Coastal fishing association FSK (Foreningen for Skånsomt Kystfiskeri – Association for Sensible Coastal Fishing) is presenting proposals to the Danish government for a redistribution of fishing quotas in a way that benefits coastal communities.
‘Inshore fishing has an incredible number of benefits both for the sustainability of fisheries and local growth because there are many jobs in coastal fisheries. Therefore, I hope that environmental and food minister Esben Lunde Larsen and Parliament will take our proposals seriously,‘ said netting skipper Max Christensen who works from Vedbæk and is also president of FSK.
He points out that in ten years, 49 fishing ports have closed and others are about to go the same way. Since quotas were privatised under an ITQ system in 2007, quotas have collected in the hands of relatively few individuals with 90% of Danish quotas caught by 119 vessels of the 600-strong Danish fleet.
FSK’s proposal is that coastal fishing vessels should have their own quotas that are separate from those for larger vessels.
‘Inshore fishermen can deliver fish that is freshly caught and of the highest quality. At the same time the way we fish in a way that is gentle on the environment and its wildlife. There is a need for a political action now to secure the future of our fisheries,’ said Helsingør netting skipper and FSK vice-president Søren Jacobsen.
