce, Roger Spink, told the BBC that they were a small community, and felt increasingly under blockade.

"If we were Palestine, the European Union would be up in arms," he said.

The Foreign Office, who called on Uruguay's ambassador in London to explain the move last week, said it was discussing the developments "urgently with countries in the region".

A spokesman said: "We are very concerned by this latest Argentine attempt to isolate the Falkland Islands people and damage their livelihoods, for which there is no justification.

"It is not immediately clear what practical impact, if any, this statement will have, which mirrors the language already used by the Union of South American Nations in 2010.

"But no-one should doubt our determination to protect the Falkland Islanders' right to determine their own political future."

Oil exploration

The Foreign Office called on Uruguay's ambassador in London to explain the move last week.

The chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Richard Ottaway, said the situation was "very unsatisfactory", with the ban seeming to be a breach of international law and tensions in the region escalating.Tory MP Patrick Mercer called the ban "needlessly provocative".Shadow foreign minister John Spellar said: "While this looks like a bit of a flag-waving gesture, Argentina should be in no doubt of the united determination of all parties in the United Kingdom to protect the Falkland Islanders' right to determine their own future."But former Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane said the "hostile action" was aimed at London, not the Falklands, and blamed the coalition for weakening Britain's international standing.

The Labour MP said: "South American leaders know that Britain has fewer friends than ever before because of David Cameron's isolationist approach in Europe and the indifference to the Obama administration as most cabinet members are close to US neo-Cons.

"Brazil and other countries know that thanks to Liam Fox's defence cuts, the UK no longer has aircraft carrier capability so British maritime power projection has been fatally weakened by the government."

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who took over the presidency of the trade bloc from Mr Mujica, thanked her fellow presidents for the show of support.

Delivering a speech to the summit, she said: "Malvinas is not an Argentine cause, it is a global cause, because in the Malvinas they are taking our oil and fishing resources.

"And when there is need for more resources, those who are strong are going to look for them wherever and however they can."

British companies are exploring for oil in the waters surrounding the islands, which are 400 nautical miles from the Argentine coast.

quotas for Black Sea

Commission sets quotas for Black Sea fishing

ARTICLE | NOVEMBER 25, 2011 - 3:13PM

The European Commission has presented its proposal for fishing opportunities for fish stocks in the Black Sea for 2012, concerning member states Bulgaria and Romania.

The Commission proposed to cut the EU quota for turbot by 15%, to 74 tonnes. For sprat, the Commission proposes to keep the EU quota unchanged, at 11,475 tonnes.

The EU quota for turbot is divided evenly between Bulgaria and Romania, while for sprat, Bulgaria and Romania's national quotas are set at 70% and 30%, respectively.

The proposal was made after receiving and considering the advice by the Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) and will be presented to the member states' ministers at the December Fisheries Council.

cooperation in the Black Sea

'Blue growth' in Black Sea?

ARTICLE | OCTOBER 15, 2011 - 12:00PM | BY MARINA LYNCH

Damanaki: Wants to 'overcome fragmentation and create linkages between different sectors'

A brainstorming event to discuss ideas about the future of cooperation in the Black Sea was hosted on 14 October by Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki.

Damanaki recognised that while each country has ideas of what it wants to achieve in the Black Sea, the real challenge is to work together towards a common vision for the entire sea basin. All countries and actors must be involved and integrated for growth to progress in a fair and sustainable way.

The assets of the Black Sea include it being a tourist destination and a body through which goods, people, fish, gas and oil pass through from Russia to the Caspian Sea. Additionally, fish, natural minerals, and alternative energy sources all come from the Black Sea.

The two main topics Damanaki discussed are fisheries and maritime affairs. The stock of fisheries in the Black Sea is being monitored by the European Commission, Romania and Bulgaria, but all Black Sea states must be involved and cooperate for the efficient management of sustainable stocks. A Fisheries Advisory Council has been set up and Damanaki requested opinions and advice on how to get all Black Sea countries to work together. She suggested starting with scientific and research co-operation.

The second topic is maritime affairs. There are many sectors competing for space: transport, energy, tourism, fisheries, and marine aquaculture. Additionally, attention must also be paid to good environmental practices. Cross-border dialogue is needed to be organise maritime planning and allow everyone to develop their businesses.

