Anchovy Veto to Continue

This may sound like bad news to many but we agree that the stock needs to be replenished to make sure we do not really regret it in the future:

Anchovy veto gets year's extension on Gulf of Biscay

Staff

Before the ruling of the committed, the ban - which was due to be in force until 30th June 2009 - will be automatically extended. Basque fishermen say the decision represents "a massive blow for the fleet."

The EU's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries confirmed on Monday the recent report by The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea which recommended that the current ban on anchovy-fishing currently in force in the Cantabrian Sea be maintained for another year, taking it up to July 2010.

In line with the ruling of the committee, which supports the view that there are still insufficient numbers of anchovies in the sea, the veto - originally in force until the end of June 2009 - will be automatically extended.

"According to the scientific verdict, the current bio-mass of anchovies is at 21,270 tonnes," in other words, at a level inferior to 24,000 tonnes, the minimum quantity at which the European Commission considers fishing to be permissible.

"As a consequence, the ban on anchovy fishing should remain until further reports indicate that the bio-mass has once again risen above the 24,000 mark."

Sources indicate that the next scientific report on the state of the fishing-ground will be published in June 2010.

Basque fishermen

Basque fishermen confirmed that the decision represented "a massive blow for the fleet" which were hoping to be able to go out fishing. Secretary for the Biscay Brotherhood Federation, Aurelio Bilbao, reiterated that the veto is already in its fifth year and was now becoming intolerable.

The note was published at EiTB.

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Studying the Urumea River

The article you are about to read was published at Environmental Expert:

A flood study of the Urumea River in The Basque Country

Source: DHI Water & Environment

The Urumea river catchment area which is located in the Basque Country in the northern part of Spain has historically been seriously affected by flooding. The districts most affected by the frequent inundations are the municipalities of San Sebastian, Astigarraga and Hernani. As recently as October 2008 a minor flood was experienced in Hernani. In 2006 and 2004 major flood events with significant damage occurred.

To improve this situation, the Department of Environmental Affairs of the Basque government will in the coming years invest 60 million € in construction of 18 preventive measures. The overall objective of the project is to 'Let the river breathe' and consequently reduce the frequency of flooding of the Urumea River.

The preventive measures include substitution of a number of exciting bridges, which at the moment are obstructing the river flow, establishment of by-pass channels, enhancements of the riverbed in defined sections, and creation of public recreational areas. All actions amid at increasing the flow capacity of the river, while respecting the environment and natural flow path of the river.

In order to investigate in detail these 18 predefined interventions, DHI was contracted to set up a 2D model (MIKE FLOOD) of the 15 km stretch from Hernani in the south to San Sebastian in the north.

In the First phase of the study a model of the actual situation was established, incorporating all relevant bridges and hydraulic structures. The model was calibrated against observed data from the flood event that occurred in the winter of 2004 and it was verified against the smaller flood event in 2006.

Following the calibration/verification the model was executed for the three return periods T=10, 100, and 500 years.

In the second phase the 18 corrective measures was incorporated into the model, and simulations of the T=10, 100, and 500 years return periods was carried out.

The projects design return period was set to T=500 year, which means that the planed flood protection measures should be capable of withstanding a flood that statistically should happen once every 500 years. (Which could be tomorrow!)

The result of the 500 year event simulation is shown below: The green color shows the extent of the flood in the actual situation, while the blue color represents the future situation with the improvement in place.

Comparison of the simulation results of the actual situation and the future situation when all the improvements are in place.

It is obvious that the flood prevention measures will have the desired effect; - the simulated 500 year flooding will not extend beyond the defined floodplain (yellow line).

The third phase of the study consisted in visualization the results as video animation, which was used for the Basque government press releases and information material. The videos were generated partly by incorporating the results in Google Earth using the DHI GE plug-in and partly by using the Result viewer.

Notes regarding the model configuration.
The bathymetry/topography of the floodplains was defined using available LIDAR data (1x1m), while the description of the riverbed was based on HEC-RAS cross section data. The HEC RAS data was first converted into a MIKE11 model, which then was used to create a bathymetry specifically for the riverbed. This riverbed bathymetry was then “burnt” into the floodplain bathymetry, and thereby generating a bathymetry that integrates the LIDAR data with the detailed data from the HEC RAS model.

