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April 17, 2013

Swedish trawler busted for illegal fishing in the Kattegat

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©OCEANA Lilla Middelgrund

 

On April 16th, the Swedish coast guard carried out an inspection on a fishing vessel located south of Lilla Middelgrund, a Marine Protected Area (and part of Natura 2000) in the Kattegat. The trawler was caught using a mesh size below the minimum size permitted for its targeted fishery, greater weever, of which it had approximately 8000 kilos onboard. The case is now with the Swedish police.

Several fish stocks in the Kattegat are in a dire state due to decades of unsustainable fishing. Oceana recently proposed that a large part of the Kattegat be designated as a Marine Protected Area as it is an area of high biodiversity, despite the many threats it faces. Rare benthic communities as well as underrepresented species and habitats in the deeper parts of the Kattegat are currently unprotected despite being crucial to the functioning of the ecosystem.