News
March 30, 2009
ITQs seen as way to deal with EU overcapacity
At a seminar in Brussel on Monday, it became clear that the Commission considers rights-based management in the form of Individual Tradable Quotas (ITQs) as a possible way to achieve fleet capacity reduction in the EU. On Monday 23 March, a number of NGOs met in Brusselsto discuss rights-based management (RBM) and possible options for … Continued
March 30, 2009
NGOs looking at ways to improve the regional aspect of the CFP
With increased regionalisation a possible element of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy in 2012, NGOs involved in the Regional Advisory Councils last week agreed that the US provides an interesting example of how EU regional structures can be developed further Last week, a number of NGOs active in the different Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) met … Continued
March 25, 2009
US Professor strongly critical of ITQs
Unimpressed by the debate on Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs), an American Economics professor calls conventional economic theories of rights-based management of fisheries both “dishonest” and “false”. Daniel Bromley, Anderson-Bascom Professor of Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA, was talking to a seminar in the Swedish Parliament on responsible fisheries policy and individual rights … Continued
March 20, 2009
Swedish-Danish harmony on Kattegat gear
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 … Continued
March 18, 2009
New step on Recovery Road for northern hake
A long-term plan to improve the stock of northern hake has been adopted by the EU Commission. The proposed plan will replace the 2004 recovery plan that, according to the Commission, has helped the fishery recover to a safe target size advised by scientists after facing near collapse. The next step, via this proposed new plan, is … Continued
March 12, 2009
Deeper than we thought
Deep-sea commercial fishing may have much deeper effects than previously thought, harming fish populations a kilometre below the deepest reach of fishing trawlers, a new British study shows. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B., compared data from the Northeast Atlantic from two different periods, before and after the commercial … Continued
March 12, 2009
Swedish aquaculture could well grow, report says
Conditions are good for a growth in aquaculture in Sweden, a Government report says. At present, the aquaculture industry in Sweden is smaller than in most neighbouring nations, the study shows. With an abundance of lakes, stemmed rivers and power dams, Sweden has a strong basis for expanding aquaculture activities, according to the report, mentioning … Continued
March 10, 2009
Polish stakeholders meet Swedish colleagues
Challenging meetings with Swedish fishermen and administrators and 700 kilometres of bus travel marked three intensive days as FISH went on tour in southern and western Sweden with 18 Polish fishery stakeholders last week. The study trip was part of the joint Eko-Unia/Our Earth Foundation/FISH project “The Baltic is in Poland; The Baltic is in … Continued
March 10, 2009
Hard times ahead for Swedish anglers
Swedish anglers in the Baltic may face sharp restrictions in their quest for pike this summer. The Board of Fisheries has proposed a three-units-a-day limit for anglers with hand gear, and only those fish between 40-75 centimetres may be kept. The background to the proposal is the dwindling Baltic stocks of pike, a classic for … Continued
March 9, 2009
Big cuts in Swedish trawler fleet
A 40 per cent reduction of the Swedish trawler fleet in western waters by 2015 has been proposed by the Swedish Board of Fisheries. That reduction of the fleet in the Skagerrak, the Kattegat and the North Sea would equal some 60 vessels. The process would be carried out through subsidies for scrapping boats and … Continued