Fifteen bridges were incorporated into the model. The description of the flow through (and over) the bridges was accomplished either by directly incorporating the bridge pillars into the bathymetry or by modeling the bridges in MIKE11 and then linking then dynamically to the 2D model via MIKEFLOOD. The decision on which one of the two methods to apply was taken based on the physical dimensions and the design of each bridge.

The model was calibrated against observed data from the flood event that occurred in the winter of 2004 and it was verified against the smaller flood event in 2006.

The model displayed an excellent correspondence with the observed data, except in the lower part of the river. This inconsistency was suspected to derivate from erosion of riverbed that will occur in the real life situation. Meaning that, the concrete erosion of the riverbed material will increase the rivers flow capacity and thereby function as natural flood prevention measure.

The phenomenon was investigated a bit further by use of a simple relation between the calculated maximum water velocity and the erosion depth. The figure below shows a specific river cross-section without erosion (the brown line) and with erosion (grey line). The red line represents the flow velocity.

The river cross sections with sedimentation and without sedimentation.

The results of the two simulations for the 2004 event are shown below, - without erosion to the left and with erosion to the right-. As it can be observed, the situation without considering erosion exhibits a much larger inundation than the situation where the erosion is taken into consideration.

If we compare the simulated flood maps with the actual flood event of 2004, the simulation with erosion (right) correspond almost perfectly to what was observed during the flood, while the simulation without, overestimates the floods.

Results of the simulations of the 2004 event: Left: without erosion, right: with erosion.

The conclusion of the analysis was that the suspicion is largely supported by the modeling results, but considering the very simple erosion description applied, the phenomenon should be investigated more thoroughly using real sediment data and a more sophisticated model 3 dimensional model (MIKE 3 FM).

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Wave Energy in Euskal Herria

Here you have another article from Basqueresearch:

Iberdrola and Tecnalia install first prototype for producing wave-sourced energy

Iberdrola and Tecnalia Technological Corporation have installed, within the framework of the Oceantec Project, the first prototype for producing energy using the movement of waves along the coast of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa - specifically Pasaia. The initiative has a budget of 4.5 million euros and aims to launch a high performance, low-cost-wave energy capture device.

This first prototype, built on a scale of 1:4, will be ready for trials within months in order to test its performance and ensure that it does not represent a risk for the surrounding area. If the technical verifications are favourable, Iberdrola and Tecnalia anticipate developing a new, full-size device and connected to the electric grid.

This second installation in which both companies are working has a power output of 500 kilowatts (kW) and can produce enough renewable energy in one year to supply the domestic consumption of 950 homes.

The Oceantec Project will enable generation of business based on developing a renewable energy source, the creation of opportunities for industrial growth and rationalisation in the Basque Country and support for making the most of energy resources along the coast of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, in the Basque Country Autonomous Community.

Along these lines, it can be pointed out that a number of Basque firms have taken part in the manufacture of various systems contributing to this prototype, such as Vicinay Cadenas and Metalúrgica Marina.

Iberdrola and Tecnalia Technological Corporation have undertaken this initiative through Perseo, the promotion body for R+D+i investment in electricity launched this year. With an annual budget of 6 million euros, its main aim is the support of high value technological projects in the field of renewable energy and the environment.

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Nature

This article comes to us thanks to EITb:

Nature in the Basque Country

09/11/2008

Ambling plains, mountain ranges, green forests, rich marshes and relaxing beaches. Nature lovers have plenty to discover in the Basque Country.

Although the wide range of beautiful and rugged landscape is easily found in the nature reserves, it is also a feature of many other parts of the province. Deep countryside is only minutes from the towns and cities. Both active tourism enthusiasts and those only coming along for the views will be in their element.

But it’s not all green. The Basque Country offers any amounts of different landscapes sure to delight lovers of the open countryside: steep cliffs and gentle beaches in the coastal cities; green valleys set around little rivers; mountainous ranges offering all sorts of pleasant walks; sweeping plains with a different colour and climate. Despite its high population density, almost 290 inhabitants per square kilometre, and the heavy industrialisation of certain areas, with their subsequent environmental problems, the Basque Country has nevertheless managed to preserve its natural resources. Proof of this are the several nature reserves making it possible to enjoy flora and fauna in their virtually pure state.

Humid and dry

The little over 7,200 km2 covered by the Basque Autonomous Community offers two main kinds of landscape. On the one hand is the wide, green, humid and mountainous coastal belt of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, and the mountains of Alava. On the other, the extensive, dry meridional plains of southern Alava as they head towards the landscape and climate of the succeeding Castilian meseta. The Alavese plain serves as an area of transition between the two extremes.

