The Swedish Board of Fisheries recently decided on a national management plan for Baltic Sea cod. A main component is the allocation of a part of the quota for each of the Baltic stocks to the coastal fishing vessels using nets rather than trawls.
In June this year, the European Council agreed on a joint management plan for the two cod stocks in the Baltic. The target for this plan is recovery of both stocks and a long-term, sustainable, financially viable fishery. Under the new management regime, the Baltic cod fisheries will be managed partially through a days-at-sea system from 1 January 2008. Vessels will be able to pick their fishing days under a total cap of 223 days in the western Baltic and 178 days in the eastern Baltic.
On 14 December, the Swedish Board of Fisheries decided on a national plan for Baltic cod. The plan is complementary to the EU plan and includes some additional rules for the Swedish fleet.
A new component is the division of the Swedish cod quota between trawlers and other (generally smaller coastal) vessels. For the western stock, 40 per cent of the quota will be allocated to trawling vessels and 60 per cent to other vessels. For the Eastern stock the figures are reversed, with 60 per cent allocated to trawlers and 40 per cent to other vessels. This is an initiative aimed at strengthening the small-scale coastal fisheries in Sweden – a part of the sector that has been on the decline for several decades now.
– We see this as a signal to small-scale fisheries that they should continue developing their industry, says Axel Wenblad, Director of the Swedish Board of Fisheries.