Danish Industrial Fishing.

Study needed on industrial fishing

Dear editor, in Fishing News the 11^th of July, Mr. Jannik Schougaard (JS), Managing Director of the Danish Association of Fishmeal and Fish Oil Manufactures, claims that accusations regarding unsustainability in Danish industrial fisheries, are not documented – e.g. regarding the critique of sand eel fisheries.

JS leave the impression that there is valid Danish documentation of the sustainability of industrial fisheries – with reference to a paper produced by the Danish ministry called: ‘Facts on Industrial Fishing 2001’. This paper has nothing to do with the biological documentation it is a paper referring to the Danish control effort, it’s a political paper. In this paper you can reed that out of 1 million tonnes of landed fish for industrial purposes, there is a bycatch of 113 tons cod! Denmark has no documentation of the sustainability in industrial fishing. 

The controlling authorities deal with the fish that are landed, not with the catching. Last year a Danish skipper was caught with more then 40% illegal fish in the hatch. To the media the skipper says, ‘I was in Norwegian zone and because of their discard ban, I had to keep the fish on board’. As reply, the Danish ministry argues to us‘ the skipper has no excuse for having illegal catch onboard – he have to sail in Danish waters and dumped the catch there’.

Industrial fishing is very important for Denmark. More then 90% of industrial fish within the European Union is “property” of Danish fishing industry. So the industry and the authorities are fighting with all means and misinformation to protect the industrial fishing.

 - Danish authorities should not be trusted when it comes to evaluating the industrial fishing.

For years, the Danish Society for a Living Sea has asked the Danish authorities for an unpartial international evaluation of the industrial fisheries – a multi-stock assessment aiming to clarify the total impact on the ecosystem. Such an evaluation should rest on a historical perspective, dating back to the 1960s. In order to achieve such a development, the other EU member states have to increase the political pressure on the Danish authorities and industry – and demand an unpartial evaluation.

Kurt Bertelsen Christensen
Chairman of The Danish Society for a Living Sea.