BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN ICELAND - Convention on Biological ...

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CASE STUDYBENTHIC <strong>IN</strong>VERTEBRATES OF <strong>ICELAND</strong>IC WATERS – BIOICEThe BIOICE program, commencing in 1992, is a collaborative research onmarine benthic fauna around Iceland. Icelandic and Nordic institutes anduniversities are the main contributors to BIOICE together with many taxonomistsaround the world. With the BIOICE program research on Icelandic invertebrateshas increased considerably resulting in substantial addition to our knowledge onthe marine benthic fauna around Iceland.More than 1000 samples have been collected around Iceland in thirteenBIOICE cruises (1992-1997) from 20 meters depth down to 2400 meters depth.Around fifty scientists and students from ten different countries have taken part inthe sampling process. In the Village of Sandgerði (50 km west of Reykjavík) theBIOICE project has a special laboratory, Sandgerði Marine Center (SMC), wherequalified technicians sort animals from the samples into sixty major taxa.The BIOICE program is a base line study on the inventory of benthic faunawithin the Icelandic territorial waters. The main objective of BIOICE is to revisethe systematic of the marine invertebrates in these waters and to update theirtaxonomy. A cooperation between experts of various taxa within the internationalcommunity is the best way to achieve this tremendous task. Accordingly the richBIOICE material is now being identified by over seventy specialists from fifteencountries around the world.Information on species identified within a sample together with data onenvironmental parameters on each sampling location is recorded in a database.This data will be the foundation to analysis on:• species distribution patterns• biodiversity• benthic community structure• possible effects of fishing activities on benthic communities• tropic relations of benthos and fish stocksMoreover, this data can aid future evaluation of possible faunal alteration dueto climatic changes.During the period 1992-1997, sampling has been carried out on threeresearch vessels in thirteen expeditions. A total of 1049 samples from 347locations have been sampled so far and around fifty scientists and students fromten different countries have taken part in the sampling process.The Sandgerði Marine Centre (SMC) was established in October 1992. Themain function of the station is to serve as a sorting centre for the BIOICEprogramme and to provide facilities for visiting specialists working on BIOICEmaterial. At SMC benthic invertebrates are sorted into about sixty major taxa andtheir abundance estimated. At present three specialists and eleven techniciansare working at the station.In order to identify the BIOICE material to species level requests have beenmade to about seventy specialists. Most of them have already started the work.About 1800 samples are now being analysed of which 600 samples are beingidentified by Icelandic scientists. So far around 1250 species have been identifiedfrom the BIOICE material. A considerable part of the species is new to theIcelandic fauna and some are new to science.The BIOICE programme is administrated by the Icelandic Ministry for theEnvironment in co-operation with Icelandic and Scandinavian research institutes.38
MAR<strong>IN</strong>E RESOURCESMarine resources are the most important natural resources inIceland and the driving force behind economic development.Sustainable use of marine resources is therefore essential. The marineecosystem is complex and interactive, and Icelanders are well awarethat it is crucial not to disrupt the overall balance in the system and toconserve marine biological diversity. In order to pursue this priorityobjective, fisheries management is directed at sustainable harvesting ofmarine resources. Measures are taken to ensure that individual stocksare not over exploited.An important step towards sustainable harvesting andconservation of biological diversity is multi-species management ofstocks. This has already been practised in several areas where dynamicrelations between the stocks concerned have been investigated.However, for a general application of this approach, wide-rangingknowledge of the interrelationships between different parts of theecosystem is required. In order to meet this requirement, an extensivelong-term, multi-disciplinary research project has been launched,which will form an important basis for future management. Methodsof applying the principles of the Ecosystem Approach are also beinginvestigated. In the meantime, Icelandic authorities have and willcontinue to exercise a cautious approach towards harvesting of allstocks of fish, marine mammals and invertebrates. A vitalconsideration is to avoid overexploitation of the principal elements ofthe ecosystem.Sustainable useImplementation of effective fisheries management is based onscientific monitoring of stocks and environmental conditions. Asystem of individual transferable quotas and catch control rules hasbeen developed in Iceland, which aims at harvesting stocks in themost responsible manner in order to ensure and maintain maximumlong-term productivity.In 1983, it became apparent that effort limitations, which had beenin force since 1973, had not proved successful, and the cod stock was39
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