On September 29, Baltic fishermen gathered for a protest in Palanga, where the European Commission was gathered for a meeting to discuss the reduction of fishing quotas for sprat and herring in 2024.
Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian and Polish fishermen gathered for a protest outside a hotel in Palanga, where Virginijus Sinkevicius, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, was holding a conference regarding the future of the Baltic Sea.
The objective of the protest was to shine a spotlight on the proposal for the reduction of fishing quotas for sprat and herring in 2024, which the EC had on the table.
Businessmen insist that the proposed reduction of quotas does not correspond to researchers’ recommendations or positions held by EU member states.
Fishermen and Fish Processors Association Baltijos zvejas director Algirdas Ausra said that such a reduction would be destructive for Baltic fisheries and that only Russian fishermen would benefit from it, as EU quotas didn’t apply to them.
“A lot of sprat and herring are supplied to Ukraine, so it’s not entirely impossible that Russian fishermen and Russia’s policy would only benefit from the reduced EU quotas,” he warns.
Fishermen divided into two groups of 15, because Palanga municipality did not permit a simultaneous gathering of 100 people.
The EU Commission prepared to adopt a regulation that would severely limit fishing in the Baltic Sea and Riga Gulf starting with 2024.
The proposed restrictions will have a catastrophic effect on Latvia’s fisheries and the fishing industry, according to the Latvian Fishermen’s Association. (BNN/Business World Magazine)