A 'blue growth' proposal from the Commission aims at “overcoming fragmentation and creating linkages between different sectors.” Focus has been placed on aquaculture, maritime tourism and non wind energy projects like current, tidal, algae and sea thermal energies. The brainstorming event was supposed to encourage new ideas relating to the 'blue growth' proposal.

Damanaki concluded by saying that political blocs could not be permitted to constrict work or maritime matters, and asked how the EU's Black Sea Synergy framework of 2007 could best work with the Black Sea Economic Co-operation of 1992. Her stated goal is to have a single maritime and fisheries fund by 2014, and she said that events such as the brainstorming session will help to integrate future policies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marina Lynch

Trainee Reporter, New Europe

Marina Lynch is currently finishing her Bachelor's degree in International Affairs & Communications at Vesalius College, Brussels. She has also worked as a writer and photographer for the 'Voices' section of The Reading Eagle, Pennsylvania, US.

The Future of Marine and Maritime Innovation in Europe,

Maria Damanaki

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

A strategy for the Atlantic

Lisbon Atlantic Conference

Lisbon, 28 November 2011

Mr President, Prime Minister, Ministers, Mr Mayor, ladies and gentlemen,

Let's begin with an observation: for years, the Atlantic Ocean, its regions and islands have been seen as the geographic periphery of Europe.

But the Atlantic plays a critical role in Europe's history and identity. It is of vital importance for EU trade and contains tremendous potentials for the future development of Europe.

It was time to act and to offer new perspectives for this sea basin.

The Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic region is our response.

It shows that Atlantic is by no means peripheral to Europe’s interests and decision-making. It promotes territorial cohesion and engages international partners, on all shores of the Atlantic. It promotes blue growth in the Atlantic, namely through the creation of employment and innovation in maritime sectors and coastal areas while respecting the sustainability of resources.

Nobody can ignore the economic difficulties we are in, at this moment of time. But at times as these, we need to have they spirit to seek new opportunities.

In the Atlantic coastal communities, there are maritime sectors which can lead us out of today's economic impasse: some are well-established, mature sectors, like coastal tourism or fisheries; others are emerging, like renewable energy; others still need further support, such as marine biotechnology or mineral seabed exploration

Our Blue growth proposal in the Strategy tackles the specific challenges of the Atlantic. It takes advantage of specific opportunities which are characteristic to this sea basin, such as: strong winds and powerful tides to create green energy; productive fisheries that can sustain their communities if we fish responsibly; potentially vast seafloor resources to be exploited; Opportunities for the tourism industry including nautical leisure activities; Motorways of the sea that can bring new development to ports and coastal regions. For all these sectors we come with proposals, opportunities and investment.

Ladies and gentlemen,

this is what we propose. What can we expect from the Atlantic Ocean in 2020 if our proposal is in place?

Can we make a difference in nine years time?

I believe we can.

The Atlantic's powerful winds that have challenged generations of explorers and seafarers are now on our side. The massive expansion of wind power that is already planned will transform our seas. Our next step will be to generate the marine energy from the tides and waves complementing what we get from the wind. Oceans can provide zero-emission energy. It offers real security of supply. I cannot see anybody cutting off our wind, tides or waves.

EU-wide, by 2020, ocean energy could generate over 26,000 direct and 13,000 indirect jobs; by 2050, over 300,000 and 150,000 respectively.

And by 2020 we aim to see a digital three-dimensional map of the Atlantic including accessible data on what is in the water, on the seafloor and below the seafloor. Offshore businesses have told us in Ireland that such a map can improve their competiveness. And it can offer opportunities for young energetic companies to create new products and services. Making marine data available for sea bed mapping and related uses is a task that only the EU can deliver. The economic benefit is estimated at approximately €3.6 to 5 billion over a 10-year period.

I want us to know what polymetallic sulphides have been precipitated in the mid-Atlantic ridge. Now we have tested ways of extracting them safely and sustainably. And I want us to understand the peculiar processes that allow life to exist without light and whether their DNA provides clues that can help in our quest to find new drugs against cancer. We have to create an environment friendly to biotechnology investment, through spatial planning, incentives and proper funding.

