“We don’t even catch our quota” it reads in Fishing News International, September 2001. The quotation stems from Fin Andersen president of the Association of Fish Meal and Fish Oil in Denmark. Fin Andersen is supported by the director of the Danish Fishermen’s Association Niels Wichmann with the words “Stop these attacks”, on the Danish sandeel fishing.

In Denmark the responsible authorities for the fishery believes that the sandeel fishing is biologically sustainable. A number of experts even think that the sandeel fishing is the most sustainable fishery in Denmark at present. The questions arising from the Danish sandeel fishing is a classical example of the disproportions in European fishery.

On one hand, we have the national interests, conducting dubious scientific research to ‘document’ that the national fishery is biologically sound. The Dutch attempts to prove that beam trawling has no negative effects on the sea bed and the fish stocks is another well known example. On the other hand, we have the European commission, trying to focus on the ecosystems as such – and not protecting one particular fishing method.

If we consider the ecosystem of the sea, then the Danish fishery for sandeel is not biologically sustainable. Niels Wichmann’s claims that cod prefer shrimp is comparable only to the way the devil reads the bible. Every fisherman in the North Sea knows that cod eats a lot of sandeel. Especially in the early months of spring, the cod needs the sandeel to regain its strength after spawning. The rest of the year both cod, birds, whales a.o. breed from the sandeel. The significance of the sandeel to the North sea environment is strongly underestimated by Danish scientists.

Within the past 15 years the Danish fishery for sandeel has not increased dramatically – but the efficiency with which we fish indeed has! We ought to wonder why we do not catch more sandeel these days? We, The Danish Society for a Living Sea, compare the increase in fishery effectiveness with the decrease of sandeel in the sea animals’ diet, and therefore Fin Andersen’s statement that “we don’t even catch our quota” is irrelevant to the biological sustainability.

The fact that Danish fishermen use all their skills to catch the sandeel quota of 900.000 tons/year – and that they are only capable of catching app. half of this amount – that is the problem in a nut shell. The Danish authorities ought to give us an explanation for this fact. And until that explanation has been given, we allow ourselves to call the sandeel fishery biologically un- sustainable.

-        The Danish Society for a Living Sea is NGO organisation dealing with sea environment and fishery. For more information www.levende-hav.dk