73. The Chairman, Mr R. Lloyd, informed the Sub-Commission that good progress had been achieved with the recommendations made at the eleventh session of EIFAC.
74. A Workshop was convened by Dr Alabaster and the proceedings have been published as EIFAC Technical Paper No. 41 - Report of the EIFAC Workshop on Fish-Farm Effluents. A number of recommendations were made by the Workshop, which were considered at the first and second sessions of the Working Party on Fish-Farm Effluents, convened by Dr Alabaster and held on 1 and 5 June 1982 (see Appendix I).
75. The present Working Party endorsed the conclusions and recommendations of the Report. However, it was agreed that the Working Party should extend its activities to include cage culture of fish and proposed that the draft terms of reference in EIFAC Technical Paper No. 41 should be amended as follows:
to keep under review potential and actual water pollution problems arising from fish-farming activities:
identify important problems,
formulate guidelines and advice on appropriate methods for their control, and
report recent developments and identify relevant research needs;
Sub-Commission II should consider directing its attention to the need to improve fish-feed formulations so as to reduce adverse effects on the quality of water from fish-farm activities.
76. The Working Party also considered in detail research needs and recommended (Recommendation EIFAC 82/4) that, with regard to the generalized recommendation to Sub-Commission II, an international cooperative programme of research should be carried out to relate the quality and quantity of waste output of fish to food composition, using several different feeds, with the objective of supporting any tentative guidelines. Furthermore, the Working Party recommended that the EIFAC Secretariat should seek to obtain funding from international bodies, including the EEC.
77. The Working Party reviewed current international activities relating to problems arising from fish-farming and made the following recommendations:
78. The Working Party recommended (Recommendation 82/5) that:
tentative guidelines be formulated on the control of concentrations of suspended solids from fish-farming activities;
preparatory work should begin on the formulation of guidelines for organic and inorganic phosphorus, and
potential problems from the use of therapeutic agents for the prevention, control and treatment of disease should be kept under review.
The recommendations were endorsed by Sub-Commission III.
79. The Convenor of the Working Party, Dr D. Calamari, reported on the progress made in the past two years. The Sub-Commission noted that a second edition of the publication “Water Quality Criteria for Freshwater Fish” had been published. This edition incorporated an updated version of the EIFAC Technical Report No. 37 on mixtures of pollutants. Plans for a French edition are proceeding slowly, as are plans for a Russian edition.
80. The report on “Chromium and European Freshwater Fish” is nearing completion, and it was recommended (Recommendation EIFAC 82/6) that this report should be published as an EIFAC Technical Paper. The Sub-Commission noted that work was proceeding on nickel and that work on aluminium and nitrite would be begun in the next intersessional period if appropriate experts could be found.
81. This Technical Paper on the “Nature and Extent of Water Pollution Problems Affecting Inland Fisheries in Europe” was published in 1972 and is now out of date. Sub-Commission III endorsed a proposal by the Chairman that information should be obtained from EIFAC member countries on the current nature and extent of water pollution in relation to fisheries, so that EIFAC/T 16 could be updated.
82. The Working Party had operated by correspondence, and a paper expanding on a section of the EIFAC Technical Paper No. 24 - “Fish Toxicity Testing Procedures” had been prepared as EIFAC/XII/82/15, “The Use of Microcosms (model ecosystems) in the Hazard Assessment of Chemicals to Aquatic Biota”. It was recommended (Recommendation EIFAC 82/7) that this paper be published separately as an addendum to EIFAC Technical Paper No. 24.
83. As early as their meetings in Berne in 1969 and Jablonna in 1970, the Working Party on Water Quality Criteria expressed a feeling that the topic of water quantity criteria should also be examined.
84. At the Technical Consultation at Vichy (1980) great concern was expressed on the effects of environmental degradation on fisheries and at the eleventh session of EIFAC it was recommended that a Working Party on Habitat Modification be established to study the effects on fisheries of non-biotic modifications of the environment, and define those actions which can be taken to reduce these impacts. Unfortunately this Working Party could not be held. It was also recommended that a symposium on this topic be held in conjunction with the thirteenth session of EIFAC.
85. Due to the continuing concern on this topic, Sub-Commission III recommended (Recommendation EIFAC 82/8) that the symposium to be held in conjunction with the thirteenth session should concern itself with the effects of habitat modification on fisheries.
86. Following the Recommendation 80/21 made at the eleventh session of EIFAC, consultations had been held on the sphere of activity of Sub-Commission III. The outcome of the consultations had been circulated as EIFAC/XII/82/8. Sub-Commission III endorsed the recommendation (Recommendation EIFAC 82/9) that:
“Sub-Commission III is concerned with the effects of those physical and chemical changes in the environment which are caused by man and which unintentionally affect freshwater fisheries.”
Examples of such effects are chemical pollution of water and modification of the habitat by land-drainage schemes. This definition excludes the effects of those changes arising from fisheries management operations (e.g., use of rotenone, construction of niches for selected species).
87. The Chairman emphasized the need to consider the potential value to developing countries of the reports prepared by Sub-Commission III. It was agreed that the Secretariat should explore appropriate ways to extend positively and adapt the information and experience obtained within Sub-Commission III to other FAO regional fishery bodies.
88. A short discussion was held on the importance of accumulated toxicants in fish, especially for subsequent effects on the progeny and also methods of decontamination. It was agreed that Dr Dethlefsen would review the existing literature and information and prepare a paper for the thirteenth session of EIFAC as a basis for discussion and further action.
89. The existing bureau, consisting of:
R. Lloyd (UK), Chairman
D. Calamari (Italy), Vice-Chairman
V. Dethlefsen (Federal Republic of Germany), Rapporteur
was re-elected.