This difference is clearly reflected in the local hydrographic attributes. The rivers flowing into the Bay of Biscay (Mayor, Ibaizabal-Nervión, Butrón, Oka, Lea, Artibai, Deba, Urola, Oria, Urumea and Bidasoa) are fairly short, steep and run along the bottom of little valleys. On the other side of the mountains, however, the rivers of Alava become wider and meander a while before their waters flow into the river Ebro in the Rioja alavesa region.

These two hydrographic areas are likewise responsible for different climates. In the north, the weather is oceanic, with mild temperatures in both winter and summer and a fair amount of rain. In the south, however, the climate is cataloged as being of the continental kind, that is, dryer but with more extreme temperatures.

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Free Julio!

Here is some recent information about the ongoing situation in Itoiz:

Julio Villanueva, member of the group Solidari@s con Itoiz, was arrested on August 17th in Iruñea-Pamplona. He was arrested by the local police ant imprisoned next morning.

Villanueva is one of the eight activists that in April 1996 stopped the construction works of Itoiz dam by cutting the cables on the concrete transporter. The eight solidarios were sentenced to 4 years and 10 months in prison for the sabotage. Two of them have already served the jail sentences passed on them. So Villanueva is the third member of Solidar@s con Itoiz imprisoned for the direct action against Itoiz reservoir. He's been until now in clandestinity like the rest of the remaining six, something which we can consider a huge punishment too.

Support actions

On August 18th about one hundred people gathered outside the prison of Pamplona-Iruñ ea to protest against the imprisonment of Julio Villanueva. Two days later another gathering of support for Julio took place in front of the jail. Solidari@s con Itoiz urges citizens to join another protest to demand freedom for Julio next Monday, August 27th, at 7 pm in the same place.

You can also support Julio by sending him messages:
Julio Villanueva
Prisión de Pamplona-Iruñea
Calle San Roque s/n
Apdo. 250
31071 PAMPLONA-IRUÑEA


More earthquakes caused by Itoiz reservoir water storage

Earthquakes caused by the Itoiz reservoir water storage have not ceased in last months. In fact, they have increased in number (1.200 earthquakes since summer 2004, when they started filling up the reservoir) and in the same way they are increasing the danger of an imminent catastrophe at Itoiz. As the earthquake map shows, more and more seismic events are having epicenter in the very same Itoiz reservoir, which increases seriously the risk of landslides into the reservoir, endangering thousands of people's lives. More details available at: www.itoizstop. org

Read and spread this message!
FREDOM FOR JULIO!!! STOP THE DAMS!!!
Solidari@s con Itoiz

Sindominio.net/ sositoz
sositoiz@sindominio .net

~ ~ ~

Saving Itoiz

And this is why sometimes is hard to support international institutions that are supposed to be there to ensure that no country (civilized countries they called them) goes around violating human rights and civil liberties.

The construction of the Itoiz reservoir will devastate the enviroment of the area and swamp a series of towns deep in the heart of a mainly Basque area in Nafarroa (Navarre), those towns have been there for hundreds of years and many of then count with building and structures that are considered humankind's heritage, yet the Spanish government insists on building a damn that will bring little or no improvement to the area.

And then the Strasbourg's Court judges decide that no human rights are being violated admitting that they do not know what drives the Spanish government decisions, ahem, that is why the case went to court in the first place you morons.

Here you have the note at Berria English:

Itoiz Committee regards judgement as “scandalous”, and lodges appeal

The lawyer Beaumont has denounced the use of “false or erroneous arguments” by Strasbourg

Edurne Elizondo – IRUÑEA (Pamplona)

The Itoiz Coordinating Committee regards the verdict on the reservoir handed down on Tuesday by the European Court of Human Rights as “scandalous” and has announced its intention to lodge an appeal against it with the Grand Chamber of the Strasbourg Court.

In a press conference held yesterday Jose Luis Beaumont, the Coordinating Committee’s lawyer, stressed: “If the Spanish Government had good advisers, it would know that there are many possibilities of the latest verdict being quashed, because it has been based on false or at least erroneous arguments.”

“The judges of the Fourth Division of the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg have reached their verdict without taking the reality into consideration. These judges have in fact stressed that they do not know what the politicians responsible for Itoiz have said again and again, and what everyone knows,” explained Beaumont.

