Suppressing harmful underwater noise in the Baltic Sea tops the agenda of the HELCOM Pressure group meeting, which is taking place from October 7-9, 2015 in Copenhagen.
The occurrence of such abrupt sounds, challenging to measure, is planned for national reporting in a jointly agreed manner, and the register contributes to the overall task of minimizing the negative impact of underwater noise on marine life.
Representatives of scientific and policy institutions from the Baltic littoral states will take part in the 3-day Pressure group meeting to review and assess the impact of pressures mainly from input of hazardous substances and nutrients, littering of marine environment and dredging activities.
As the biotopes of the Baltic seafloor are negatively affected by several human activities such as dredging, construction, fishing with bottom contact fishing gear and extraction of sand and gravel, the Meeting will inspect the latest concerned information submitted by the countries.
An updated report on disposal of dredged material at sea for 1999–2013 has been submitted for the Meeting, which is invited to identify any hindrances for reporting comprehensive and reliable information in due time.