Coalition Clean Baltic News

Tampering with EU Fisheries Policy would ‘open Pandora’s Box’, NGOs warn

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:24:36 GMT

Brussels, 30 March 2026 - Today, Fisheries Ministers from EU Member States meet with the European Commission for the AGRIFISH Council. On this occasion, Oceana, BLOOM, ClientEarth, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Seas At Risk and WWF EU, handed a symbolic ''Pandora’s Box'' to the EU Commissioner Costas Kadis, sending a clear message as the European Commission prepares its 2026 evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The box represents the risks of revising EU’s main fishery policy framework: once opened, competing demands from Member States, industry, small-scale fishers, and coastal communities could quickly spiral into division, regulatory delays and uncertainties. This would put at risk the hard-won progress made in restoring Europe’s fish populations and improving the profitability of the fishing sector. NGOs urge decision makers to build on the progress made to date and to prioritise the full and timely implementation of the existing rules. Reopening the CFP and its related provisions would undermine ocean health and the long-term future of Europe’s fishing communities.

'' Europe's fisheries policy is facing a credibility test. The law is already there. The tools to rebuild our seas already exist. What's missing is the political will to deliver. Overfishing should have ended by 2020 at the latest. Reopening the CFP would signal that missed deadlines carry no consequences, erode trust, revert the progress made, and put the future of our fisheries and coastal communities at stake ’’, said the NGO coalition. 

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Oceana: Vera Coelho, Executive Director and Vice President in Europe 
BLOOM: Claire Nouvian, Founder and General Director 
ClientEarth: John Condon, Lead of Marine Ecosystems 
Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB): Ida Carlén, Co-Chair 
Environmental Justice Foundation: Steve Trent, CEO/Founder 
Seas At Risk: Dr Monica Verbeek, Executive Director 
WWF EU: Ester Asin, Director 

CCB´s submission to the EU Call for Evidence on the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:32:49 GMT

Uppsala, March 2026 - CCB has closely worked with the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy
Framework Directive (MSFD) ever since its adoption and welcomed the opportunity to give feedback to this crucial directive for marine biodiversity and ocean health through the EU Call of Evidence .

Evaluations conducted by the EU Commission previously found many positive effects for EU marine waters stemming from the directive, but also that the directive has some shortcomings. CCB however, maintains that the largest obstacle to fully implementing the directive and achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) is the lack of political will among Member States to do so. This forthcoming revision must therefore result in a framework directive that is more easily enforceable, measurable and implementable, accompanied by sufficient funding to carry out the measures.

Furthermore, in order to achieve GES as fast as possible other key pieces of EU legislation must also support reaching it and focus on achieving the goals of the MSFD in their objectives. Seeing that European seas generally are in poor condition and under mounting pressure from human activities and that in the Baltic Sea the situation is especially dire there is an urgent need for truly ecosystem-based management of our seas and for reaching GES. The revised MSFD can help us achieve this, but only if it includes the points outlined below and the directive is fully and swiftly implemented:

*** [Short version]***

Operationalise the overarching GES goal:

EU sea areas were supposed to reach GES already in 2020, but due to low political ambition, sadly did not do so. Member States should therefore strive to reach GES as fast as possible now. Setting a new overall deadline for when to reach GES is not the answer on how to achieve this goal most efficiently, instead tools that address pressures and measure progress and ensure actual, timely implementation of ambitious measures must be included in the revised directive in order to operationalise achieving the overall GES goal. CCB therefore recommends making the existing and forthcoming threshold values for the descriptors and their criteria legally binding and part of the main directive.

Improving regional coordination and implementation:

To improve the coherence, coordination and effectiveness of MSFD implementation, assessment of GES, monitoring and the national PoMs the role of the Regional Seas Conventions (RSCs) must be clarified. CCB would welcome collating all the national PoMs into one regional PoM for the Baltic Sea, which should be aligned with, in addition to reaching the goals of the MSFD, with achieving the goals of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP).

Land-sea interface:

For the Baltic Sea to achieve GES it is key that land-based pressures, primarily nutrient runoff from agriculture causing severe eutrophication, is also addressed and that implementation of the MSFD goes hand in hand with the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The goals of the MSFD and achieving GES should also be included when implementing and shaping the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as well as any synergies with implementing the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan which are also important to identify and utilise. The Baltic Sea also has a too high prevalence and level of other pollutants and hazardous substances affecting marine life.

Fisheries and aquaculture:

As one of the main pressure factors on the marine environment in general, as well as in the Baltic Sea, fisheries and aquaculture and the effects they have on the marine ecosystem and its biodiversity must be addressed in order to achieve GES. This is especially crucial when considering the MSFD descriptor for Biodiversity (D1), Fish and Shellfish (D3), Food webs (D4) and the one for Seabed integrity (D6).

Climate change:

Climate change is also affecting the Baltic Sea faster than other marine regions and must be factored in when managing the sea area and its resources to ensure EBM and the full implementation of the MSFD and achieving GES. The effects of the climate crisis should be accounted for when setting pressure reduction targets and threshold values for the descriptors and their criteria, in a way that when an effect cannot be measured nor predicted the precautionary principle must be used.

Revising Art. 14 of the MSFD:

Article 14 in the MSFD outlines the acceptable exceptions when reaching GES is not possible. The article needs to be revised in the forthcoming revision, since it contains too many and too broad in scope possibilities for exemptions (e.g. in Art. 14(4)), which jeopardise the implementation and fulfilment of the directive as a whole. A possible way of modifying it would be to introduce an obligation for Member States to demonstrate that they have taken all measures within their control nationally and that they have tried to address the problem and advance solving it on a regional level through cooperating with other Member States, before they can apply for a possible exemption.

Make the Programme of Measures contain ambitious & concrete measures:

One of the cornerstones of the MSFD is the national PoMs that are published every six years and are precluded by an assessment of GES in national waters and a monitoring programme. Unfortunately, the current approach to PoMs where Member States freely can choose measures has led to an overall too low level of ambition in the PoMs, and to large differences within regions and between neighboring countries in terms of which measures are included. In order to fully implement the directive and to achieve GES it is of paramount importance that the national PoMs have a high level of ambition and contain concrete, implementable measures and that there is regional coordination.

Easing the reporting burden:

One of the results from the evaluation of the MSFD was that the current reporting burden is considered to be too high and a possible way to address this is to align the reporting obligations of the MSFD to more reassemble those of the WFD, that has a more simplified 6-year cycle compared to the MSFD. The implementation cycle however should not be revised or at least not in a way that delays reaching GES.

Improve coherence with other legislation:

To ensure that the revised MSFD is fully implemented it is essential that coherence with other relevant legislation is improved. The MSPD (foundation for the forthcoming Ocean Act) is also currently being revised and to reach the goals for both the directives achieving GES needs to be a cornerstone of the Ocean Act. This is the only way to deliver truly ecosystem-based management of our seas, and the revision of both directives should therefore be coordinated and focused on achieving GES.

