HomeDanish PoliticsDanish Minister Drops Surveillance Requirement on Fishing Vessels in Kattegat

Danish Minister Drops Surveillance Requirement on Fishing Vessels in Kattegat

The English Article:
“The demand for monitoring cod catches on cutters in the Kattegat Strait is dropped, despite leading to significant changes. Minister of Fisheries Jacob Jensen (V) has decided to abolish the requirement for video surveillance of catches on trawlers in the Kattegat, reports Politiken. This step is taken even though the scheme has reduced the problem of fishermen throwing dead small cod overboard instead of keeping and registering them for over a year and a half. The minister justifies the decision with a desire to avoid creating a surveillance society. Video surveillance was originally introduced as a pilot scheme to prevent fishermen from cheating on fishing quotas by discarding dead fish from bycatch overboard. When fishermen trawl for, for example, langoustines, many small cod end up in the bycatch, which they are required to bring ashore. To ensure that the rules were being followed, the former minister for agriculture, food, and fisheries, Rasmus Prehn (S), introduced a requirement for a camera to film the sorting table on the cutters. According to figures from the Danish Fisheries Agency, surveillance has had a significant impact. After 65 fishing cutters trawling for langoustines in the Kattegat began using cameras, the registered bycatch of cod has increased ninefold, and the bycatch of whiting has increased by a staggering 6300 percent. These results have prompted the Danish Society for Nature Conservation to criticize the decision to drop the requirement. Even though the requirement for surveillance will now be voluntary, the minister points out that there are advantages to keeping the cameras, such as higher bycatch quotas and fewer inspection visits. Jacob Jensen emphasizes that the decision is also made to make working conditions easier for the fishermen. ‘I do not want to build a further surveillance society, but rather to unleash fishing. They benefit from keeping the camera,’ he told Politiken. The President of the Danish Fishermen’s Association mentions that some fishermen have gotten used to the cameras, while others find them burdensome.”

Read the danish version here

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