Heated debate filled the morning session of the BALTFISH Forum yesterday, April 18. Bristling sharply in sports jackets and ties, Polish fishermen filled a corner of the meeting room at the Ministry of Agriculture in Warsaw, Poland.
Substantial gentlemen, each familiar with life at sea and the less restrictive clothing akin to their vocation, stood up and addressed the room in Polish with more than a hint of animosity, frustration, and despair.
The fishermen circulated a letter to attendees in the room, translated into English, calling for the cessation of industrial fishing in the Baltic and the implementation of precautionary management measures. Current BALTFISH president, Marcin Rucinski, translated each speech as best he could.
They called for the protection of their livelihoods and for the species they most depend on, Eastern Baltic cod. The lowering of the cod minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) to 35 cm was described as “the greatest mistake” by managers.
Their comments reflected those of Polish Fisheries Minister, Marek Grobarcyzk, who has called for EU management to better protect small scale fisheries. He has argued against the lowering of the MCRS, and that the current set up in the Baltic overly favours industrial fisheries to the detriment of the cod stocks.