CCB looks forward to continuing to provide input to the revision process of the MSFD as well as working with the implementation of the MSFD, especially in the Baltic Sea. CCB expects that the revision will result in a more enforceable directive that leads to the fast implementation of ambitious measures to improve the state of the Baltic and European Sea areas and to the achievement of GES.

The full text of the submission is available here .

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Links to supplemental documents supporting our positions:

CCB’s submission to the Call for Evidence for the Ocean Act
Guiding Recommendations for Source-to-Sea Restoration in Riverine, Coastal, and Marine
Ecosystems (Coalition Clean Baltic, 2025)
Position Paper on Marine Protected Areas (Coalition Clean Baltic 2024)
Don’t sink the Common Fisheries Policy – fulfil its potential (joint NGO Briefing 2025)
Blue Manifesto (joint NGO paper)

Job vacancy: Marine Policy Officer (parental leave cover) - closed

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:10:14 GMT

Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 28 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden.

About the Role

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) is seeking a Marine Policy Officer (parental leave cover) to join its International Secretariat and contribute substantively to regional and EU-level marine advocacy, with a particular focus on the Baltic Sea.

The Marine Policy Officer will support the implementation of EU and international marine environmental policy frameworks — notably the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the EU Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD) and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) . All work is grounded in the promotion of ecosystem-based management. The role includes close collaboration with the rest of the Secretariat team as well as CCB member organisations to deliver policy initiatives, advocacy actions, and strategic programme objectives. The Marine Policy Officer will also support the International Secretariat in fundraising, with a focus on the EU LIFE operational grant application.

Key Responsibilities

Policy & Advocacy

Support the implementation of CCB’s strategic plan on marine biodiversity policy.
Contribute to marine policy advocacy at EU and at Baltic Sea regional levels (e.g. HELCOM, EU Commission expert groups).
Provide input to the implementation and revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Collect evidence and views to provide NGO inputs to the forthcoming EU Ocean Act and related initiatives.
Support the implementation of the Helsinki Convention and Baltic Sea Action Plan.
Engage in the revision processes related to the Marine Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD).

Programme & Grant Delivery

Provide critical support in fundraising, i.e. project proposal development, especially for securing core grant funding (e.g. for the EU LIFE Programme and potentially Horizon programme).
Contribute to CCB´s project management, implementation and reporting activities for various projects.

Coordination & Monitoring

Closely coordinate marine biodiversity policy work with CCB member organisations.
Monitor global, EU, and regional marine policy developments.
Liaise with partner NGOs and civil society organisations.

Communications & Policy Products

Draft position papers, policy briefings, consultation inputs and technical reports on relevant files.
Support communications and outreach on marine policy issues.
Help organise workshops, conferences, and stakeholder events.
Represent CCB in policy dialogues, expert groups, and stakeholder forums at the EU and Baltic Sea level.

Cross-organisational Support within the Secretariat and its members

Contribute to other CCB thematic working areas as required.

Profile

We are seeking a policy professional who is:

Solutions-oriented and adaptable
Experienced in advocacy or campaigning
Collaborative and team-driven
Passionate about marine conservation
Organised, diplomatic, and stakeholder-confident

Required Qualifications & Experience

Demonstrable professional experience in marine or environmental policy.
Working knowledge of key EU frameworks, particularly the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Knowledge of Helcom BSAP is an asset.
Postgraduate qualification in marine science, ecology, conservation, water management, or related discipline with substantial marine focus.
Eligibility to work and travel within the EU (citizenship or valid permit) with residency in Sweden.
Excellent written and spoken English.

CCB also welcomes applicants from broader environmental policy/law backgrounds who can demonstrate relevant knowledge.

Desirable Skills

Experience within the NGO or civil society sector preferred.
Advocacy or campaigning experience within the EU, the Baltic Sea or international environmental policy processes.
Working knowledge of a Baltic Sea region language (e.g. Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian).

Travel

Regular travel across the Baltic Sea region and to Brussels is expected, including occasional weekend meetings.

Contract Terms

Time: Full-time maternity cover until 31 December 2026 . Potential extension subject to funding. Three-month probation period. Preferred start date: as soon as possible .
Salary: comparable to NGO staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective unions.
Location: Remote position. Only applicants with residence in Sweden will be accepted.

Application Process

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send your CV (max. 2 pages) together with a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 15 March 2026 to: secretariat@ccb.se

Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English . Applications submitted in any other language will not be considered.

Incomplete applications (e.g. lacking either CV or personal letter) will be also not considered.

We will be reviewing applications as they come in and encourage early applications. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For inquiries, contact CCB Senior Fisheries Policy Advisor: cathrine@ccb.se

Equal Opportunities

CCB is an equal opportunity employer. In the application and hiring process, CCB will not discriminate against any individual based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property, disability, age, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic and social situation.

CCB´s submission to the EU Call for Evidence on the Ocean Act

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:48:52 GMT

Uppsala, February 2026 - CCB supports the Ocean Pact and Ocean Act objectives for improving coherence, coordination and effectiveness of EU ocean governance. Yet, in order to achieve this, the Act has to deliver truly ecosystem-based management of our seas and make reaching Good Environmental Status, as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), a cornerstone of the Act. The Ocean Act can set us on a path to recovery of the marine environment under a sustainable and just blue economy, but only if the Act includes the points outlined below and is implemented swiftly and fully.

*** [Short version]***

Coherence : Align the goals and existing timelines of EU marine legislation, policies and strategies in the Act and make them binding. Furthermore, the Ocean Act must stipulate that national maritime spatial planning has to address all existing and emerging pressures, such as shipping, underwater noise, mining, gravel and sand extraction, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE), Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), tourism, aquaculture and commercial and recreational fishing.
Breaking silos : The Act must foster collaboration between different agencies and ministries in national governments implementing it, by e.g. stipulating that its implementation should be shared between the environmental and fisheries ministries and that relevant ministries and agencies must consult each other.
Targets for national & regional MSPs: The Act should mandate legally binding national MSPs as well as regional MSPs for each sea basin, where at a minimum all the national plans are collated and harmonized, leading to strengthening of regional cooperation, data sharing, and in the long-term to regional maritime spatial planning.
Regional Considerations : Acknowledge and address regional challenges, which for the Baltic Sea include the severe effects from eutrophication, mainly due to nutrient runoff from land-based sources, primarily from agriculture, as well as the high levels of other pollutants and hazardous substances. The poor state of the Baltic Sea ecosystems and fish stocks must also be tackled. Climate change is also affecting the Baltic Sea faster than other marine regions and must be factored in when managing the sea area and its resources, to ensure EBM.
Strengthening the role of RSCs : To improve coherence, coordination and effectiveness of marine governance the role of the Regional Seas Conventions in implementing the Act and EU marine legislation must be strengthened.
Ocean Act adopted as a regulation : To ensure its swift and coherent implementation across EU seas in all Member States the Act should be adopted as a regulation instead of a directive.
Land-sea interface : requirement in the existing MSPD must be strengthen in order to ensure that land-based activities don’t have detrimental impacts on the marine ecosystems. It is also important to include land-based efforts when planning for costal and marine restoration, a so-called Source-to-Sea approach, to ensure effective recovery of the Baltic Sea ecosystems.
Fisheries and aquaculture : must be included in the national and regional MSPs as activities and pressures that are planned for in a way that reduces their impacts on the ecosystems, sensitive species as well as all harvested species. Likewise, aquaculture prohibition zones should also be implemented, as these can have considerable impact on achieving GES. The Ocean Act should align and support achieving the goals of the CFP regarding rebuilding fish stocks and ending overfishing. The Ocean Act must furthermore require that national and regional MSP map all essential fish habitats and that negative impacts on these by other sectors using the sea, including fisheries, are mitigated. In addition, zoning should prioritise restoration of essential fish habitats.
Climate change : the EU goals for reducing greenhouse gases and reaching climate neutrality (as outlined in the European Climate Law and the EU Green Deal) should also be aligned into the Act and planned for when implementing it. Furthermore, national and regional MSPs should include climate change resilient spatial planning.

