News
November 23, 2018
Report: The EU is not addressing fishing overcapacity as it should under the CFP
A new report from the Fisheries Secretariat shows that EU rules regarding fishing capacity are not being followed in the Baltic region. Member States have fudged their figures, obscuring which fleet segments and vessels fish on which stocks and the European Commission has not revised its guidelines in order to ensure clarity, as recommended by its own advisory committee.
November 19, 2018
No more sand dredging in The Sound
On Friday 16 November 2018, the Minister for Environment presented the Danish Parliament with details of a new Executive Order on the exploration and recovery of raw materials from the Sound, within the Danish part of the Baltic Sea. A majority in the Parliament consisting of SF, Enhedslisten, De Radikale and De Konservative are in favor of the proposal.
November 8, 2018
Scientific advice: keep impacts on eel at, or close to, zero
The International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES) released its latest advice on European eel on 7 November. Its advice remains consistent: “ICES advises that when the precautionary approach is applied for European eel, all anthropogenic impacts (e.g. caused by recreational and commercial fishing on all stages, hydropower, pumping stations, and pollution) that decrease production and escapement of silver eels should be reduced to – or kept as close to – zero as possible in 2019. ”
November 5, 2018
Kattegat cod – a small catastrophe
The ICES advice for cod in the Kattegat and their Baltic Fisheries Assessment Working Group report[1] have some sensational details. It is a telling example of the state the environment in European seas and EU fisheries policy.
October 8, 2018
Research points toward solution for skinny cod
During the summer the first of three trials conducted by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and local fishermen from southern Sweden was concluded. The aim of the project is to improve the profitability of coastal fishing on wild cod. At present, the condition of Eastern Baltic cod is poor for a number of reasons including their small and skinny size which makes them unsuitable for the market.
October 2, 2018
HELCOM – Looking beyond the 2020 goal
During the summer, the new Finnish presidency of HELCOM publicised its priorities for the coming two years. This covers the target year 2020 for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).
September 24, 2018
Transparency and sustainability key for new BALTFISH presidency
Transparency and sustainability are the keywords of the Swedish presidency at BALTFISH[1], as explained by representatives from Swedish ministry at the BALTFISH Forum meeting with representatives from the fishing sector and NGOs in Stockholm on September 5th. Another word emphasised was: cooperation.
September 11, 2018
Fishermen propose concrete measures to revive Baltic cod
Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) has presented an “Action Plan for Eastern Baltic cod stock”. LIFE, which represent over thirty fishing organisations across Europe, including in six of the eight EU Baltic member states, have together contributed to the Action Plan.
August 31, 2018
Commission proposes Baltic TACs for 2019
The European Commission have announced their proposals for fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2019. The proposals are for the cod, herring, sprat, plaice and salmon stocks. The final decision will be taken by the European Council on 15-16 October.
August 1, 2018
Polish initiative to revive Baltic fish stocks
The Polish government held a conference entitled “state of the fish stocks in the Baltic Sea, particularly cod stocks – prognosis for management for 2019” in Szczecin along the Baltic coast.