News

In 2018, the estimated 2,900 Belgian recreational sea fishermen accounted for a total supply of 169 tonnes of sea fish and 102 tonnes of grey shrimp. This is evident from the first official report that focuses on the ecological and socio-economic impact of the Belgian recreational sea fishery. This means that the recreational sea fishing sector represents 3.7% of the total supply (commercial and recreational) from the Belgian part of the North Sea. The direct expenditures of the sector are estimated to be at least 8.6 million euros on an annual basis. You can consult the full report (Dutch) here.

The Compendium for Coast and Sea was recently taken up as a national Good Practice example by the European Maritime Spatial Platform (MSP). The MSP provides all involved with marine spatial planning in EU-Member States a single interface of experience and expertise through exchanging and creating knowledge. The MSP is funded by the EC Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

The 19^th edition of the VLIZ Marine Science Day 2019 of 13 March brought together some 400 marine scientists, students and companies in Bredene for a day full of inspiring presentations and demonstrations. The VLIZ Marine Science Day (VMSD2019) continued its tradition as being the information and networking moment of the year for Belgian marine students, scientists and companies. If you like to look back at this event, take a look at our VMSD19 retrospective page. You will find all the videos of the oral presentations, the abstracts and photos, and all the information about the award winners.

The FWO is strongly committed to international cooperation as a lever for scientific excellence. In this context, the FWO and the National Research Foundation (NRF) will support two-year cooperation projects with South Korea. These cooperation projects are aimed at young researchers (no more than six years of postdoctoral experience) and cover fundamental scientific research and development in all scientific research domains. The duration of these projects is two years.

On Friday 29 March 2019, the first thematic working groups, 'Living with Climate Change' and 'Working with Nature' of the Think Tank North Sea, will be launched at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Interested in these themes and the follow-up trajectory of the Think Tank North Sea? Sign up for this kick off event before 26 March 16:00h.

The European Parliament, in cooperation with the European Commission, is organising a high-level conference - OCEANS - "The Future of the Blue Planet". The aim of the conference is to see how a sustainable blue economy can be shaped by 2030. The conference will take place in Brussels on 19 March and can be registered now.

Marine scientific research (MSR) and the tools to conduct it are essential for the sustainable development of our oceans and seas. Something which is consistently recognized by the UN General Assembly in its annual resolution on oceans and the law of the sea. MSR, not only helps in informed policy decision making, but it contributes to understanding, predicting and responding to the natural processes of our oceans. This new OTGA/DOALOS course on Marine Scientific Research under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (6-10 May 2019, Ostend Belgium) aims to provide an overview of the legal, technical and scientific aspects of the MSR regime, particularly with respect to consent procedures, so as to reinforce the participants’ knowledge of the rights and obligations of coastal and researching States. It will also touch upon matters relating to the development and transfer of marine technology under UNCLOS.

The European Commission will support 22 new sustainable blue projects under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. A total of €15.1 million will be distributed to 104 companies from 22 countries. Belgium is participating in two projects through the AlgaeDemo project and the AQUA-LIT project. With the Blue Bioeconomy call, the EC wants to promote the implementation of a sustainable blue economy throughout the EU and the Mediterranean Sea basin.

Two thirds of the seas and oceans are beyond national jurisdiction. At present, the protection of this high sea and the seabed is only regulated in a very general way by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982). The so-called "Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction" (BBNJ) process aims to change this and is based on UN-Resolution 72/249 of 24 December 2017 for the drafting of a legally binding convention on the protection and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. To support this process, Belgium will hold a stakeholder consultation on the four key issues of this future convention on 14 February 2019.