The full text of the submission is available here .

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Links to supplemental documents supporting our positions:

- Guiding Recommendations for Source-to-Sea Restoration in Riverine, Coastal, and Marine Ecosystems (Coalition Clean Baltic, 2025)

- Position Paper on Marine Protected Areas (Coalition Clean Baltic 2024)

- Don’t sink the Common Fisheries Policy – fulfil its potential (joint NGO Briefing 2025)

- Blue Manifesto (joint NGO paper)

From a destroyed greenhouse to a growing public garden: how donations found new life in Lviv

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:50:36 GMT

In 2022, amid the devastation caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a small but meaningful crowdfunding initiative - #ASeedForReblooming - was launched to support landscape architect Nina Radchenko . Today, that initiative has evolved into a powerful contribution to urban sustainability and community resilience in Lviv.

Nina Radchenko’s professional and personal journey has been deeply shaped by the war. Originally from occupied Horlivka, she relocated in 2014 to the village of Oleksandrivka in the Donetsk region, near Sviatohirsk. There, over eight years, she built the Oleksandrivka Garden Center , developing greenhouses and cultivating ornamental plants and vegetables with the support of international grants.

In the spring of 2022, the garden center, greenhouses, and Nina’s family home were destroyed due to the war. Forced to evacuate, Nina and her family eventually resettled first in Rivne and later in Kyiv, while Oleksandrivka became inaccessible due to the proximity of the front line and widespread landmining.

During a meeting in May 2022 in Järna, Sweden, Nina and her colleagues from Coalition Clean Baltic launched a crowdfunding campaign to help restore one of the destroyed greenhouses. Over two years and three months, the campaign raised €7,000 . However, as the security situation worsened, it became clear that rebuilding in Oleksandrivka was no longer possible.

A thoughtful redirection of support

Faced with this reality, Nina proposed redirecting the collected donations to a project that could continue the spirit of her work — nurturing plants, people, and sustainable environments — in a safer place. The funds were transferred to support “Rozsadnyk,” a public space for eco-therapy and environmental education located in Zalizni Vody Park in Lviv .

" Probably when you lose a lot, you want to give something back. Every initiative should be long-term. After losing everything for the second time, I am very cautious about this. And I understand that it the activity must be in a safe place. This is a relatively safe place for now, although Ukraine as a whole is not a safe place at the moment. I want it to bring joy. " said Nina.

Established in 2021 on the site of a former municipal flower farm, Rozsadnyk has grown through collaboration between local residents, NGOs, city authorities, international donors, and socially responsible businesses. To date, the space has hosted more than 220 public events — from clean-ups and gardening workshops to garden therapy sessions, literary meetings, and concerts — engaging over 4,000 participants .

The Green Bank: a new chapter

Redirected donations are now strengthening the creation of the Green Bank , the first public garden center in Lviv and in Ukraine . This initiative focuses on building a stock of planting material based on the principles of sustainable gardening: perennial, non-invasive plants that are resilient to urban conditions, require minimal maintenance, and help cities adapt to climate change.

The Green Bank is rooted in plants already growing on the site — many inherited from the former flower farm — and continues to expand through new purchases and community plant-donation campaigns. Volunteers and coordinators care for the plants together, turning the process into both a learning experience and a collective act of stewardship.

Who benefits and why it matters

The Green Bank supports initiative groups, schools, cultural and healthcare institutions, and the wider Lviv community by providing young, rooted plants for greening projects upon request. Beyond plants, it shares knowledge.

In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, cities urgently need greener spaces. Traditional approaches (sterile lawns, annual flowers, and imported species) are costly and often ineffective. The Green Bank offers an alternative: nature-oriented, ethical, and cost-efficient urban greening .

Weekly open meetings, held every Wednesday during the summer, allow residents to learn hands-on techniques for propagating plants without peat, chemicals, or tap water, and to understand sustainable gardening as a daily practice, not just a theory.

Progress and impact so far

The first full season of the Green Bank (February–October 2025) has already delivered impressive results:

282 participants involved in events
23 events held
24 plant species established
1,195 plants successfully grown
Around 200 plants shared with the community

The season will conclude with further workshops, including a dedicated session led by Nina Radchenko , bringing her expertise full circle into this new chapter.

Strong partnerships for the future

The initiative is implemented in partnership with the NGO Plato , within Rozsadnyk, with the support of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Lviv City Council and the territory’s balance holder, State Enterprise “Park – Vysokyi Zamok.” At the end of 2024, these partners, together with NGOs Plato and Ecoterra, signed a five-year cooperation agreement , securing the long-term development of Rozsadnyk as a space for environmental education and nature therapy.

From one greenhouse to a citywide impact

While the original greenhouse in Oleksandrivka could not be rebuilt, its legacy lives on. By redirecting donations to the Green Bank, supporters have helped transform loss into growth — not just of plants, but of community, resilience, and a greener future for Ukrainian cities.

***
You can follow the progress of the project on:

The Green Bank of Rozsadnyk: what it is and why you should join : Plato NGO
Website: https://rozsadnyk.lviv.ua/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rozsadnyk_prostir
Facebook: ttps://www.facebook.com/rozsadnyk/?locale=uk_UA

Co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.

Too many concessions in agreed eel fishing closures makes measure ineffective

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:23:45 GMT

The EU Fisheries Council have agreed to a roll-over of current eel fishing closures in EU waters to protect the 2026/2027 eel migrations. Regrettably the well-intentioned provision now contains so many derogations that the measure is not effective. The ban on recreational eel fishing in EU waters remain. In the Mediterranean region, measures apply in all waters, including freshwater, in line with the GFCM Recommendation [1] on eel.

