Fishermen in the Bothnian Sea testify to an increasingly catastrophic situation for herring, last year's poor catches have been halved this spring.
The Swedish Maritime Administration agrees with the fishermen that the situation is not good.
- If we are to keep fish stocks that can be fished for herring, we must reduce fishing quotas, says Mats Svensson who is head of department at the Swedish Marine and Water Authority.
Want sour herring
Anna-Caren Sätherberg (S) is Minister of Rural Affairs and responsible for fisheries issues in the government.
She says she is aware of the serious situation at the same time as she wants to see Swedish fish on the dining table.
- I want herring, says the Minister of Rural Affairs, and believes that measures have been taken by the government to save fishing and fishing.
Among other things, by handing out assignments to the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the Swedish Maritime Administration.
At the same time, fishermen in the Bothnian Sea do not believe that they will be able to supply enough herring to sour herring producers this year.
Meanwhile, large-scale trawling continues with foreign boats in the Bothnian Sea and the fish they catch become animal feed abroad.
International agreements required
The Swedish Maritime Administration states that fishing in international waters is an issue where international agreements are required to be able to implement restrictions.
The European Commission and the International Council for the Sea Fisheries ICES are in charge.
- The question of how fishing quotas are determined out in the Bothnian Sea is beyond our control, states Mats Svensson, who, on the other hand, wants a government assignment for the Bothnian Sea where they look at the possibility of expanded trawl boundaries closer to land, in the same way as proposed in the Middle Baltic