Sustainable management of Baltic cod stocksThe lack of cod in the Baltic Sea is a serious environmental problem. It is beyond question that fish are an important factor of the Baltic Sea marine environment and that fishing impacts on this environment. Too much cod has been extracted from the sea, and the balance of species in the food web has been altered. Cod, which is at the top of the food chain, has decreased in number, while sprat has increased, zooplankton decreased and phytoplankton and algae increased. Rebuilding the Baltic cod stocks offers an opportunity to improve the recovery of the environment and limit widespread algal blooms.
Baltic Sea 2020 considers it a matter of urgency to strengthen cod stocks, given the essential role which they hold in the Baltic Sea marine environment. Over the past few years, the stock has improved, as the whims of nature and management measures have led to a substantial increase in eastern stocks. It is therefore even more important that the existing management strategy is adhered to so that stocks can reach sustainable levels. This can make an effective contribution to ecosystem balance, produce optimal, sustainable yields, and provide profitability for the fishing industry.
Since the marine environment of the Baltic is in a bad state, a state also affected by many years of overfishing, priority must be given to environmental considerations so that sustainable stocks once again become a reality. Since the economic value of the Baltic fishing industry is very limited, social and economic considerations can not be placed on par with environment considerations. If the environment cannot sustain the production of resources, the fishing industry simply will not survive. Without a sound marine environment, there can be no fish.
Baltic Sea 2020 proposes regional managementRegional management improves the ability to manage the Baltic Sea in an environmentally sound manner in accordance with an ecosystem approach. The food web of the marine environment, which connects species and habitats, must be an indisputable part of fishery management. Through an ecosystem approach, fisheries and marine environment policy are integrated in a more appropriate way. Management needs to be flexible in order to cope with regime shifts, where changes in ecosystems affect the conditions for various species.
A forum for regional management should make a regional dialogue possible and include government representatives from the Member States in the region, professional fishers, scientists and environmental organisations. The objective of a regional management organisation should be to rebuild overfished stocks and implement strategies adaptable to changes in the ecosystem. To ensure this, multi-year management plans are needed (for all stocks) and a number of measures implemented, such as:
- reducing the overcapacity of the fishing fleets
- taking measures that adapt capacity to the resource
- abolishing fishing subsidies (read more about Baltic Sea 2020's position here)
- catch quotas should be introduced which will prohibit discarding and highgrading
The decision process of the Cod Quotas
Year | ICES advice | The Commissions
recommendations | The Councils
decision | 2005 | E: 0 tons
W: 23 400 tons | E: N.A.
W: N.A. | E: 42 632 tons
W: 24 700 tons | 2006 | E: 14 900 tons
W: 28 400 tons | E: N.A.
W: N.A | E: 49 220 tons
W: 28 400 tons | 2007 | E: 0 tons
W: 20 500 tons | E: 38 500 tons
W: 24 140 tons | E: 40 805 tons
W: 26 696 tons | 2008 | E: 0 tons
W: 13 500 tons | E: 31 561 tons
W: 17 930 tons | E: 38 765 tons
W: 19 221 tons | 2009 | E: 48 600 tons
W: 13 700 tons | E: 44 580 tons
W: 16 337 tons | E: 44 580 tons
W: 16 337 tons | 2010 | E: 56 800 tons
W: 17 700 tons | E: 51 267 tons
W: 17 700 tons | E: 51 267 tons
W: 17 700 tons | | 2011 | E: 64 000 tons
W: 18 800 tons
| Available this autumn | Available in
December 2010 |
E= Eastern stock W= Western stock Why is Baltic Sea 2020 involved in the cod issue?A sustainable cod stock is one of the most important environmental issues for the Baltic Sea. It is an issue that can make everyone a winner: the inhabitants around the Baltic Sea will get a cleaner sea, the fishermen can become profitable and the consumers can enjoy locally caught cod again. Links To learn more about cod and Baltic Sea 2020s work, please download documents here below
|
