CHAPTER 8 . Quality Status, Appropriate Monitoring and Legislation of the North Sea
151
Six years later the 1993 Quality Status Report concluded: "Large areas can be shown
to be subject to concentrations of contaminants that are clearly above the North Atlantic background level. Generally, the impact of these enhanced concentrations, which
are directly attributable to inputs from around the North Sea, is only clearly identifiable where the concentrations are highest, that is, close to sources e.g., in estuaries or
deposition areas such as the Norwegian Trench and parts of the Dogger Bank, or in
the Wadden Sea and the sea areas where the pattern of water movements restricts water exchange, e.g., along the Dutch and Danish coasts".
The Report goes on to say that "some detectable effects can be attributed to particular contaminants, as, for example, the effect of high concentrations of PCBs on the
reproductive success of seals and the effect of TBT on the shell shape of oysters or the
induction of imposex in dogwhelks".
A clilmparison of the conclusions of successive Quality Status Reports suggest that
either the North Sea is becoming more polluted, or our awareness of its polluted state
is improving. Ministerial Declarations following North Sea Conferences identify new
contaminants for monitoring and new targets for reducing inputs (e.g. endocrine mimics, PAHs, nutrients; Ministerial Declaration 1996).
Given the suggestion of a decline in water quality in the North Sea over the period
1987 to 1993 (QSR 1987, 1993), it must be concluded that the measures introduced by
Ministers of the riparian North Sea states have been ineffective in their aim" ... to protect and enhance the quality of the North Sea environment" (Ministerial Declaration 1987). Some researchers are unrestrained in their views on the state of the
North Sea. Salomons et al. (1988) write of "ecosystem deterioration". Degens (1988)
similarly writes that the North Sea is deteriorating at an 'alarming rate'. MacGarvin
(1990) extravagantly concludes that any capacity the North Sea might have had to assimilate waste was exceeded decades ago.
We believe any approach to controlling the quality of the North Sea environment
by means of chemically-based legislation and monitoring is inappropriate. Among
many problems is the'changing nature of chemical contamination, which now includes
large numbers of synthetic organic contaminants. These compounds may be biologically active at very low levels and available to the biota in various matrices in which
they may be preferentially adsorbed and concentrated.
The technical task of analysing large numbers of synthetic compounds in sea water
at low concentrations, in several matrices, in all receiving waters, at regular intervals
has greatly outstripped the resources available for the task. The problem has been compounded by the number of new chemicals that enter the environment each year and
the rate at which legislation can be drawn up to provide a mandate for regulators to
monitor them. There is now a tendency to enact legislation more quickly through "Ministerial Orders in Council", but the requirements lag well behind the needs. It is clear
that a different approach is now essential, which this chapter attempts to justify.
8.3
Assimilative Capacity
The concept of assimilative capacity has its origins in quantitative environmental toxicology and chemistry. It should also be considered as a valuable and exploitable economic
resource. In this section we consider the concept from both disciplinary perspectives.
151
Six years later the 1993 Quality Status Report concluded: "Large areas can be shown
to be subject to concentrations of contaminants that are clearly above the North Atlantic background level. Generally, the impact of these enhanced concentrations, which
are directly attributable to inputs from around the North Sea, is only clearly identifiable where the concentrations are highest, that is, close to sources e.g., in estuaries or
deposition areas such as the Norwegian Trench and parts of the Dogger Bank, or in
the Wadden Sea and the sea areas where the pattern of water movements restricts water exchange, e.g., along the Dutch and Danish coasts".
The Report goes on to say that "some detectable effects can be attributed to particular contaminants, as, for example, the effect of high concentrations of PCBs on the
reproductive success of seals and the effect of TBT on the shell shape of oysters or the
induction of imposex in dogwhelks".
A clilmparison of the conclusions of successive Quality Status Reports suggest that
either the North Sea is becoming more polluted, or our awareness of its polluted state
is improving. Ministerial Declarations following North Sea Conferences identify new
contaminants for monitoring and new targets for reducing inputs (e.g. endocrine mimics, PAHs, nutrients; Ministerial Declaration 1996).
Given the suggestion of a decline in water quality in the North Sea over the period
1987 to 1993 (QSR 1987, 1993), it must be concluded that the measures introduced by
Ministers of the riparian North Sea states have been ineffective in their aim" ... to protect and enhance the quality of the North Sea environment" (Ministerial Declaration 1987). Some researchers are unrestrained in their views on the state of the
North Sea. Salomons et al. (1988) write of "ecosystem deterioration". Degens (1988)
similarly writes that the North Sea is deteriorating at an 'alarming rate'. MacGarvin
(1990) extravagantly concludes that any capacity the North Sea might have had to assimilate waste was exceeded decades ago.
We believe any approach to controlling the quality of the North Sea environment
by means of chemically-based legislation and monitoring is inappropriate. Among
many problems is the'changing nature of chemical contamination, which now includes
large numbers of synthetic organic contaminants. These compounds may be biologically active at very low levels and available to the biota in various matrices in which
they may be preferentially adsorbed and concentrated.
The technical task of analysing large numbers of synthetic compounds in sea water
at low concentrations, in several matrices, in all receiving waters, at regular intervals
has greatly outstripped the resources available for the task. The problem has been compounded by the number of new chemicals that enter the environment each year and
the rate at which legislation can be drawn up to provide a mandate for regulators to
monitor them. There is now a tendency to enact legislation more quickly through "Ministerial Orders in Council", but the requirements lag well behind the needs. It is clear
that a different approach is now essential, which this chapter attempts to justify.
8.3
Assimilative Capacity
The concept of assimilative capacity has its origins in quantitative environmental toxicology and chemistry. It should also be considered as a valuable and exploitable economic
resource. In this section we consider the concept from both disciplinary perspectives.