The meeting was held in Saltharsfjärden, Sweden, where the ministers became familiar with the specific nature of fishing activities conducted by local fishermen.

Need for stability

The Ministers from the Baltic States pointed to the need to maintain stability for the sector through reasonable, science-based quotas. They also indicated the problems related to damage to fishery and fishery management caused by seals and cormorants.

Deputy Minister Czerniak presented our position on the method to rebuild stocks, while maintaining the economic integrity of the fishing industry. The method presented by the Secretary of State may ensure stability and predictability for our fishery sector by avoiding large annual fluctuations in the quotas and flexibility when the environmental situation is difficult and the stocks being caught are below safe biological limits.

Resilience of the ecosystem

The Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak informed that, inter alia, maintaining the resilience of the Baltic Sea ecosystem was a policy for both stocks and people dependent on fishery. He pointed out that Poland’s goal was to enable performing further fishing activities in the Baltic Sea.

– It is necessary to take new measures allowing to improve the condition of fish stocks, but, at the same time, it is required to take into account the socio-economic aspect – stressed Deputy Minister Czerniak and highlighted that there was no need to choose between maintaining predictability and stability of access to raw materials and rebuilding stocks.

Need for new solutions

– The future of the Baltic Sea depends on balancing these two needs – stressed the Secretary of State.

He also pointed out that it was necessary to develop new conservation measures for species whose targeted catches could be continued so as to avoid situations where, inter alia, two stocks of cod are found. Developing such solutions will be associated with conducting appropriate scientific studies, which will be the basis for their implementation.