News
February 8, 2008
Swedish municipalities and consumers refuse consumption of cod in order to save the threatened species
Swedish private consumers as well as municipalities have decided to stop buying cod. A recent survey reveals that out of 1000 persons asked, one third does not buy cod at all. Eight municipalities on the Swedish west coast have decided to stop including cod in their contract for central purchase of food products to public … Continued
January 30, 2008
Swedish environmental NGOs delivered protest list to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
Today the environmental NGOs Greenpeace, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and WWF left a protest list to the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Eskil Erlandsson, containing 15000 signatures against the cod fishing in the Kattegat. The call is a protest against the EU cod quotas for the Kattegat hammered out in the December EU Council. … Continued
January 29, 2008
Sweden introduces new law to combat illegal fishing
From 1 July fisheries officers from the Swedish Board of fisheries will be able to directly hand out fines and withdraw fishing licences from fishermen misreporting their catches, or not handling their log books correctly. The action is another step towards improving fish stocks, says the Swedish government in a recent Press Release. The EU … Continued
January 29, 2008
“Europe is having its fish and eating it too”
In a new series of articles on the relationship between Europe’s demand for fish and the world’s supply, the New York Times links EU fisheries agreements to increased illegal immigration. Trying their luck, either transporting immigrants or paying to be shipped themselves, may be the only solution that remains when there is no fish left … Continued
January 29, 2008
NGO response to proposals to protect sharks and deep sea ecosystems
Last year, the European Commission came forward with a proposal to protect vulnerable ecosystems in the high seas from bottom-trawling as well as a consultation paper on a Community Plan of Action for Sharks. According to European environmental organisations, both are steps in the right direction but do not go far enough to create effective … Continued
January 28, 2008
The Swedish Board of Fisheries suggests 50% down sizing of the Swedish fishing fleet
In the Sunday issue of Sweden’s major daily news paper “Dagens Nyheter”, the General Director of the Swedish board of fisheries, Axel Wenblad, along with his colleagues Johan Löwenander-Davidsson and Bengt Strömblom, suggest national actions such as downsizing of the fishing fleet and stronger control efforts in order to recover dwindling fish stocks. The Swedish … Continued
January 9, 2008
Good conditions may be behind good salmon year
Earlier reports from a tackle trade association of a dramatic rise this year in Swedish upriver migration of Baltic salmon, arguably a direct consequence of the driftnet ban in the Baltic in effect since 1 January 2008, are being questioned by government experts as “premature”. More than 80 per cent of wild salmon in the … Continued
December 20, 2007
Sweden sets aside part of cod quota for coastal vessels
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 … Continued
December 20, 2007
No Christmas for fish in the sea
At the end of this year’s negotiations on fishing possibilities for 2008, Scottish fish processor may be jubilant but environmental NGOs and the public are not. In Sweden, people are signing a petition to save the cod in Kattegat. While writing this article, another 289 people added their names to the list. Short-term interests prevail … Continued
December 19, 2007
Pope calls for greater care for the environment
In a recent message to the public celebrating the world day of peace on 1 January 2008, Pope Benedict XVI calls for environmental consciousness. Can the Vatican’s interest in sustainable development lead to better management of European fish stocks? In his public message released on 8 December on the Vatican website, among other things Pope … Continued