This Dutch Marine Strategy, Part I, in compliance with the obligations of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), covers the period 2018-2024, describes the current environmental status, and the targets that have been set to achieve or maintain good environmental status, and establishes the framework for sustainable use of marine waters and protection of marine ecosystem. The Strategy focuses on the following objectives: significant decline in the pollution of the marine environment; growth of commercial fish stocks; increasing the number of marine mammals; reduction of the invasive and alien marine species; construction of wind farms, in order to create opportunities for restoring the ecosystem. The Strategy is structured as follows: introduction; purpose and context of the Strategy; description of the North Sea; geographical and administrative demarcation; cost of environmental degradation; environmental status and pressure factors; protection of species and habitats; biological and physical pressure factors; climate change and cumulative effects; network of protected areas.
Concerning the definition of good environmental status and the associated targets, this Strategy provides an assessment of the current environmental status in the Netherlands part of the North Sea; analyses the concentrations of hazardous substances, including the residues of medicines, that cause eutrophication and pollution, and describes their level in fish, fish products and shellfish; defines standards and measures, in order to reduce the quantity of micro-plastics in the marine environment; studies the impacts of the fish stocks, the populations of porpoise, grey seals and other marine mammals, and non-indigenous species on the marine environment. Concerning gaps and pressure factors, the Strategy concerns: monitoring of underwater noise and related measures; protection of seabed and of the most valuable areas of the marine ecosystem; analysis of the status of shark and ray stocks; impacts on seabird population. Further topics include: biodiversity protection; restoration of vulnerable fish species populations; size distribution within fish community; distribution and population of commercially exploited fish species; presence of metals and other pollutants in water.