After agreeing last November on a no-fishing zone in the Kattegat, Sweden and Denmark will now harmonise the rules for gear to be used.
The areas with restrictions were set up to protect the dwindling cod stock in those waters, but in those parts where fisheries with selective tools were permitted, Swedish and Danish fishermen trawling for Norway lobster worked under different rules.
Danish fishermen have been using a wider-spaced sorting grid than their Swedish colleagues, as well as a special type of trawl the Swedes do not use, a so-called Seltra trawl. Under the new rule system, to be applied in both Sweden and Denmark, only the Swedish sorting grid will be allowed, along with the Seltra trawl after the latter has been modified to live up to EU regulations.
The Swedish Board of Fisheries also decided to implement the same gear restrictions as already are in effect in Denmark for the fishing of Greater weever, a tasty but partly poisonous fish whose commercial attraction has increased along with the decreasing cod stocks.
Denmark has a national quota for catches of Greater weever, as well, and Sweden considers a similar regulation in the future.
The harmonised trawling rules will be implied on March 21, and the new regulations for Greater weever fisheries on April 15.