One of the core objectives of the Premiam (Pollution Response in Emergencies: Marine Impact Assessment and Monitoring) initiative is to promote the application of best practice in science and management to post-spill environmental monitoring.

One important way through which this is achieved is the publication of relevant guidelines to facilitate those responsible authorities in the planning and implementation of monitoring programmes.

Therefore the Premiam group is pleased to announce the publication of the ‘ Guidelines for the Environmental Monitoring and Impact Assessment Associated with Subsea Oil Releases and Dispersant Use in UK Waters’ which, as a result of government and industry focus after the Deepwater Horizon incident, was seen as a priority to have in place. Also published are a number of supplementary short Technical Guideline documents which provide more detail for specific techniques and approaches referred to in the core guidelines. This document has been primarily developed by marine monitoring experts at Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) in consultation with the Premiam partner organisations, including Marine Scotland. The development of the guideline was funded by Oil & Gas UK as part of activities associated with their Oil Spill Response Forum.

If you would like to know anything more about the Premiam initiative and its objectives please visit www.cefas.defra.gov.uk/premiam or contact Mark Kirby ([email protected]).