The Strasbourg judges say they do not know the aim of the new National Parks Law passed by the Navarrese Parliament in 1996. “Those responsible for the reservoir admitted dozens of times, and with pride, too, that the change was made to the law so as not to comply with the verdict handed down by the Spanish National Criminal Court in 1995; that verdict and also the one handed down by the Spanish Supreme Court in 1997 regarded the Itoiz reservoir project as illegal.” Beaumont added that the Spanish National Criminal Court itself had admitted that the aim of the new law was to seek a way of not complying with the verdict handed down against the project, and that is what it explained, when it presented the case on that law to the Spanish Constitutional Court.

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In Artozki

More information about the resistance movement against the projected dam in Itoiz:

Resistance against the Itoiz dam continues in Artozki

Today, 22nd September, is the eighth day of resistance in the village of Artozki, to prevent its demolition to make way for the Itoiz dam. Despite a big scare on Friday, when four vans of riot police entered the village with rubber bullet guns and batons, the village is still standing and full of life.

Today, 22nd September, is the eighth day of resistance in the village of Artozki, to prevent its demolition to make way for the Itoiz dam. Despite a big scare on Friday, when four vans of riot police entered the village with rubber bullet guns and batons, the village is still standing and full of life.

Friday's police incursion was met with an impressive show of passive resistance, with people chained in concrete barrel lock-ons across the road, and people resisting on rooftops, tripods and locked on to the houses. They pushed and batonned the people they found in the square and violently moved the barrel road block with people still locked to it. After filming everyone the police finally agreed to talk to a mediator, told her they were just there to disconnect the electricity, and left. A generator arrived soon after, and Artozki still lives!

This weekend the town celebrated a week of resistance with a fiesta, with residents of the village and neighbours from the surrounding areas affected by the dam.

A week ago, when residents left their homes with tears in their eyes, no one could have imagined that the houses would still be standing and the village alive with festivities one week later. Around 250 people took part, with traditional Basque dancing, giant puppets, games and food, as well as debates and discussions about the dam project and the continuing resistance.

Around 80 people took part in the discussions, where the previous residents of the village made it clear that they have not voluntarily left. The six families who remained living in the village to the last were forcibly removed from their homes. They gave their support and thanks to the people who have stayed to defend the village and denounced the fact that they have spent 18 years living under the threat of the Dam.

Over the past week the current occupants of the village have been subjected to constant police harassment, with road blocks on the incoming roads, police incursions into the village and low flying helicopters buzzing us and filming the inhabitants (and exploding our straw puppets with the wind they create!)

At noon today, for example, a van of Navarran Policia Foral drove into the village square, and six riot police got out, waving rubber bullet guns and batons, wandered around the village and then left again. They are testing the level of resistance in the town and how quickly the defences can be activated.

We are still expecting them to try to evict any day now. We are not dropping our guard and we repeat the call to action - come help the resistance in Artozki!

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Evictions in Itoiz

Here you have an article that denounces what's going on in Itoiz:

Evictions for the filling of the Itoitz dam continue

Itoizekiko Solidariak, 2003-09-15 19:31

On Monday 15th September the second wave of evictions and demolitions will begin around the Itoiz Dam. Below is a communique from Solidari@s con Itoiz. For more information about the Itoiz Dam go to www.sositoiz.com, and keep watching Indymedia for news updates on the resitance that is taking place.

On September 15th the second wave of evictions and demolitions of towns affected by the Itoiz dam will begin. This time the villages sentenced to death are Artozki and Muniain. These villages, like those already destroyed, reflect a way of life enjoyed by our ancestors, based on respect for the natural environment upon which they depend. The destruction of these villages and the alternative proposed by the powers that be clearly represent the development model that they want to impose on us.

The beautiful houses, built stone upon stone, which have stood for centuries, will be replaced with concrete pre-fab bungalows for urban tourists. People will come from the cities to relieve their stress on golf courses fed from the waters of the Itoiz dam and built upon the ghostly remains of what was, in its day, a place full of life.

The fields, worked for many generations with natural compost, will be replaced by massive monoculture plantations on the Mediterranean coast - chemical fertilisers sucking the life from the land and the water, both privatised by agri-business multinationals.

