Balticsea 2020

Increasing knowledge of illegal fishing and its impact on the Baltic Sea

Illegal fishing, that is, fish caught in addition to the quotas and rules set by the EU (according to the common fisheries policy), is a problem for both industry and the environment in the Baltic Sea. Fish stocks and the marine ecosystem are negatively affected. Is it possible to curb illegal fishing by increasing awareness among the public in Poland? It is the Polish environmental organization Green Federation GAJAs expectation when leading this project "Increasing knowledge of illegal fishing and its impact on the Baltic Sea".

Background
Among the Baltic countries, Poland is one of the countries that historically have had the greatest challenge of illegal fishing. Only a small part of Poland's population lives by the coast. Thus, most of the public have little or no knowledge of illegal fishing and its ecological impact. If the knowledge had been better, consumers would probably require that the fish in their stores are caught legally. This would make it harder to sell illegally caught fish and the sustainable management would be facilitated.

Objectives
The project will raise public awareness of illegal fishing by spreading information on sustainable fisheries in the Baltic Sea. Among other things, an exhibition will be put up and screening of film "End of the line" and "For Cod's Sake" to be held in several Polish cities. In addition, the project will strengthen the Polish non-governmental organizations working on issues of sustainable fisheries through lobbying activities. Controls on fishing and fisheries administration's role will be strengthened by implementing the recommendations of the Green Federation Gaja reached in a report.