5m 23sLength

Created as part of a group project at The Danish School of Media and Journalism, Copenhagen. ---------------------------------- Various quotas implemented by the European Union over the past four decades have had catastrophic affects for the entire fishing community in Denmark. Since the Common Fisheries Policy was introduced in the 1970s, trawlers in the harbour of Ulrik’s hometown of Bagenkop have dropped from 68 to just 7. The original Common Fisheries Policy was put into place to prevent overfishing and sustain aquatic life in European waters. It has since had many updates and revisions, all of which have seen a tightening of the previous regulations. In 1992, the Common Fisheries Policy was updated to reduce the overcapacity of the EU fishing fleet. Then, 10 years later in 2002, it was revised again. The aims were a long term management plan to preserve fish stocks and regional advisory councils were appointed to implement the regulations. In 2003 the International Council for Exploration of the Seas called for full closure of the North Sea cod fishery. The following year, the European Union adopted a cod recovery plan and the International Council advised that there should not be any catches of cod in the North Sea from 2004 onwards. The effect these regulations had on the Danish fishing community was damning. In 1997, 5 years after the first revision, there were 4581 fishing vessels across Denmark. In 2013 there were nearly half this amount, at 2662. Jørgen M. Christiansen, a Senior Researcher for the Centre of Maritime Health and Society, has stated that there are approximately 60% less fishermen in Denmark than 15 years ago. Ulrik is nostalgic about how fishing used to be in Bagenkop. He says there have always been difficulties with fishing, but that was just nature. Now the tight regulations mean that the once thriving harbour is almost desolate and the markets are no longer the busy hub they once were. Due to the proposed quota reduction this October by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 868 jobs are in danger of closing in Ulrik’s hometown of Bagenkop alone. Bagenkop will not be the only place hit hard by the 90% quota reduction. This problem is nationwide and spreads across all of Denmark’s small fishing towns and villages. Almost 300 kilometres away in Gilleleje, fisherman Lasse Nordahl, has stated he is “100 percent sure that fishing is as good as dead in Gilleleje in five years” due to the ongoing struggle the community faces, due to the regulations put in place by the European Union. From fishermen themselves, to sellers, to exporters - every corner of the industry is being hit and family businesses, which are generations old, are a dying breed. However, the problem is, so are the fish in European waters. ---------------------------------------------- Why do we need quotas? Overfishing is more than just a Danish issue. Globally, the sea is the largest source of food and fish is a daily source of protein for over 1 billion people. However, some scientists estimate that international fish stocks have fallen by over 90% since 1950. There are fears that all fish species will be on the verge of collapse only 50 years from now, if we carry on fishing the way that we do, which would gravely impact the lives of the 1 billion people who rely on the ocean to get their food. The Common Fisheries Policy is put into place by the European Union and International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, to try to and prevent this from happening. In Europe, 94% of fish stocks were classified as overfished in 2007. The European Union is trying to ensure that fishing in European waters is sustainable, productive and fair. They want fishermen to compete fairly for their gains and to ensure that all fishing fleets have equal access to the water. Since Denmark is the largest fish exporter in Europe and fifth in the world, it is no surprise that the industry is being hit especially hard by the quota cuts. “We are being set in an undeservedly, serious situation,” says Ulrik. His sons are fishermen and, despite the difficult times, he is glad that they are but fears for their future in the industry. Ulrik's family, like many others across the country, have used all of their savings on fishing. They have the support of the banks for their businesses and Ulrik says that it is unfair for someone to just pull the plug on their livelihoods. --------------------------------------