”Bomtrawlsfiskeri er et utrolig ødelæggende fiskeri. Ikke bare for havbunden og fiskebestandene, men også for de danske kysfiskersamfund. Vi kystfiskere i Thorupstrand har i årevis oplevet faldende fangster og ødelagte fiskepladser. Det skyldes et stigende antal bomtrawlere i området. Det er simpelthen en hån imod både natur og kystfiskere, at fisk fra disse både kan landes og sælges som bæredygtige”, siger Per Olsen, der er kystfisker fra Thorupstrand.

Bomtrawl er et fiskeredskab, der slæbes over havbunden. Det består af en trawlpose, der holdes åben ved hjælp af jernbomme, der graver sig ned i havbunden. Og det er ikke kun kystfiskerne, der anser bomtrawlsfiskeri som værende et ødelæggende fiskeri.

”Der er stor enighed om, og det gælder også blandt forskere og grønne organisationer, at bomtrawlsfiskeriet er et af de mest ødelæggende fiskerier, der er. I Norge indførte man et totalforbud imod bomtrawlsfiskeri sidste år.
Og Per fortsætter: ”Ud over, at bomtrawlsfiskerier efter vores mening selvfølgelig ikke bør kunne markedsføres som bæredygtig, så mener vi også, at man helt bør udfase bomtrawlfiskeriet i EU ”.

Bomtrawlsfiskeriet skal gennemgå en såkaldt audit – eller revision – efter sommerferien. Ved en audit skal et certificeringsbureau, der er anerkendt af Marine Stewardship Council, revidere fiskeriet efter MSCs kriterier. Foreningen for Skånsomt Kystfiskeri PO har kontaktet certificeringsbureauet, og anmodet om, at de ved den kommende audit suspenderer MSC certificeringen af bomtrawlsfiskerierne. Ligeledes har foreningen kontaktet MSC Danmark med en opfordring til ikke at certificere bomtrawlsfiskerierne.

Kontakt direktør David Lange på 26 83 01 79 eller medlem af Thorupstrand Fiskerlaug og FSK-POs bestyrelse Per Olsen på 29 65 14 90.

YDERLIGERE INFORMATION:

Til DR.dk den 19. maj 2023 udtaler Jørgen L.S. Hansen, lektor på Aarhus Universitet følgende om bomtrawl: ”Bomtrawl er ikke bæredygtigt. Det skader biodiversiteten på havbunden. Det ødelægger havnatur, og det har et højere klimaaftryk end andre typer fiskeri”. www.dr.dk/nyheder/viden/klima/fisk-fanget-med-udskaeldt-metode-saelges-som-baeredygtige-falsk-reklame-noget.

Læs mere om de problemer kystfiskerne oplever med bomtrawlerne via linket: Bomtrawlere i Skagerrak – Thorupstrandfisk:

Foreningen for Skånsomt Kystfiskeri anbefaler, at man som forbruger går efter det statskontrollede mærke NaturSkånsom, et mærke der garantere forbrugerne, at deres fisk kommer fra sunde bestande og fanget med redskaber som garn, krog og snurrevod, der er redskaber, der er mere skånsomme overfor havnaturen.

Translated into English below:

Fishermen’s Association demands removal of the environmental label MSC from destructive fishing

The label MSC is an environmental label that claims to ensure consumers are purchasing fish from sustainable fishing. However, according to the coastal fishermen in the association for Small-Scale, LowImpact Fishermen’s Organization (FSK-PO) in Denmark, the MSC certification of beam trawling in Skagerrak and the North Sea is far from being sustainable fishing. Therefore, the coastal fishermen now demand the removal of the MSC label from beam trawling fisheries.

“Beam trawling is an incredibly destructive fishing method. Not only does it harm the seabed and fish stocks, but it also affects Danish coastal fishing communities. We fishermen in Thorup Strand (at the cost the Danish North Sea) have experienced declining catches and damaged fishing grounds for years. This is due to the increasing number of beam trawlers in the area. It is simply an insult to both nature and coastal fishermen, that fish from these boats can be landed and sold as sustainable,” says Per Olsen, a coastal fisherman from the Thorup Strand.

A beam trawl is a fishing gear that is dragged along the seabed. It consists of a trawl net that is kept open by iron beams that dig into the seabed. And it is not only the coastal fishermen who consider beam trawling as a destructive fishing method.

“There is a broad consensus, including among researchers and environmental organizations, that beam trawling is one of the most destructive fishing methods. Norway implemented a total ban on beam trawling last year” adds the director of the FSK-PO, David Lange.
And Per Olsen from Thorup Strand continues: “In addition to the fact that, in our opinion, beam trawling should not be marketed as sustainable, we also believe that beam trawling should be completely phased out in the EU.”

Beam trawling will undergo an audit or review after the summer holidays. During an audit, a certification body, recognized by the Marine Stewardship Council, will assess the fishery according to MSC’s criteria. The FSK-PO has contacted the certification body and requested the suspension of MSC certification for beam trawling fisheries during the upcoming audit. The association has also reached out to MSC Denmark, urging them not to certify beam trawling fisheries.

GET IN CONTACT: Director David Lange mobile 0045 26 83 01 79 member of Thorup Strand Fishing Guild and FSKPO board Per Olsen mobile 0045 29 65 14 90. Thorup Strand is a coastal city at the Danish part of the North Sea.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
In an interview with Danish National Televison (DR.dk) on May 19, 2023, Jørgen L.S. Hansen, a lecturer at Aarhus University, stated the following about beam trawling: “Beam trawling is not sustainable. It damages biodiversity on the seabed. It destroys marine habitats, and it has a higher carbon footprint compared to other fishing methods.” Read more: Fisk fanget med udskældt metode sælges som bæredygtige: ‘Falsk reklame for noget, der er fup og svindel’ | Klima | DR

Read more about the problems coastal fishermen face with beam trawlers at Bomtrawlere i Skagerrak – www.thorupstrandfisk.dk. And have a look at a short video translated into English. “State of the Stocks “- YouTube

The FSK-PO recommends that consumers look for the state-controlled label “NaturSkånsom (NaturSkånsom.dk) ,” a label that guarantees consumers that their fish comes from healthy stocks and is caught using gear such as nets, hooks, and longlines, which are more gentle on marine habitats”.