Newsletter editorial June 2016
It has been both an exciting and busy Spring. The new Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, is being rolled out. Lately all eyes have been on the Baltic Sea and the first multiannual and multispecies plan, BMAP. The plan will not provide the robust protection against overfishing that many had hoped for, that will remain a political decision. Our in-depth analysis of the BMAP in this newsletter explains why.
Nevertheless the BMAP will be rubberstamped by the European Parliament on 23 June. As I am writing the Baltic Sea Advisory Council Working Group is meeting to discuss next years Baltic Sea fisheries quotas. For them the multiannual plan for cod, herring and sprat is already a reality.
Two weeks ago the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) released its scientific advice for Baltic Sea fishing opportunities in 2017. FishSec has made a summary of the advice. The advice for the Western Baltic cod is 917 tonnes, which means that the fishery will basically have to close down until the stock recovers.
The Eastern Baltic cod is experiencing an economic collapse – the fish are so small it is almost impossible for fishers to make a living from the catches, even though the stock biomass is ok. The coming months will show if the new CFP has the tools that managers, politicians and the fisheries industry need to save the Baltic cod fishery from a total break down and recover fish stocks. This is the moment of truth.
For me personally it has been a real pleasure to get to know my very professional colleagues Edward Stern and Christian Tsangarides in my first three month as new director for FishSec. I am so lucky to have such a great crew on board this organisation!
During my first meeting with the BSAC Executive Committee Edward Stern was elected new vice chair of BSAC. I can only congratulate BSAC for an excellent appointment. Edward will be an important asset for the Advisory Committee in the coming years.
After attending several international meetings organised by Helcom, Baltfish and others during these first intense months I was delighted, together with our partners ICES and Stockholm University Baltic Sea Center, to host our workshop Towards Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management in Stockholm, 16-17 June. A report from the workshop will soon be published on our website.
Jan Isakson