The Fiskbranschens Sweden Eastern Baltic cod fishery, a fishery that was close to collapse only a few years ago, has recovered and has been certified as a sustainable and well-managed fishery.
The fishermen catch cod for 10 months of the year (with a regulated fishing stop between July and August) in the Baltic Sea east of Bornholm, using demersal trawls, fish traps and long lines. The main landing ports for the fishery are Karlskrona and Simrishamn on the southeast coast of Sweden, both towns with a long tradition of commercial fishing. Once landed, the cod is either sold fresh to local markets or processed for export.
The Eastern Baltic cod stock was considered close to a total collapse just a few years ago. It has made a remarkable recovery due to good management and excellent recruitment and in early January 2010 the Fiskbranschens Riksförbund (FR) entered this cod fishery into full assessment.
Yngve Björkman, Chair of Fiskbranschens Riksförbund says "I am extremely pleased that Swedish consumers are now able to buy Swedish MSC certified cod from the eastern Baltic Sea. It is equally important to us to have reclaimed Swedish consumer confidence, as it is to have access to overseas markets through being able to export Baltic cod carrying the internationally known MSC ecolabel”.