Stockholm, 15 December 2025 - In light of the lack of any significant signs of recovery in the critically endangered European eel population following the adoption of the EU Eel Regulation [2], the EU agreed in 2017 to introduce time-limited eel fishing closures to protect eel migration. These measures initially consisted of three-month closures aimed at preventing fishing of silver eels during their spawning migration to the Sargasso Sea.

Since then, the closures have been expanded to also cover the glass eel migration and complemented by a full ban on recreational fishing in EU waters. Their duration has also been extended to a total of six months (or three + three months). On paper, this represents a comprehensive conservation measure intended to support the reproduction and recruitment of one of the EU’s most depleted fish stocks. Today, less than 10% of the original eel population remains, and in the northern range, less than 1%.

However, the current version of the closures that will apply in the 2026/2027 eel fishing season is riddled with exemptions that undermine their conservation purpose. Under the regulation adopted by the Council, all Member States may permit 30 days of eel fishing during the main migration period under a derogation [3]. Fishing under the derogation can be allowed as 30 consecutive days, but also to be spread out on a day-by-day basis, enabling some Member States to tailor them to the existing fishing patterns and selectively allow fishing during conditions when eels tend to migrate, such as the moon cycle.

“ Once again, scientific advice is being ignored, and fisheries of this critically endangered species are being allowed to continue. This is both alarming and deeply disappointing. We now appeal to all the Baltic Sea Member States to at least ensure that the mandatory EU fisheries closure period is regionally coordinated, does not include exemptions for fisheries during the peak migratory period, and is placed at a time when it genuinely protects the eel during its spawning migration ”, comments Aimi Hamberg, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) Marine Policy Officer.

For commercial glass eel fisheries, on top of the 30 days there is a further derogation of 50 days of fishing provided that it is for the purpose of restocking, bringing the total number of potential fishing days during peak migration up to 80 days. Depending on how the derogations are used, this means that fishing can continue pretty much unabated throughout the peak migration, providing little protection for recruitment of new eels into European waters.

“ This is of particular concern as the EU requirement for full traceability in the glass eel trade is not working. There is no overall system in place to ensure all the eels fished for restocking are actually used for restocking" , says Niki Sporrong, Senior Policy Officer & European Eel Project Manager at FishSec.

Regionally, eel migration times may vary significantly with eels further away from the Sargasso Sea starting migration earlier. The provision therefore requires the Baltic Member States to coordinate their closures to “ensure an effective protection” of eels migrating from the Baltic Sea into the North Sea. Baltic Member States have failed to do this since 2023 when this was first introduced, resulting in a fall-back uniform closure from 15 September to 15 March – too late to provide effective protection in most Baltic Member States.

The eel fishing closures can also be tailored to the local fishing area – i.e. it doesn’t have to apply the same across the country – making it possible to tailor the exemptions from the closures to local fishing practices.

With European eel red listed as Critically Endangered since 2008, and scientific advice clearly stating that zero catch is the only precautionary option in line with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, the European Commission has tried to tailor the eel fishing closures to provide effective protection. This followed the failure to introduce a full fishing closure in 2018. As a result, closures have been extended to six months, and strengthened through wording like “prohibition”, “shall cover the month of peak migration”, “peak month for every geographical area”.

In its proposal for 2023, the Commission explicitly underlined the conservation purpose of this approach, stating: “A six-month closure, if set during the appropriate period, would cover the vast majority of migrating glass and silver eels and therefore provide a higher level of protection of the eel stock in the waters covered by the closure”.

“ While well-intentioned, the eel fishing closures have in some countries become something similar to “paper parks. It looks good: six months without fishing to protect eels at key life stages. But push back from Member States has weakened the provision, shifting wording and time periods, inserting exemptions to a point where they are not effective , adds Niki Sporrong - With the right intention, you can still protect eel migration fully but what we see is that this is often not the case ”.

The ban on recreational fisheries in marine waters remains in place. However, this partial protection does not meet the strong scientific advice calling for zero catches of all eel life stages in all habitats. After almost two decades of EU-wide recovery and conservation measures, there are no signs of population recovery. Only three EU countries – Ireland, Malta and Slovenia – have fully prohibited all fishing for the European eel, and total landings in 2024 remained over 2,000 tonnes.

_END

NOTES

[1] The GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) manages European eel through a multiannual plan .

[2] Council Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007 of 18 September 2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel.

[3] Art. 13.4 in the proposal COM (2025) 662.

For more information:

COP30 brings ocean and water to the center of climate policy

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:48:24 GMT

In Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference COP30 immediately set the bar high. In his opening speech, Brazilian President Lula da Silva stressed that climate change is no longer a "threat to the future", but a tragedy that the world is already experiencing here and now, and called on countries to accelerate actions rather than limit themselves to promises.

However, as is often the case in COP meetings, the political reality turned out to be more complicated than ambitions. Negotiations were difficult: the countries could not agree on a clear and binding plan to phase out fossil fuels. It is important to note that the Global Action Plan has provided a platform for discussing the development of a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change. At the same time, COP30 has brought tangible progress in other areas: the countries agreed to triple the amount of adaptation funding for developing countries by 2035, strengthened the forest and ocean agenda, and expanded the range of practical initiatives under the Action Agenda . COP30 consolidated the trend: from "water at the center of the climate crisis" to a holistic ocean agenda closely related to energy, food, biodiversity and sustainable coastal development.

From the COP29 Water Declaration to the COP30 Enhanced Ocean Water Program

At COP29 in Baku, the Declaration on Water for Climate Action was adopted , with the aim to applying comprehensive approaches to combating the causes and consequences of climate change for water basins, emphasizing also the need to integrate water-related mitigation and adaptation measures into national climate policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

COP30 did not reverse this logic, but expanded it towards the ocean and coasts. Both processes "aquatic" and "oceanic" are moving in the same direction:

integration of water, coasts and ocean into the climate plans of countries;
development of nature-based solutions;
strengthening transboundary management of water and marine systems;
recognizing adaptation as an equal part of climate policy, rather than an "adjunct" to emissions reduction.

Task Force on Oceans and the Blue NDC Challenge

The international Task Force on Oceans , led by Brazil and France, was officially presented at the high-level ministerial meeting "From Ambition to Implementation: Delivering on Ocean Commitments" on 18 November, integrating oceans into a global mechanism to accelerate the incorporation of marine solutions into national climate plans.

The Blue Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Challenge encourages countries to set ocean protection targets when updating their NDCs. The goal is to transition the Blue NDC Challenge into an Implementation Task Force. Members of the Blue NDC Challenge, currently 17 countries, can adopt a broad set of actions aimed at the protection and sustainable use of the oceans.These measures include the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems, supported by tools such as marine spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management, and climate-aligned marine protected areas. Countries are also encouraged to support sustainable and climate-resilient fishing and aquaculture, ensuring ocean health and long-term food security.

