EIA Procedure

Overview of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process and Marine Aquaculture.

Environmental Impact Assessment, (EIA), is a short-term, one-off study used by coastal planners to inform on sustainable development and coastal zone management. In marine aquaculture developments an EIA may be required for a new farm site or for an extension to an existing one. The EIA process assesses the likelihood of impacts and their significance, and provides recommendations for mitigating the impacts. To ensure the European aquaculture industry is developing sustainably with minimal environmental impacts, the process of EIA can be influential in determining what new sites, and extensions to production on existing sites, are approved.

The Relationship between EIA and Environmental Monitoring.

Within Europe the process of EIA and  statutory environmental monitoring of marine aquaculture are two very different processes.  Follow this link to find out more about  EIA and Environmental monitoring.

European EIA legislation.

In Europe the EIA process has been subject to two European Commission Directives in 1985 and 1997, (85/337 EC and 97/11 EC). Subject to these Directives, marine aquaculture developments come under Article 4 (2) Annex II where the requirement for an EIA is determined on a case by case basis or by thresholds and criteria set by each Member state.

For example Norway has set a threshold level that all farms with sites which have floating/movable cages over or equal to 48,000m³ tonnes must undergo an EIA before consent is given for a new site or expanding an existing one. Ireland has taken a different approach with all marine aquaculture developments assessed for EIA on a case by case basis.

Full details of the varying approaches to EIA in Europe is found at the FAO website

The EIA Process.

EIA is a systematic process that assesses the impact of a planned (or existing) development on the environment. It is an aid to decision making, the formulation of development actions and an instrument for sustainable development.  It combines a proactive approach to environmental management by industry and administrative authorities, with aquaculture developments being designed to reduce or eliminate adverse environmental impacts, and meet environmental standards prior to granting development consent. The pre-development EIA process should be information driven, with decisions made on the basis of sound baseline data, culminating with the production of an Environmental Statement (ES) by the developer, the content of which should include a range of elements that approaches a holistic analysis. The required content for an ES is given in the EC directive 97/11 EC.

 EIA and the ECASA Tool-box

 To be effective the EIA process should include indicators and models which measure and predict the actual impacts of aquaculture on the receiving environment. By applying appropriate tools for the particular properties of the existing environmental impacts, realistic environmental effects can be predicted and relevant mitigation actions may be recommended. The ECASA Toolbox contains a suite of tested tools, including indicators and models, gathered together specifically to answer the needs of assessing the impacts of aquaculture on the marine environment.