In 2020 I want to see us fishing sustainably in the Atlantic and a substantial increase in our production from fish farms. Fish provides 15% of the world's protein and in 2020 our planet's population will be approaching 8 billion. Simple arithmetic tells us that, if we don't expand production, someone will be eating less fish. And that means a less healthy diet, with all the public health issues that ensue.

By 2020 the increased value of the offshore economy will have increased our vulnerability to the anger of the sea. Will we have the ability to defend our aquaculture cages against biological threats - toxic algae or jellyfish shoals? Will ocean energy platforms or yacht marinas be able to withstand storms like those that came up from Biscay in February last year? How would Europe cope with a triple catastrophe like that which struck the people of Japan in March this year – earthquake, tsunami, severe nuclear accident? How resilient is our infrastructure? Will we have the early warning systems and rescue teams ready? It requires preparation, it requires sophisticated technology but most of all it requires collaboration between neighbours. Can we do it? Our proposals in the Atlantic Strategy are the answer.

After all, by 2020 we want to see our Atlantic ports and coastal communities alive and active. The new economy – offshore renewables, aquaculture, and mining – will offer opportunities, alongside regenerated traditional ones such as shipbuilding and fishing. The young people should no longer be leaving for jobs. Faster broadband communications will mean that Europe’s peripheral regions are no longer so peripheral.

And let's not forget that the Atlantic coastal regions and islands contains a rich and diverse culture from the still vibrant Celtic culture to the EU outermost regions, the historic ports, the mysterious ruins, the wild coastlines of the Atlantic can be enjoyed all year long.

8 millions of European citizens are practising a nautical activity in the area. There is a waiting list for moorings at many Atlantic marinas while the nautical leisure activities are increasing. We have to meet the demand for a more active, discerning and sustainable maritime tourism.

I might have given the impression that this was a strategy for the five EU countries that border the Atlantic: Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Of course they will be in the front line, including their outermost territories, but we do need a wider engagement.

We need to cooperate with other coastal states around the Atlantic – the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil… and within global fora.

The Atlantic is humanity's heritage. Fishing or prospecting in areas beyond national jurisdiction needs internationally-agreed rules. The circulation of the Atlantic has an impact on the climate on both shores of the ocean. Can we ensure that in 2020 we have enough observation in place to understand what is happening or to warn us of any sudden changes? I don't think we have any choice. We can and we must.

All these targets are in the heart of our Integrated Maritime Policy. Now we have taken an important step forward for this policy. After one year of intense negotiations the IMP is now provided with its own financial framework.

The Financial Regulation for the integrated Maritime Policy has just been approved by the European Parliament and the Council.

From now on we can speak about a policy that has become independent and mature. The amount is not big but it will provide a "bridge" for the implementation of actions from now until the next financial perspectives. From 2014 the opportunities will increase.

How do we match the tools with the objectives? This is not something that can only be done from Brussels. We need all of you - industrialists, academics, local and national authorities, citizens from all around the Atlantic - to help us define what concrete steps or projects will deliver the growth we need.

For this reason we will set up an Atlantic Forum. It will gather opinions, digest them and deliver an Action Plan for the beginning of 2013.

The Action Plan must have concrete ideas for turning our vision into reality.

Our final decision will be taken during a Ministerial Conference in Cyprus on October 8th, 2012. Here again, we will be seeking for your creative views.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our Atlantic Ocean is not only the western boundaries of the European Union. It is also the bridge between all the Atlantic States.

The extraordinary Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa wrote many beautiful pages on the Atlantic Ocean. To finish my speech today, I'd like to pick up one verse of his famous poem "O infante":

"Que o mar unisse, já não separasse"- "The sea to connect, no longer divide"

Thank you.

"The Future of Marine and Maritime Innovation in Europe

Seminar "The Future of Marine and Maritime Innovation in Europe" at the European Parliament

Brussels, 7 December 2011

Honourable Members of Parliament, dear Ms Meissner, Representatives of the Member States and maritime regions, dear Members of the European marine research community,

Governments are waking up to the fact that we have just about reached the limit of what can be squeezed from the 29% of the planet that is land. Therefore, it becomes clear that we need to look even more to the sea.

The sea can provide energy that does not use up finite resources; that does not emit carbon dioxide; that does not need land; that does not need fresh water; and that does not need to be imported from unreliable suppliers.