B razil has set a clear example: its updated NDC includes a separate chapter on the ocean and coastal zones. For the first time, the national climate plan (Plano Clima) until 2035 includes a thematic adaptation plan for these areas. Priorities include the completion of national Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) by 2030 and major programs for the conservation and restoration of mangroves and coral reefs (ProManguezal, ProCoral).

Blue Package and «Ocean Breakthroughs»

The Blue Package, part of the COP30 Action Agenda, provides a roadmap for how countries can:

Protect and restore coastal and marine ecosystems;
Integrate marine solutions into climate mitigation and adaptation;
Scale marine protected areas aligned with climate goals;
Deploy tools such as marine spatial planning (MSP) and integrated coastal zone management.

This is the first time an Action Agenda includes a dedicated ocean implementation track. It builds on the Ocean Breakthroughs, which are science-based "breakthroughs" formulated up to 2030 in five interconnected sectors:

Marine Conservation : by 2030, investments of at least USD 72 billion secure the integrity of ocean ecosystems by protecting, restoring, and conserving at least 30% of the ocean for the benefit of people, climate, and nature;

Ocean Renewable Energy : by 2030, at least 380 GW of offshore capacity should be installed, while establishing targets and enabling measures for net-positive biodiversity outcomes. USD 10 billion in concessional finance is advocated for developing economies to reach its goal.

Shipping : by 2030, zero emission fuels make up at least 5%of international shipping fuels (aiming for 10%) and 15% of domestic shipping fuels. 450,000 seafarers need upskilling and retraining, and 30% of trade should move through climate adapting ports. The impact of international shipping on marine biodiversity should be reduced by 30%.

Aquatic Food : by 2030, at least USD 4 billion per year will support resilient aquatic food systems that contribute to healthy, regenerative ecosystems and sustain food,and nutrition security for three billion people;

Coastal Tourism : by 2030, USD 30 billion per year should be invested to halve emissions from coastal tourism. Additional investments are planned to build the resilience of local communities and to recover and protect ecosystems, supporting sustainable tourism in island and coastal destinations most vulnerable to climate change.

Practical tools for achieving these goals were also launched at COP30:

Ocean Breakthroughs Implementation Dashboard is a public dashboard to monitor the progress of countries and industries in five areas (nature conservation, marine food, renewable energy, shipping, tourism);
M arine Biodiversity & The Ocean Health toolkit is a set of standards and methodologies for assessing the state of the ocean and integrating ocean based solutions into NDC/NAP (including ocean health indicators, recommendations for monitoring biodiversity, and templates for accounting and reporting).

Together, these tools enhance accountability and transparency, making it more difficult for countries to "speak beautifully" about the ocean without taking measurable actions.

One Ocean Partnership and Belém Ocean Declaration

The One Ocean Partnership is another framework initiative reinforced at COP30. It unites states, scientific organizations, NGOs and businesses around large-scale programs for the restoration and protection of marine ecosystems. By 2030, the partnership aims to mobilize at least $20 billion for the restoration of marine ecosystems, create up to 20 million jobs in coastal regions, accelerate the implementation of ocean-based solutions in national climate policies.

T he Belém Ocean Declaration was presented at the Ocean Pavilion, calling on countries to:

Recognize the ocean as a central climate regulator and integrate it into national and global climate strategies;
Ensure accessibility and equity of ocean solutions, prioritizing small island states, least developed countries and coastal communities;
Accelerate ocean and coastal conservation by linking itto mitigation, adaptation, and sustainability goals;
Develop threat-monitoring technologies (e.g. sea level rise, acidification, biodiversity loss) and create reliable MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) systems for ocean solutions;
Support global ocean surveillance and mapping systems.

The declaration sets the political framework that underpins the practical goals and tools of the Blue Package and Ocean Breakthroughs .

At COP30, environmental organizations and scientific institutions also raised concerns about threats to the ocean that remain outside formal solutions. One of the key issues was deep-sea mining: NGOs warned about the risks of destroying unique deep-sea ecosystems and emphasized that commercial mining should not proceed without scientific data on its climatic and environmental consequences. Although COP30 did not make formal decisions on deep-sea mining or restrictions on commercial fishing, pressure from NGOs, scientists, and coastal communities is growing, shaping global demand for stronger ocean protection in future climate negotiations.

Strengths of the COP30 water and ocean agenda

The ocean has been systematically integrated into climate instruments for the first time, including NDCs, the Action Agenda, and various coalitions and partnerships;
The Blue Package and Ocean Breakthroughs set specific benchmarks for sectoral goals, financing, and monitoring;
New financial and institutional mechanisms are emerging, such as the Blue NDC Challenge, One Ocean Partnership, and ocean-focused parts of the Action Agenda, supporting national and regional blue projects.

Gaps and challenges

Most oceanic initiatives remain voluntary and are embedded in binding COP decisions;
There is still no strong language in COP texts on limiting oil and gas production on the continental shelf or in deep-sea areas;
Freshwater ecosystems (rivers, lakes, reservoirs) receive noticeably less attention than ocean and forests, leaving the water agenda somewhat "blurred" across forest, biodiversity, and Amazonian themes.

In summary, COP30 has significantly advanced the institutionalization of the ocean in climate policy, but has not addressed the key political issue of the rapid,mandatory phase-outof fossil fuels. Without this, any "blue" agenda risks being compensatory rather than transformational.

The COP30 water agenda reinforces the integration of seas and coasts intoclimate policy. For the Baltic States, this means coastal ecosystems will increasingly be included in national adaptation plans and climate strategies as natural protection against storms, erosion and sea level rise.

COP30 initiatives such as the Blue NDC Challenge, Blue Package, and One Ocean Partnership create the political and financial framework for scaling coastal ecosystem restoration projects. This opens opportunities for projects aimed at strengthening coastal resilience, monitoring sea conditions, and implementing nature-based solutions. As a result, the COP30 water agenda creates both pressure and incentives to accelerate climate adaptation in the Baltic and highlight the need for more funding for "blue" and coastal projects.

***
Article written by Anna Ushakova, CCB Maritime Working Area Leader

Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award 2025

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 16:01:00 GMT

Launched in 2009, the WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award highlights best practices and recognizes farmers who are leading efforts to reduce nutrient runoff and protect the Baltic Sea. So far, around 80 farmers have been awarded for their innovative and sustainable approaches.

This year farmers from Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Poland and Sweden participated, and CCB was among the national Polish jury - represented by Maria Staniszewska, President of the CCB Member Organisation Polish Ecological Club, Gliwice branch.

Beyond the competition, winners serve as ambassadors for sustainable farming, sharing their experiences to inspire others. Their efforts contribute to reducing eutrophication, improving soil and water health, and promoting biodiversity – key steps toward a healthier Baltic Sea.

In 2025, Beata and Robert Janowski’s farm Farm pod Kasztanem or ‘Under the Chestnut Tree Farm’ in eastern Poland has been named Poland’s WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year for its outstanding integration of organic dairy farming with nature-based solutions. The farm was selected by the national jury for its exemplary environmental stewardship, biodiversity support, and closed-loop production system.