The peaceful life that they breathed in these villages will become compulsive consumerism, stress and individualism. Gone the self-sufficiency, communial ties and respect for your fellow villagers and environment. In its place a violent and aggressive way of life which exploits people and increases inequalty and injustice in everything it touches. Of all that which once was they will save only a few vestiges, dissected remains to be shown to tourists in the ethnological museums - the only remaining testemony to a once vibrant way of life.

In Cancun the multinationals and powerful governments are conspiring, through the WTO, to sweep millions of small farmers and indigenous peoples from their path. These campesinos hold the key to the people's power to feed itself. They are a real barrier to global business whose sole concern is to increase the profits of the few, condemning millions to hunger. Likewise, in Navarra, the tyrannical neo-feudal government is destroying villages which are the guarentors of the people's right to produce its own food and to live in harmony with nature and without exploiting anyone.

The Spanish National Hydrological Plan, of which the Itoiz dam forms a part, will be the biggest ecological, economic and social disaster in the history of the Spanish State. It will exacerbate the already serious territorial imbalance, creating more depopulation of the interior areas, if that were possible. Meanwhile the coastal areas lose what little is left of their ways of life, to prostitute themselves to tourism and the urbanising plague which, little by little, is annhilating the essence of both people and places.

We are also fighting against the Itoiz dam because it is a death threat to the people who live down river. According to an internal document of the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro, geological subsidance and recent filtrations in the rocks make the failure of the dam a very real danger.

We demand life in the Irati valley, with development in harmony with nature and the peculiar way that woman, man and river have forged an existence here amidst the mountains for thousands of years. We are calling for a future for this valley without interferences, without impositions and without death sentences. So far this is all that we have received from theives such as the Urralburus, Aragones, Burgos, and Sanz, all of whom have clear intersts to be served by the dam and by the Navarra Canal. This latter infrastructure project does not justify the destruction in Itoiz, on the contrary, it will mean expoitation of Navarra for decades to come.

These private interests have bypassed everything and destroyed the hopes of the Irati valley to have a dignified future as part of Navarra. We cannot let them take this from us. This is why we are mobilising and we will keep mobilising until sanity wins over the concrete monstrosities and bottomless pockets.

We want to save the River Irati so that she always runs free. We want living villages and rivers, not skeletons and mummies.

NO MORE DEMOLITIONS
NO TO THE CLOSING OF THE ITOIZ DAM
DEFEND MOTHER EARTH
FREEDOM FOR IÑAKI

Solidari@s con Itoiz

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Defending Euskal Herria

In the mean time, the Basques have to defend their land from open attacks on their history and their natural resources, for those of you interested, see what is taking place in Itoiz and Irunea.

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Eolian Energy

This information was published by the web page Innovations Report:

European Programme to promote renewable energy

04.10.2002

The European Commission has accepted EVE, the Basque Energy Entity, and Eolicas de Euskadi within the programme to promote renewable energy. The European Union is aware of the effort EVE is doing to obtain 12 % of primary energy from renewable energy. This entity has been accepted in the programme Campaign for Take-Off, together with Eolicas de Euskadi. The programme has been designed by the European Commission and as the first step they want to create a Renewable Energy Partnership. This partnership would group companies, public and private organisations that commit themselves in the development of renewable energy of the nature.

EVE has been included, particularly, through the programme “Photovoltaic solar installations connected to the electrical network in schools of the Basque Country”. This programme has been created with the collaboration of EVE, Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government. The aim of this initiative is to raise public awareness in relation to the advantages of renewable energy. Similarly, and as a consequence of this initiative, before the end of this year the Basque Autonomous Region will duplicate the number of photovoltaic installations.

The agreement, a pioneer at national level, between 2002-2005 will set 170 new photovoltaic solar installations in many other schools of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. Each installation will have a power of 5kW. According to that, and taking into account that by the end of the year 2002 50 new installations will be established, the actual power will be duplicated. As for the information provided by EVE, on 31st December 2001, 227 kW were produced with photovoltaic installations.

The company Eolicas de Euskadi has been accepted after the presentation of the work “Plan for Promoting and Developing Eolian Energy in the Basque Country”. This plan explains how to make the maximum use of energy of less environmental impact. It suggests important socio-economic advantages: using native renewable resources, increasing of self-sufficiency rate of energy and promoting use of clean energy, and that way, polluting emissions to the air will be reduced.

The Basque Autonomous region is one of the countries that produces the less eolian energy. The generation of 27 MW eolian power places this region in the tenth position. However, in the next years, a significant increase of this kind of energy is expected in the Basque Autonomous Region.

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