To mark the 5th anniversary of the closure of cod fishing in the Baltic Sea, an emergency measure imposed by the European Commission, LIFE organised a major event in Brussels entitled "No fishers of the future without fish in the future!” The case of Baltic cod fisheries. This well attended event brought together policy makers, European Commission and Member State officials, politicians, scientists, fisheries stakeholders and LIFE members from Sweden, Denmark, and Poland. The main theme of the event was to address the decline of cod and other economically valuable fish species in the Baltic Sea and to discuss the shortcomings of current fisheries management systems. The event included detailed presentations combined with discussions aimed at finding solutions and remedial actions to stop the downward spiral of cod stocks in the Baltic Sea.
In the following days, LIFE staff and Board members from the Baltic Sea region attended the Executive Committee meeting of the Baltic Sea Advisory Council (BSAC). The main document presented was the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council "Towards more sustainable fisheries in the EU: current situation and orientations for 2025".
The Baltic LIFE delegation then attended the LIFE Board meeting, which was held in a hybrid format. In addition to the routine topics of reporting, member news, advisory committees, etc., there were also important discussions on wind farms and the distinction between small-scale and large-scale fisheries from a management and marketing perspective.
All of these meetings were attended by Professor Katarzyna Stepanowska, Faculty of Food and Fisheries Sciences - member of the LIFE Board, one of the LIFE Directors for the Baltic and North Sea.