Jury motivation

" The Janowski’s take a holistic and deeply rooted approach to sustainable farming. Their practices demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting the Baltic Sea and surrounding ecosystems, transforming their family farm into a model of circular, organic agriculture. With visible biodiversity gains and active collaboration in research and education, they are setting a powerful example of how environmentally conscious farming can be both profitable and regenerative. "

Beyond production, the Janowski’s are active educators and collaborators. They are part of Poland’s National Network of Demonstration Farms, which aims to provide and promote the best examples of agricultural practices in the country. Additionally, they have conducted research with the University of Life Sciences in Lublin on herbal mixtures in cow feed, and in 2022, they received the Ministry of Agriculture’s award for Best Organic Farm in Poland.

Their farm exemplifies how thoughtful manure management and nature-based practices can transform agriculture into a driver of biodiversity and climate resilience. " We encourage other farms to embrace organic and to protect our natural environment, because we too are part of nature. Just as we take care of ourselves, we should also take care of climate, animals, and nature. We love educating from a very young age, and we encourage kindergarteners and students to take eco-friendly actions that contribute to a better state of waters and nature", commented Beata and Robert Janowski.

The national winners receive a prize of €1,000. From these, an international jury chooses one regional winner, awarded €10,000 and the title of WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year.

During the award event held in Hanover, Germany, in November, Swedish dairy farmers Mathias, Henrik, and Gabriel Jonsson from Västervik have been awarded the regional WWF Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award 2025, recognizing them as the most innovative and environmentally impactful farmers across the five Baltic participating countries.

For more information, visit: wwfbalticfarmer.org
News on PKE´s website.

Pathway to Tox-Free Living: Policy and Action

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:28:24 GMT

Leading scientists, consumer advocates and policymakers gathered on November, 18th in Brussels for the conference "From Evidence to Policy: Toward a Tox free Living Environment" .
They warned that exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in homes and consumer products represents a silent but severe public health and economic crisis. New findings presented to over 65 participants by the EU Baltic Sea Interreg project NonHazCity3 , LIFE ChemBee and the ToxFree LIFE for All projects as well as revealed widespread contamination of European households by complex chemical mixtures of hormone system disrupting substances (so called endocrine disrupters – EDCs) that contribute to chronic disease and impose enormous health costs.

According to the key note speaker Dr. Aleksandra Rutkowska, the home environment is a significant source of exposure to EDCs through indoor air, dust and daily contact with common products. Current research links such exposure to a shocking amount of lifestyle diseases including 22 cancer outcomes, 18 metabolic disorder outcomes and 17 cardiovascular disease outcomes. Scientists also stressed that the crisis spans generations. EDCs trigger epigenetic changes that not only affect today’s population but also future children and even grandchildren. Other effects include reproduction disorders. Over the last decade, 150 million babies were born preterm, and evidence shows that reducing the use of plastics by half could cut the risk of preterm birth by half as well.

The NonHazCity3 project presented evidence that hazardous substances remain common in construction materials and contribute significantly to indoor exposure. Organophosphate flame retardants are estimated to cause a loss of thirteen million IQ points every year in the European Union. Biocides have been found to leach from outdoor paints and PFAS have been detected in dust samples from preschools. At the same time, project representatives emphasised that effective solutions already exist. Stronger legal requirements, full transparency regarding the chemical content of new and reused building materials and the use of green procurement systems can substantially reduce exposure. The Swedish BVB system was highlighted as a successful example, enabling the City of Västerås to decrease the number of products assessed as unsuitable for use by half.

“ The construction and buildings sector is enormous: globally, it may account for around 37 % of CO₂ emissions; within the EU, production continues to grow — and this scale means that even incremental improvements in material composition, reuse and safety can make a big difference ,” says Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader. " What stood out from our discussion in the conference is that safe, tox-free construction is achievable — but only if science, policy, and people move together. We need transparency, collaboration, and persistence to ensure the buildings we construct today don’t become tomorrow’s pollution ,” Lobanov concludes.

Speakers cautioned against weakening chemical regulation and stressed that progress requires strong legislation, transparent markets and practical support for consumers. Without these steps, the long-term health and economic consequences of hazardous chemicals exposure will continue to grow.

At the conference CCB moderated a dedicated panel exploring how hazardous substances still widely present in building materials affect human health, the environment, and circular economy efforts. The session brought perspectives from science, NGOs and consumer experience, municipal practice, and policy.

Key messages from the panel included:

1. Evidence of widespread chemical risks in construction

Findings from the NonHazCity3 project show that building materials still contain numerous hazardous substances—such as PFAS, bisphenols, flame retardants and plasticisers—which can migrate into indoor dust, stormwater, and the wider environment. This presents long-term risks as buildings last for decades and materials may later be reused or recycled.

2. Real-world challenges for consumers and builders

Insights from practical renovation stories illustrated how difficult it can be for consumers and even renovation professionals to understand what chemicals are in materials. Labels are often unclear, information fragmented, and safe alternatives difficult to identify—highlighting the need for better transparency tools and market incentives.

3. Municipal leadership shows that change is possible

Examples from cities such as Stockholm and Västerås demonstrated how chemical-smart procurement, material logbooks, and product assessments can drastically reduce the use of hazardous substances in public buildings. These systems also support future renovation, safe reuse, and circularity.

4. Policy must ensure transparency and prevent regrettable substitution

The panel stressed that EU and national legislation must advance toward mandatory chemical content disclosure, stronger restrictions, and clearer rules for safe circularity. Avoiding “regrettable substitutions”—where one harmful chemical is replaced by another equally problematic one—remains a key challenge.

CCB’s role and NGO perspectives

Throughout the conference, CCB emphasized the crucial role of NGOs in :

Raising public awareness about chemical risks in everyday environments
Translating scientific evidence into accessible messages for citizens and decision-makers
Supporting municipalities and national authorities in implementing chemical-smart building practices
Advocating for stronger EU and national policies, including transparency requirements, safer product design and a toxic-free circular economy

CCB also highlighted its ongoing work within NonHazCity3, and specifically regional awareness-raising campaign ( follow in social media - #nhc3campaign ), w hich continue to build public capacity on safe and sustainable construction and renovation in the Baltic Sea region.

***

Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

No catches of European eel in 2026 can be in line with scientific advice

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:14:01 GMT

Widespread exploitation of the critically endangered European eel population continues against scientific advice, despite few signs of recovery. Yesterday, the International Exploration of the Sea, ICES, published its scientific advice on fishing opportunities and conservation for European eel for 2026. As in previous years, ICES advises zero catch for all life stages, all uses and in all habitats. The conservation advice is to reduce other human-related mortalities to zero and restore habitats.

The scientific advice on European eel requested by the EU, the UK and Norway makes very clear that no catches can be considered sustainable and that the “zero catch” [1] also applies to glass eel landings for restocking [2] and aquaculture. The message is reinforced by the advice on conservation aspects, highlighting the need to reduce other anthropogenic mortalities to zero, as well as restore both the quantity and quality of eel habitats.

