Displaying items by tag: Baltic Sea

A small sea with big problems

This article was featured in EUROFISH Magazine 1 / 2021.

The fishing industry in the Baltic Sea region has long and rich traditions. As early as the Middle Ages, it was one of the most important economic and social activities, and it experienced an unprecedented boom during Hanseatic times. The fishers of today can only dream of such times. Drastic reductions in catch quotas are endangering the existence of many businesses and their future is at risk. What are the causes behind this fatal development?

The largest study to date of the cod stock in the eastern Baltic Sea shows that the fish has never had it worse. Behind the study are, among others, researchers from DTU Aqua, and according to senior researcher at the Department of Aquatic Resources, Stefan Neuenfeldt, the situation looks bleak. “I do not think we can save the stock as it looks now. But we can help the cod to survive, so that in 10-15 years it will have a second chance in a Baltic Sea, which hopefully is easier to live in by then.” Twice a year, researchers in Denmark and its neighbouring countries catch cod in the Baltic Sea to investigate how the stock is doing. Less than 20 years ago, the largest cod were up to 80 centimeters long, and healthy and strong fish were generally caught.