Already wind turbines account for most of the EU's new electricity generating power. More is moving offshore.

By 2020, 30 percent of the annual market for new wind capacity will be offshore and by 2030, 60 percent. By 2020 wave and tidal power will join the wind platforms in providing energy to our cities.

To continue, the sea can help in providing our population with a healthy diet. We are still growing byone percent per year. Our aquaculture production must overcome this annual growth rate. If people don't want fish farms near their favourite beaches, then we need to build them further offshore.

And there are many more opportunities. ExxonMobil is investing more than six hundred million dollars in algal fuels. This week, the Nautilus minerals mining company upped its estimate of the gold and copper deposits in its concessions, nearly two kilometres down in the Pacific.

Researchers are looking into life forms that can survive without light or oxygen and at temperatures that can melt lead – in order to examine if we can find new medicines that can help us in fighting cancer.

Things are coming together. We have the technology to build platforms that can withstand hurricanes or tsunamis. We have the submarines to get us to the bottom of the sea. We have the sensor technology to observe what is there. We have the robotics technology to bring what is in the bottom-sea to the surface. And we have the genetics technology to analyse the organisms that we have found .

Within the Commission we are working on a "blue growth" Communication that will deliver policy recommendations able to facilitate sustainable economic growth and employment in emerging - and established - maritime sectors.

Of course we need research. At a time of deep austerity, the Commission's proposal to increase its research spending by nearly 50% is a clear declaration of intent and commitment in further fostering growth and development.

This EU funded package had been adopted by the Commission last week.

I've worked together with Ms Maire Geoghegan-Quinn the EU Commissioner for research and innovation, to reinforce the recognition of the seas and oceans in this future framework for research.

I am glad today to inform you that for the first time, the marine and maritime research is clearly indicated in all relevant documentation of the Horizon 2020 package. This will facilitate cross-cutting actions/projects in the field of maritime and marine research and innovation for future activities.

Further, the inclusion of ''Ocean energy'' has equally been ensured in the relevant sector of the package, together with wind and solar energy. This signals the need and the importance to be given to the ''ocean energy'' in the near future as an alternative source of energy.

The new '' Horizon 2020'' is therefore a good step forward. But the Commission can't obviously act alone. I would like to thank the Member States as well as Norway for their ongoing cooperation under the umbrella of the Joint Programming Initiative for "Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans". The European marine and maritime research needs the effort of national research programmes.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to the Chairman of IBM's European operations. He informed me that IBM, which is the second-largest technology company in the world, has bet the company's future on data.

There are new jobs in data. Unfortunately, although Europe spends about one and a half billion euro of public money on marine data, it is very difficult for business, especially the small start-up enterprises, to get hold of them. And even when they do so, it costs them so much to put incompatible data from a multitude of bodies together, that they give up.

The Commission's studies indicate that making all these data available in a compatible form would save European companies at least 300 million euro a year.

Industry is planning 5.8 trillion euro investment in offshore wind turbines by 2050. They need data to work out where to place their turbines, they need data to comply with environmental impact rules and they need data to operate and maintain the relevant installations. EU is not going to tell industry how to invest in the new blue economy. However, we can make sure that we have the infrastructure to make that investment really happening. For instance we can encourage the unlocking of public data.

I am therefore proposing that the EU supports the development of a seabed map of European waters ready by 2020. This will include water depth, marine sediments and marine life as well as real-time information on parameters such as temperature, salinity and sea-level.

At the same time, we are setting up mechanisms that allow us to find out from data users – private companies, public authorities, academics – where the gaps are, where we need new measurements.

This is part of our "marine knowledge 2020" initiative, which already started with preparatory actions in 2009. We now have prototype maps covering a small number of sea-basins. Feedback from users has been encouraging.

Last week Council and Parliament adopted the first financial regulation for the Integrated Maritime Policy that will allow us to extend prototype maps to all European waters by the end of 2014.

Finally, with the financial aid of the new European Fisheries and Maritime Fund that we are proposing for 2014 onwards, we will be able by 2020 to produce a more detailed sea-bed map that can really accelerate the expansion of the marine economy and provide opportunities for business.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am confident that your seminar will be profitable for the future development of the EU marine and maritime research which is one of the most important pillar of the Integrated maritime policy.

Thank you