Suche
Mein Konto
Fishing stop for cod and herring: Scientists sound the alarm!
EU fisheries ministers discuss stopping fishing for cod and herring in the Baltic Sea. Scientists warn of catastrophic consequences.
Fishing stop for cod and herring: Scientists sound the alarm!
On Monday, EU fisheries ministers face a major decision that could affect the fate of cod and herring in the Baltic Sea. Rainer Froese, a renowned scientist from the Geomar Helmholtz Center, is calling for a comprehensive ban on fishing for the two species. He believes they should remain off the grid for at least a year - ideally two to three years - to recover and protect marine habitats. stern.de reports that ...
The situation is alarming: herring and cod in the Baltic Sea are critically endangered and commercial fishing of these species has effectively come to a standstill. Experts fear that we have reached the end of commercial fishing in the Baltic Sea. The reasons for this lie in years of overfishing and the effects of climate change. [ARD media library shows that …](https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/gut-zu-wissen/leere-meere-die-laufen-von-ueberfischung-und-klimaw andel/br/Y3JpZDovL2JyLmRlL2Jyb2FkY2FzdC9XT046MzE1NDEzNDU5ODEzX0YyMDIyV08wMDQ3MzRBMDpjaGFubmVsXzI4MTA3)
The consequences of overfishing
Froese particularly criticizes fishing practices that catch fish before breeding and at the same time destroy feeding and spawning areas through the use of bottom trawls. In addition, over-fertilization of the waters leads to a lack of oxygen, which further endangers the fish habitats. The EU Commission has already proposed maintaining the existing restrictions on unavoidable by-catches for cod and western Baltic herring, but with a reduction in the maximum quantities.
But not everyone sees the measures as sufficient. Christopher Zimmermann from the Thünen Institute warns that a stop to fishing for herring would be seen as a “sheer catastrophe” because fishermen would only be able to earn little income from other species such as garfish and flatfish. As a member of the International Council for Marine Exploration (ICES), he advises the EU Commission on setting maximum catch levels.
Directives of the Common Fisheries Policy
The EU is committed to the sustainable management of fish stocks through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). One focus here is on rebuilding overfished stocks. The CFP contains strict requirements not only to protect fish stocks, but also to promote a competitive fishing industry and stabilize markets for fishery products. BMELH informs that...
In 2019, the landing requirement came into force, which states that all regulated fish species must be landed - including undersized animals and by-catch. The annual setting of maximum catch levels is based on scientific recommendations and is intended to ensure that management remains sustainable. The greater use of the remaining stocks in the North Sea shows some hope, as the cod is slowly returning there. But there are challenges here too, as ocean warming pushes fish species further north.
The fate of cod and herring hangs in the balance and whether EU ministers will make the right decisions to protect stocks remains to be seen. One thing is clear, however: a rethinking of fishing is absolutely necessary in order to preserve the cellar walls of the Baltic Sea for future generations.