The government wants to move the trawl boundary along the entire Baltic Sea coast and ban bottom trawling in protected marine areas.
In the government's marine environment proposal, it is proposed that trawling should not be allowed within a boundary of 12 nautical miles from the coast. From Skanör to Haparanda, including Öland and Gotland. Today, the boundary is 4 nautical miles.
The relocation of the trawl boundary is considered important to prevent large schools of herring and sprat from being trawled up when they are spawning near the coast.
The government also proposes that bottom trawling be banned within protected marine areas, such as national parks and nature reserves.
The coastal fishing with nets will not be affected, but rather benefited when large-scale trawling is moved further out to sea, according to Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L).
Moving the boundary for trawling fishing must, however, be done in consultation with the EU and affected EU countries. Pourmokhtari points out that the Commission has expressed concern for the health of the Baltic Sea.
The marine environment proposal also means that protected areas in the Baltic Sea will increase from 15% to 30%, with 10% being strictly protected.
Eutrophication is the biggest problem in the Baltic Sea, according to Pourmokhtari. Over 20% of the bottom is anoxic. Therefore, a new milestone will be introduced to reduce eutrophication by 2030.
In response to the question of whether the proposal is enough to save the herring and sprat and stop bottom death, the Environment Minister replies:
According to Center leader Muharrem Demirok, the government's proposal is not enough in the long run to save the herring and sprat. He wants to see an immediate total stop for "monster trawlers" and more targeted efforts for a cleaner sea.
Former Environment Minister Isabella Lövin (MP) thinks that the proposal has been delayed too long, but welcomes that it is now being presented. She wishes that the government had proposed a marine environment law, drawn up a timeline, and allocated funds for the measures.
