A report on iUU fishing of Baltic Sea cod - Fisheries Secretariat

DENMARKThe Baltic is the third most important fishingarea for Danish fishermen – after the North Seaand Skagerrak, respectively (Anderson, 2002).The overall contribution of the fisheries sector tothe economy is small – about 0.5% – but it has avery strong importance to specific regions whichare heavily dependent on fisheries for their livelihoods:north and west Jutland, and the island ofBornholm, where 95% of all landings by Danishvessels are made (European Commission, 2001).Approximately 5,650 fishermen work on 3,831vessels operating from Danish ports. The registeredtonnage of the fleet is 99,720 gross tonnage(GT). The table below provides a breakdown ofthe categories and number of vessels within theDanish fleet.species along with Norway pout, blue whitingand sprat, whereas, sprat are targeted in the Skagerrak/Kattegatand Baltic Sea. Owing to highlevels of dioxins which make them unsuitablefor human consumption, herring has also beenallowed to be targeted in some instances in theBaltic (RSPB, 2004).(ii) The pelagic fishery for human consumption,mainly herring and mackerel stored in tanks andlanded whole; and,(iii) The demersal fishery for white fish (cod,hake, haddock, whiting, saithe), flatfish (sole,plaice, flounder), lobster and deep water prawns(FAO, 2004).The table below indicates the total annual catchof fish from the Baltic Sea by Danish vessels.Category of registered vesselNumberSide trawlers56Stern trawler8Other trawler7Purse seine & combination vessels98Danish seiners 78Longliners and gillnetters ,138Traps, poundnets ,574Dredgers and other vessels6TOTAL 3,831Source: Danish Directorate of Fisheries, 2002Cod are targeted by trawl and gillnets, withlandings of plaice and flounder normally associatedwith the trawl fishery. Sprat and herring aretargeted by trawl and purse seiners.The trawler fleets are based in the main ports inJutland and Bornholm with a large fleet of smallgill netters located in all Danish ports (EuropeanCommission, 2001; Danish Directorate of Fisheries,2002; FAO, 2004). The numbers of gillnettershas declined in recent years owing to thestock age composition with vessels switching tolonglining or trawling. The main pelagic fisheriesare conducted by a small fleet of purse seinersand large trawlers (ICES, 2005).Broadly speaking there are three types of fisheryin Denmark:(i) The industrial fishery for fishmeal and fishoil. In the North Sea, sandeel is the main targetDanish catches from the Baltic Sea (includingThe Belt and The Sound)Main 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998speciesCod 11,843 19,836 34,613 48,521 42,581 29,488Herring 42,986 45,199 37,763 34,340 30,877 38,820Sprat 29,949 69,673 76,716 123,549 153,765 111.003Main 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004speciesCod 38,174 32,050 29,148 21,558 22,342 19,936Herring 37,973 49,727 46,297 18,407 5,300 n/aSprat 97,685 55,521 53,411 47,630 32,000 44,300Source: adapted from Danish Directorate of Fisheries, 2002; ICES2005; OECD, 2005The processing sectorBecause of the inability of the domestic fleet tomeet the national demand of Danish processors,there is a great reliance on imports to sustain theindustry. Denmark also acts as a “hub” for fishtrade. Figures for 2000 indicate there were 738companies dealing with processing and trade infish products: 83 in smoking and drying, 47 incanning and filleting, 5 in fish meal and fish oil,310 in wholesale trade and 293 in retail trade(FAO, 2004).Employment in the fish processing sector between1996 and 2000 is shown in the table below.– 52 –