26
Sep 2008 - Vigo, Spain: There was a significant
setback for cod recovery this week following
the annual meeting of the Northwest Atlantic
Fisheries Organization (NAFO) here.
The status of cod on
the southern Grand Banks, historically one
of the world’s most important fisheries
off Newfoundland, Canada, remains severely
depleted despite 14 years under fishing
moratorium.
Last year NAFO adopted
a southern Grand Banks cod recovery strategy
to reduce bycatch of cod by 40 per cent.
This year NAFO made decisions that will
lead to increases in cod bycatch in 2009
without knowing whether this target was
met.
“The decisions affecting
cod bycatch are not consistent with NAFO’s
commitments to the precautionary and ecosystem
management,” said Dr. Robert Rangeley, Vice
President Atlantic, WWF-Canada.
Of most concern were
decisions to increase the yellowtail flounder
catch limit, and maintain the thorny skate
limit well above scientific recommendations.
These decisions have the potential to directly
impact cod in 2009.
“The only hope we can
see for this situation is for NAFO and member
countries to immediately implement more
stringent measures to reduce cod bycatch
in their fleets,” said Dr Rangeley. “Continuing
with the status quo will surely wipe out
the promising 2005 year class and the best
opportunity for the recovery of this stock.”
NAFO did take some important
steps towards the protection of vulnerable
habitats, such as coldwater coral forests.
For example, measures were adopted to limit
the impacts of bottom fishing in new fishing
areas and provide for the protection of
corals when encountered.
New measures were also
put in place to protect the Fogo Seamounts
(undersea mountains located southwest of
the Grand Banks). These efforts were strengthened
by commitments to conduct new sea floor
mapping and research.
The recovery of the
southern Grand Banks cod population will
depend on the survival and reproduction
of pulses of young cod in the population,
such as occurred this year. Increases in
bycatch in 2009 will jeopardize the survival
of these young fish.
+ More
Bringing sunlight inside
wins prestigious Swedish award
23 Sep 2008 - Gothenburg,
Sweden: Architects and engineers bringing
sunlight deep into the interior of buildings
around the world have picked up one of Scandinavia’s
most prestigious environment awards.
The 2008 WWF Carl Mannerfelt
Prize recognized the technique’s potential
to dramatically reduce the need for electric
lighting.
The three engineers
and two architects from the Swedish company
Parans Solar Lighting AB developed a system
using solar panels and fibre optics to collect
and lead natural sunlight to lighting fixtures
in dark areas of buildings.
“It is an excellent
example of an initiative which combines
environmental issues with long-term, sustainable
economic and technical development,” said
the jury. “The system has gained attention
and been installed in many areas around
the world.”
The WWF Carl Mannerfelt
Prize is an annual award given for successfully
combining nature conservation and environmental
control with technical and economical development.
Its jury includes WWF-Sweden
Secretary-General Lasse Gustavsson, as well
as representatives of The Confederation
of Swedish Enterprise and the Royal Swedish
Academy of Engineering Sciences.
“Climate innovations
such as solar lighting have great potential
to contribute towards a transition to a
smart, low-carbon economy,” said Gustavsson.
Construction engineer
Torsten Mattson had begun to address the
issue of how to effectively illuminate dark
areas inside buildings when he met Bengt
Steneby, an architect who came up with the
fibre optics solution.
In 2002 Nils Nilsson
and Marcus Fransson from the Chalmers School
of Entrepreneurship in Gothenburg met and
developed a product together, while Rikard
Eduards was responsible for market research
in Europe.
Parans, a member of
WWF-Sweden’s Climate Solver campaign, has
approximately 50 installations throughout
Australia, the Philippines, China, India,
USA, Canada and Europe. In Sweden, Parans
technology can be found primarily in hospitals
and public facilities.
“We are extremely honoured
and inspired,” said Fransson, now Managing
Director of Parans. “This really confirms
how our little project is developing and
becoming quite meaningful.
The prize amounted to
€31,000 and Fransson said: “The money will
be used to finance an exciting research
project which will further improve our technology.”
The WWF Carl Mannerfelt
Prize, awarded for the 15th time, is a result
of a donation by Dr Carl Mannerfelt who
combined work as a business leader with
an interest in conservation and physical
geography. The motto for the prize is “Conservation
and Development”.
