The government will improve the monitoring of ecosystems and foreign matter in the marine environment. In the Integrated Management Plan for the Barents Sea, the government proposes setting up an advisory group to coordinate the monitoring of the marine environment of the Barents Sea, headed by the Institute of Marine Research.

“The ecosystem surveys carried out by the Institute of Marine Research in the region are a major contribution to our understanding of the ecosystems, and also provide samples for monitoring pollutants. These surveys, which are done in collaboration with Russian research vessels, will continue to be one of our main tools in the future,” says Helga Pedersen, the Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs.

“Adequate monitoring is needed in order to document that Norwegian fish are caught in clean waters. It also allows us to discover any changes to the environment at the earliest possible opportunity. It provides documentation that can be used internationally to stop emissions that are carried here through the air or in ocean currents,” says Pedersen.

The Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs stresses that a greater understanding of the ecosystems will provide a better basis for the sustainable harvesting of living marine resources, increase our insight into connections between different parts of the ecosystems and aid longer term resource management strategies. It will also make it easier to assess the impact of different activities on marine ecosystems. This will help to make Norway a pioneer in the administration of maritime domains.

The advisory monitoring group will be broadly constituted, include over ten institutions responsible for specific sectors or involved in research and monitoring activities in the region.