Marine conservation in Austria

Why should water conservation be important in Austria

Austria has an average annual precipitation of around 1,100 mm therefore making it one of Europe’s most water-wealthy countries.

Water plays an integral part in the generation of energy

Rivers, brooks and lakes provide unique habitats for numerous animals and plants. Water has a climate-regulating effect.

Therefore this also makes marine conservation a challenge that the country must deal with to sustain this precious asset. The protection and sustainable utilization of water in general is a priority goal in Austria.

The Danube - Europe's second largest river and an important water source in Austria

A study was performed on Plastics in the Danube which revealed that about 40 tons of plastic are carried away from Austria along the River Danube each year. Most of it comes from “diffuse” sources. A 'Zero Pellets Loss Initiative' was launched by the plastics industry, the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management to combat this problem. There are also technological improvements that are planned with the aim to further reduce the pressures of marine conservation.

Marine fish and Fishing in Europe

Marine fish are a diverse group of animals that play important roles in marine ecosystems. They are also  a major food source for marine and terrestrial mammals, notably humans. Europe is a prime example of this, where we have been fishing for millennia.  In spite of this, there are still “some” fish left in the sea, but not plenty. 

This problem is mainly towards megafauna which in terrestrial zoology, means large or giant animals. Exactly how many and what types, or species, are left, is revealed in the paper “'Coherent assessments of Europe’s marine fishes show regional divergence and megafauna loss”.  Large fish are at risk in Europe, the bigger the fish species the more likely it is to be threatened with extinction. In fact, over 50% of all species which grow to a size of 1.5 metres or more are threatened with extinction. 

Many of these are cartilaginous fish including sharks, skates and rays, but they also include sturgeons and some other fish.  Large fish species are more susceptible to threats such as overfishing, because they grow slower, take longer to mature and have fewer offspring. This leads to them being more sought out for.

How Europe is tackling the problem

Over-exploitation has declined recently ever since the responsible catch limits proposed by the European Commission in the Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea were introduced. Today, 53 out of 76 stocks for which data are available are fished sustainably – compared to 44 stocks in 2017 and just 5 stocks in 2009. For stocks managed wholly by the EU, 97% by volume are being fished at sustainable levels.

The European Commission has made these sea basins a priority for targeted action. Following last year’s 'MedFish4Ever' Declaration for the Mediterranean and the 'Bucharest' Declaration for the Black Sea, the Commission is now working with international partners to translate the political commitments made into tangible next steps.

Sources and References

https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/tackling-overfishing-%E2%80%93-eu-push-sustainability-shows-results_en

https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/users/41732-paul-g-fernandes/posts/17206-big-fish-trouble-in-europe-especially-the-mediterranean