NGOs have condemned the European Union’s decision to keep open a Baltic Sea herring fishery, saying the move will contribute to ecosystem destruction and goes against EU law.
The European Commission had proposed closing the targeted fishery for herring in the Gulf of Bothnia and the central Baltic in line with the Baltic Multiannual Plan agreed in 2016 but have instead chosen to keep it open ‘at a level associated with an unlawfully high risk of ecosystem collapse’ according to Seas at Risk and others.
“This decision will not only contribute to the disappearance of Baltic herring populations but will also pave the way for the decimation of other fish species,” said Bruno Nicostrate, senior policy officer for Seas at Risk.
“Instead of ensuring the livelihoods of fishers for future generations, EU member states opted to save a few industrial fisheries. We call on the Commission and Parliament to use all the legal tools provided in the Baltic Multiannual Plan to ensure member states respect their own rules.”
Herring is being fished unsustainably because of its use in fishmeal and fish oil, say the NGOs. But these small fish provide vital resources for larger species and marine mammals and birds so it is critical to preserve stock levels.
This latest decision by the EC may be seen as a small victory for others, however, with EAPO recently querying the scientific assessment of herring stocks and urging ministers to push for greater transparency of ICES’s methods.
