Russian shipyard planned in Gulf of Finland close to RAMSAR area
CCB • August 17, 2009
Russia is planning for a new shipyard in Primorsk, Gulf of Finland. The planned localization will be close to the Russian RAMSAR site “Birch Islands”, an area most important for bird protection and bird migration (e.g. whopper swan). Important local nature conservation and recreational values are also threatened by the plans. CCB proposes, in a letter to the Russian Prime Minister and Governor of Leningrad Oblast, to consider alternative localization of the shipyard, to minimize the impact on international and regional nature conservation values.
On Wednesday, 28 May, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice for fish stocks in the Baltic Sea . In response, environmental NGOs from around the Baltic Sea region urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to adopt, fishing opportunities at levels well below the headline advice to safeguard ecosystem needs and dynamics and allow for rapid recovery of Baltic Sea fish populations.
Key Baltic fish populations are in crisis, warn environmental NGOs. New scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, confirms the poor condition of key Baltic fish populations, several of which remain collapsed (1). EU fisheries ministers must set 2026-catch limits well below ICES advice and prioritise long-term recovery over short-term economic gains.