On 21 October 2024, the Council of the EU its Ministers announced that trolling for compensatory released salmon in the Baltic Sea will continue. The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) welcomes this decision, which allows citizens to continue engaging in recreational fishing. This decision is also a boon for coastal tourism operators, as recreational fishing attracts visitors during the tourism shoulder season. Notable examples include Simrishamn in Sweden, Rügen in Germany, and Bornholm in Denmark.
The socio-economic value of recreational angling is often overlooked in decision-making processes. However, the combined impact of this value, along with data showing the negligible effects of trolling on wild salmon, has influenced the authorities’ decision. Mark Owen, President of the EAA, expressed gratitude for this outcome, noting that scientific evidence demonstrates trolling does not threaten wild salmon stocks.
Only compensatory released salmon with their adipose fin removed will be permitted for trolling. Many Baltic rivers with hydropower facilities lack the necessary ladders for salmon to migrate to spawning areas. Salmon are therefore often farmed, marked, and released as compensation for damages caused by hydroelectric companies. If wild salmon are caught in the trolling fishery, they will be released by fishers and allowed to return to their free-flowing home rivers to spawn.
The EAA is committed to ensuring that the EU Water Framework Directive is followed by all member states and that hydro companies ensure all fish can migrate freely within river systems.
More information on the meeting by the Council of the EU (AgriFish) can be found via this
link
Please find
here the press release by the German Ministry on the AgrFish meeting's outcome.