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a critically endangered species [3] that has suffered a dramatic decline in numbers over the past 30 years [4]. Despite the need for protection and efforts to aid its recovery, European eel continues to be fished across most of its natural range.

In the past decade, total reported commercial landings of yellow and silver eel have remained above 2 000 tonnes per year; according to ICES, several countries continue to report annual landings [5] of over 100 tonnes. Reported commercial glass eel landings [6] remain above 55 tonnes. Where available, estimates of national recreational landings of yellow and silver eels [7] show that they can be of the same order of magnitude as those of commercial fisheries. All in contradiction with the scientific advice.

Management in the EU is primarily through the Council Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel. However, in response to an EU Special Request Advice for an evaluation of the national progress reports on eel management plans , ICES concluded that in most cases, escapement and mortalities are still far from the EU regulation targets and that there is no evidence that total silver eel escapement is increasing. Anthropogenic mortality also remains high. [8]

The need for further measures to aid eel recovery has been debated and implemented across and beyond the EU, but these are not sufficient. The Baltic Sea region is of particular importance since most eels here grow into large females, crucial to the success of spawning.

“ The loss of the European eel would mean more than the disappearance of a species, it would signal the collapse of an entire ecosystem connection from Europe’s rivers to the Sargasso Sea ,” comments Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer. “ Protecting the eel now is about restoring balance to our waters ”.

Eel fishing closures, together with a complete ban of recreational fishing, intended to protect eel migration and recruitment have been adopted in EU marine waters [9], yet fishing mortality for both glass eels and silver eels remain too high. [10]

“ Management of European eel continues to be contrary to scientific advice, ” says Niki Sporrong, Senior Policy Officer & European eel Project Manager at FishSec. “ Agreed EU objectives for the rebuilding of fish stocks and biodiversity are simply not applied to European eel. Urgent measures to minimise eel mortality must be implemented now, in both national inland, EU and international waters ”.

—END—

FishSec – the Fisheries Secretariat is a politically independent non-profit organisation dedicated to

the protection and restoration of marine ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries. FishSec was established in 2003 by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, WWF Sweden and the Swedish Anglers’ Association. More info at www.fishsec.org

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) – Is a politically independent, non-profit association, with over 1 500 000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. More info at: www.ccb.se

***

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Press release on FishSec’s website is available here .

[1] ICES has advised that all anthropogenic mortality should be kept as close to zero as possible since 2003 (ICES, 2020). Since 2021, the advice has changed to zero for all anthropogenic mortalities, including all fishing.

[2] Restocking involves catching wild glass eels in one place and letting them go in another, often spreading viruses and disease in the process. It has been used for decades in many countries – not as a conservation measure but in order to sustain fisheries for eel. Despite the prolonged practice, no net benefit to eel reproduction has been proven. In its advice for 2026, ICES notes that “restocking is reliant on a glass eel catch, which is in contradiction with the current advice”.

[3] The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN , and is on the European Red List for freshwater fish . It is also included in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) .

[4] The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) data on recruitment shows a dramatic decline since the assessment baseline (1960-1979), and no significant recovery. Glass eel recruitment continues to be very low. This year, the preliminary estimate for the North Sea area is 0.7 % of the baseline average and for “elsewhere Europe” 12.1 %. Yellow eel recruitment in 2024 was estimated to 14.3 %.

[5] Trends in landings – reported commercial landings of yellow and silver eel continue to fall overall. In 2023, landings were 2,291 tonnes and in 2024, landings were around 2,055 tonnes, if we assume that Germany landed >200 tonnes based on landings from recent years. However, the Netherlands and stands out for significantly increasing reported commercial landings since the EU eel regulation was adopted. Egypt, which has a substantial fishery for European eel and mainly targets yellow and silver eel, does not report any data to ICES and is not included in the overall estimates.

[6] EU glass eel landings – in 2025, reported commercial landings of glass eel, a fishery completely dominated by France, were at 57 tonnes. In France, landings have been increasing since 2010 and peaked at 54.5 tonnes in 2022. This year, France reported landings of 52.5 tonnes (prel. figures) – 94% of the EU catch. After Brexit, UK landings have fallen dramatically, from more than 3 tonnes to 0.6 tonnes in 2025. Spain is the only country still fishing for glass eel in the Mediterranean.

[7] Recreational landings of yellow and silver eel are completely dominated by Germany. Total reported recreational landings for 2022 – the last year with complete figures – was 551 tonnes. In Germany, recreational landings remain very high , higher than reported commercial landings, with 275 tonnes reported for 2022. This is more than half of all reported recreational landings in the EU (52%).

[8] Assessment of European eel is complex due to the great geographical range of the population, including a number of countries outside of the ICES areas. This makes it impossible for ICES to use fishing mortality, Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and other standard reference points for eel. As data on eel fisheries and other anthropogenic impacts remain incomplete, the assessment is based on time series for glass eel and yellow eel recruitment. Even without defined biological limit reference points, it is ICES assessment that the European eel population remains well below any potential reference points, such as Blim.

[9] Only three EU countries – Ireland, Malta and Slovenia – have prohibited all fishing for the European eel , despite the fact that it is also on the European Red List of Freshwater Fishes. Six EU countries still landed over 100 tonnes in 2024 : the Netherlands (479 t), France (319 t), Germany [extrapolated from latest reported landings of >200 t], Poland (152 t), Sweden (149 t) and Denmark (101 t). Outside of the EU, Turkey (280 t) also reported landings over 100 tonnes.

[10] Eels have a complex life cycle, going through several different life stages and generally live for 10–20 years. The very small, translucent eels arriving at European coastlines every year are called glass eels . When they reach brackish or fresh waters, they transform into less transparent elvers , and then grow into yellow eels , which live along our coasts, in rivers and lakes for up to 25 years. When mature, they transform again into silver eels , which will undertake the long journey to the Sargasso Sea to spawn.

Fisheries Ministers Risk Breaking EU Law, Jeopardising Baltic Sea Recovery

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 11:18:22 GMT

EU Council decision on 2026 fishing limits fails to implement legally required safeguards, jeopardising the fragile marine ecosystem

Luxembourg, 28th of October 2025 - Environmental organisations across Europe ( Baltic Salmon Fund, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, Coalition Clean Baltic, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, FishSec, Oceana, Östersjölaxälvar i samverkan, Pasaules dabas fonds, Seas At Risk, WWF Baltic Sea Programme ) express grave concern following today’s EU Fisheries and Agriculture Council of Ministers' (AGRIFISH) decision on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026 , warning that the agreement fails to provide the precautionary approach necessary to rebuild the Baltic Sea’s critically depleted fish populations and fragile marine ecosystem.

