Emergency Closure Set for Baltic Cod Fishery

BRUSSELS, Belgium, April 15, 2003 (ENS) - The European Commission has adopted emergency measures to prohibit fishing for cod and flatfish with trawls, bottom seines and similar nets in the Baltic Sea from today through May 31. This means an extension of the already existing summer ban for cod fishing from June 1 to August 31.

The commission said today that it was recently informed that the trawlers and bottom seiners were catching "large quantities of undersized cod which are then discarded." In view of the depleted state of the cod fishery, the commission says this type of fishing cannot continue, and the new restrictions are "unavoidable."

The commission, working with national experts, says it will devise a specific surveillance monitoring program to ensure the successful implementation of these measures.

Swedish woman holds a cod pulled from the Baltic Sea (Photo credit unknown)

In view of the latest scientific advice, the commission said, it is "crucial" that the existing cod recovery plan for the Baltic be reassessed. The commission intends to achieve this within the International Baltic Sea Fisheries Commission (IBSFC) so that the necessary adjustments can be in place when the cod fishery reopens on September 1.

Commissioner Franz Fischler, responsible for agriculture, rural development and fisheries, pointed out that these measures are the result of close consultation with the 15 European Union member states and the fishing sectors concerned.

"Urgent action is necessary. These catches pose a real threat to the conservation and rebuilding of cod stocks in the Baltic Sea," Commissioner Fischler said.

The European Union manages fisheries in the Baltic within the framework of the IBSFC. A long term management plan for Baltic cod was put in place in 1999. Despite this plan, the state of cod stocks worsened and a recovery plan was established in 2001.

The measures include a summer ban on cod fishing, closed areas, restrictions on the design and size of fishing gears, minimum net mesh sizes and minimum landing sizes. But the selectivity of the existing measures is proving less effective than expected, hence the need for an urgent review.

European Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler (Photo courtesy European Commission)

Beyond these emergency measures, there is a need to review the Baltic cod recovery plan, established in 2001, in order to strengthen the selectivity of fishing gears, the commissioner said. Selectivity is already a feature of this plan, but current catches and discarding of young cod demonstrate that the measures are not as effective as expected and need to be reassessed.

This review should embrace all elements including technical measures such as authorized gear and minimum net mesh sizes, the commissioner said. It should also take into account the potential economic impact of new measures on the fishing sector.

Ideally, the reviewed recovery plan would be implemented before the cod fishery reopens on September 1. The commission is exploring the possibility for the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission to hold an extraordinary meeting in order to carry out this review. The commission also intends to organize a regiozal workshop to discuss the various issues involved with the cod industry.

The International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission concluded its 28th Annual Session on September 13, 2002 by setting the conditions for fishing in the year 2003. The fixing of the 2003 Total Allowable Catches was based on the scientific advice provided by International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Compared to 2002, the quota for cod was slightly reduced to 75,000 metric tons.

Generally, the fish populations of the Baltic Sea are burdened by overfishing, oxygen depletion and high levels of hazardous substances, as well as by natural challenges like cold winter temperatures and varying levels of salinity, the Helsinki Commission says.