About PREMIAM
PREMIAM - an ongoing Defra-funded project with a long-term
legacy - is being co-ordinated by emergency response and impact
assessment experts from Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries
and Aquaculture Science). It has wide support from all important
government stakeholders and fully engages the scientific and
emergency response community in delivering its aims.
What's the problem?
Spills of oils and chemicals in the marine environment remain a
significant threat. Therefore, the requirement for response
capability, improved preparedness and effective post-incident
monitoring and assessment remains undiminished.
Why the need for better and more effective post-incident
monitoring?
- We need to ensure we provide early evidence of potential impact
to government and the general public.
- We need to have an appropriate and effective way of
investigating the impact on the wider marine environment.
- Impact assessment methodology needs to be considered that not
only assesses the short-term impacts, but also allows the
prediction of potential longer-term impacts.
- We need to ensure a more effective use of resources so that
unnecessary procedures are avoided but that potentially useful ones
are not overlooked.
- We need provide important information about the effectiveness,
or not, of spill response activities including the use of
dispersants.
However, there are no established expert guidelines in the UK
for post-incident monitoring and impact assessment nor, indeed, is
there a fully co-ordinated mechanism for overseeing the practical
aspects of the programme (e.g. survey design, sampling, analysis,
interpretation etc.).
Following the Sea Empress spill in 1996 the Donaldson
Report recommended the setting up of Environment Groups (EGs) to
provide the response units with environmental advice and guidance.
This has been implemented by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
However, the EGs are purely advisory, often transitory and do not
have an established role in relation to monitoring.
The establishment of an Impact Assessment Group was recommended
in the Sea Empress Environmental Evaluation Committee
report but no operational monitoring and impact assessment
co-ordinating body has yet been established.
Project aims
Essentially the PREMIAM programme will fulfil two fundamental
objectives:
- The development of marine assessment and monitoring guidelines
(The PREMIAM Plan)
- The development and maintenance of a network of scientific and
logistical partners to deliver the plan (the PREMIAM Network)
To find out more or to get involved please contact us at premiam@cefas.co.uk