In a first, the Baltic Sea Advisory Council (BSAC) Executive Committee took the drafted advice for 2017 fishing opportunities and rewrote it after issues with the initial draft from the working group. Following many hours of discussion and negotiation, the working relationships of most members have improved through the development of this document. There seems to be a better understanding and appreciation of views in BSAC, despite disagreements, which can only be a positive development.
The end product, attached, is a substantial improvement to previous advice from BSAC regarding minority views and overall document structure. While there is still plenty of room for improvement, we are happy with the representation of different views and eager to continue developing these working relationships in BSAC. As a result of our work on this document as well, FishSec will not create a separate position to present at the BALTFISH meeting in Frankfurt this year, but focus on presenting a clear message that BSAC itself does function, and that we can have a mature, respectful, and responsible discussion on divisive issues.