Harmonisation Activity

1. Harmonisation Activity ECOSTAT April 2013 Paul Logan

2. Harmonisation UNCLASSIFIED

3. Diversity in Methods • “Most biologists would rather use his colleagues toothbrush than his method of sampling” Ernst Nusch – European Standards Committee 1986 • “Field Biologists are characteristically maverick in their approach to their method of working. At a recent EU intercalibration and harmonisation exercise no two experts use the same method” - De Pauw and Hawkes 1993 River Water Monitoring and Control UNCLASSIFIED

4. Mandate The main task of this activity is to provide recommendations to the Commission (DG ENV), the WFD Article 21 Committee, and the Strategic Coordination Group on: • Biological monitoring methods (sampling) for which harmonisation is needed and where standardisation is possible; and • Which standardised methods should be added to Annex V 1.3.6 of the Directive. ECOSTAT will work in close cooperation with CEN to communicate common understanding of standardisation requirements. In addition, needs for laboratory intercomparison and training will be identified and such activities will be promoted. This activity will also evaluate the need for standardisation/harmonisation related to quality assurance, and discuss initiatives for pre-normative research for development of standard methods.

5.  Water quality. Guidance on assuring the quality of biological and ecological assessments in the aquatic environment  EN 15110:2006 Document Number: (date) Published CEN Standards – March 2009  EN 13946:2003  Water quality. Guidance standard for the routine sampling and pretreatment of benthic diatoms from rivers  EN 14011:2003  Water quality. Sampling of fish with electricity  EN 14184:2003  Water quality. Guidance standard for the surveying of aquatic macrophytes in running waters  EN 14407:2004  Water quality. Guidance standard for the identification, enumeration and interpretation of benthic diatom samples from running waters EN 14614:2004  Water quality. Guidance standard for assessing the hydromorphological features of rivers  EN 14757:2005  Water quality. Sampling of fish with multi-mesh gillnets  EN 14962:2006  Water quality. Guidance on the scope and selection of fish sampling methods  EN 14996:2006  Water quality. Sampling in deep water for macro-invertebrates. Guidance on the use of colonization, qualitative and quantitative samplers  Water quality. Guidance standard for the sampling of zooplankton from standing waters  EN 15196:2006  Water quality. Guidance on sampling and processing of the pupal exuviae of Chironomidae (Order Diptera) for ecological assessment  EN 15204:2006  Water quality. Guidance standard on the enumeration of phytoplankton using inverted microscopy (Utermoehl technique)  EN 15460:2007  Water quality. Guidance standard for the surveying of macrophytes in lakes  EN ISO 16665:2005  Water quality. Guidelines for quantitative sampling and sample processing of marine soft-bottom macro-fauna  BS EN ISO 19493:2007  Water quality. Guidance on marine biological surveys of hard-substrate communities  EN ISO 8689-1:2000  Water quality. Biological classification of rivers. Guidance on the interpretation of biological quality data from surveys of benthic macroinvertebrates  EN ISO 8689-2:2000  Water quality. Biological classification of rivers. Guidance on the presentation of biological quality data from surveys of benthic macroinvertebrates EN ISO 9391:1995 Annex V

6. Peer Review 1 • Differences in national methods and unclear boundary setting has been an obstacle to achieving comparability • Many GIG/BQE exercises were challenged by unevenness of technical development in national methods • Successful intercalibration of lake phytoplankton can be attributed to long-standing investment in, and attention to precision and accuracy in the foundational elements of assessment, that have produced well-tested, standardized methods, rich data resources, and convincing pressure-response relationships. • Overall there is a strong need for more standardization considering all sampling procedures. All MS should accept existing CEN-standards. • Comparability of results is complicated by methodological differences among countries • There is an established tradition of using fish as indicators of “river health”. This means that for rivers sampling methods were developed (CEN-standard electric fishing) and long time series of data were available

7. Peer review 2 • The GIG is diverse, but many MS appear to have made little progress in the last 10 years despite the availability of much better assessment schemes, as demonstrated by other MS and GIGs

8. CEN TC 230 WG2 Published Standards • Through the work of CEN Technical Committee 230 Working Group 2 “Biological and Ecological Methods” many “relevant standards” have now been published • Furthermore several of the standards quoted in Annex V have been superseded (this of itself will require us to update Annex V).

10. Work Update • Proposal document was circulated and on CIRCABC CEN standards to ECOSTAT • All ECOSTAT experts were given details of Member State Standards organisation and vice versa to promote link up (hands up?). Mandated projects • Phytoplankton bio-volume determination by microscopic measurement of cell dimensions • Quantitative and qualitative sampling of phytoplankton from inland waters

11. Next Steps • E-mail individual Member State comments to Paul Logan for collation (by May 22nd) – null response = happy • Steering group & CEN representatives to consider comments. • CEN to discuss any comments at upcoming CEN meeting in Vilnius (27th – 31st May). • Further comments by end of July. • Circulate collated comments and response document (mid-September). • Draft SCG & Article 21 committee paper circulated for approval at October meeting of Ecostat.

12. New Mandate - CIS Work-Programme 2013-2015 • Recommendations on biological monitoring methods, including on biological monitoring methods for which harmonisation is needed and where standardisation is possible, and on which standardised methods should be added to Annex V 1.3.6 of the WFD (development of new WFD relevant standards through the work of the CEN Technical Committee 230 Working Group “Biological and Ecological Methods).