Despite clear scientific warnings ^[1] about the dire state of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, well-established legal frameworks to remedy the situation, as well as a good, precautionary and recovery-oriented proposal on fishing opportunities for 2026 from the European Commission, the Council set fishing limits that breach legal requirements ^[2] under both the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan (MAP), prioritising short-term economic interests over long-term ecosystem recovery.

" The evidence is clear: the Baltic Sea ecosystem is in severe distress, and current management approaches are not working ," said Aimi Hamberg, Marine Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic . " We need fishing limits set well below single-stock scientific advice to account for ecosystem interactions, data uncertainties, and the critical role these fish species play in the Baltic food web. Instead, the Council has yet again continued to push biological limits to their breaking point ."

Breaking the law on herring stocks

Of particular concern are the decisions on pelagic forage fish populations—herring and sprat—which form the backbone of the Baltic Sea food web. The Council's Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for central Baltic herring and Gulf of Bothnia herring exceeds the levels required to comply with Article 4.6 of the Baltic Sea MAP, which mandates that fishing opportunities must be set to ensure a less than 5% chance of stocks falling below critical biomass levels (Blim).

The Council agreed to increase the central Baltic herring quota by 15% compared to 2025 levels, despite the stock being in poor condition and barely above critical levels ^[3] . This decision violates the Baltic Sea MAP by creating an unacceptably high risk and exceeding the legal 5% probability limit of falling to critically low levels that could impair the population’s reproduction. ^[4]

For Gulf of Bothnia herring , while the Council reduced the quota by 41%, this reduction also falls far short of what is needed to comply with the law. The agreed TAC creates a much higher probability of the spawning stock falling below Blim, thereby directly violating legally binding safeguards designed to prevent irreversible damage to fish populations.

Sprat: Reckless 45% increase despite uncertain recruitment forecast

The Council's decision to increase the sprat quota by 45% compared to 2025 is particularly alarming given the scientific uncertainties and the stock's decreasing trend. From 2021 to 2023, Baltic Sea sprat suffered some of the lowest recruitment rates ever recorded for the stock. While the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advised catches based on a seemingly strong 2024 year class, this estimate relies on a single autumn survey in northeastern areas, making its contribution to overall sprat biomass highly uncertain.

The sprat decision is further complicated by ongoing issues with misreporting between sprat and herring, as well as mixing with degraded herring stocks in fisheries—factors that demand extra precaution rather than quota increases.

Cod: recovery remains elusive with a too high bycatch quota

ICES continues to advise zero catch for both eastern and western Baltic cod stocks, which remain below critical biomass limits despite years of severe catch restrictions. Despite the Commission’s proposal to reduce the bycatch quota on both stocks, the Council failed to acknowledge the severity of the situation or prioritise the recovery of these depleted top predators by maintaining the unacceptable high bycatch quota.

Maintaining a high by-catch quota for threatened species is not only against the scientific advice of zero catch, but it also does not incentivise the fishing industry to fish more selectively.

Further restrictions on salmon fisheries are necessary

Baltic salmon populations have suffered from poor survival during their feeding migration in the sea. This has led to a drastic decrease in the number of returning spawners in the rivers. It is impossible to predict the survival of salmon during their sea phase in advance, so the current status and development of salmon stocks are on very uncertain grounds.

The Council decided to decrease the main basin salmon TAC in line with the ICES advice by 27% and maintain the ban on commercial salmon fishing in the main basin of the Baltic Sea. In the Gulf of Finland, it was decided to increase the level by 1% compared to 2025 due to the stable or improving status of the Gulf of Finland wild salmon populations.

Joint commitment offers hope, but action is needed now

While the Council's decisions on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities are deeply disappointing, there is a glimmer of hope in the joint commitment issued by the European Commission and Baltic Sea Member States agreeing on the need to request ICES to provide specific scientific advice on fish stocks rebuilding trajectories. Although this commitment is not legally binding and falls short of the immediate action needed, environmental organisations hope it signals a turning point in efforts to rebuild the fragile fish populations of the Baltic Sea.

The full joint PR is available here .

_END

***

EXTRA NOTES TO EDITORS

● The Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan (Regulation EU 2016/1139) establishes legally binding rules for managing cod, herring, and sprat stocks in the Baltic Sea.

● Article 4.6 of the Baltic Sea MAP requires that fishing opportunities be set to ensure less than 5% probability of stocks falling below Blim.

● ICES has advised zero catch for western Baltic herring since 2019, for eastern Baltic cod since 2020, and for western Baltic cod since 2025.

● The Common Fisheries Policy (Regulation EU 1380/2013) requires that all fishing opportunities be set according to the precautionary approach (Article 2.2) and ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management (Article 2.3)

● Full NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026 are available here

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND INTERVIEWS, PLEASE CONTACT:

● Aimi Hamberg, Marine Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), aimi.hamberg@ccb.se

● Arielle Sutherland-Sherriff, Policy Advisor, Oceana, asutherland@oceana.org

● Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Fisheries Advisor, FishSec, Cathrine@fishsec.org

● Joonas Plaan, Member of the Management Board, sustainable fisheries expert, Estonian Fund for Nature, joonas.plaan@elfond.ee

● Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead, WWF Baltic Sea Programme, jzajchowska@wwf.pl

● Claudia Romero-Oliva, Policy Officer Marine Conservation, Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., romero @duh.de

● Magda Jentgena, Baltic Sea and Freshwater Programme Manager, Pasaules dabas fonds, mjentgena@pdf.lv

● Morten Rosenvold Villadsen, Havpolitisk rådgiver, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, Morten@dn.dk

● Rémi Cossetti, Marine Policy Officer, Seas At Risk, rcossetti@seas-at-risk.org

● Thomas Johansson, Chairman, Östersjölaxälvar i samverkan and Secretary General of the Baltic Salmon Fund, thomas@balticsalmonfund.com

● Valeska Diemel, Fisheries Policy Officer, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND), valeska.diemel@bund.net

***

NOTES

^[1] See for instance the HELCOM HOLAS assessment (HELCOM (2023): State of the Baltic Sea. Third HELCOM holistic assessment 2016-2021. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings n°194 or ICES (2024). Baltic Sea Ecoregion – Ecosystem Overview. ICES Advice: Ecosystem Overviews. Report. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.27256635.v1

^[2] Preamble 10 and Art. 2.2 of the CFP requires that sustainable exploitation of marine biological resources should be based on the precautionary approach. In addition, Art 4.6 of the Baltic Multiannual Plan mandates that fishing opportunities be set to ensure less than 5% probability of stocks falling below Blim.

^[3] ICES assessment of central Baltic herring shows that this stock has a relative spawning-stock size below MSY Btrigger and below the precautionary limit Bpa, and only slightly higher than the critical limit reference point Blim, below which reproduction is likely to be impaired.

^[4] An estimated catch of 103 073 t corresponds to 5% for p(SSB(2027)<Blim)=5% (ICES advice for central Baltic herring , Table 2). However, in order to account for Riga herring to be taken in SD 28.2 and central Baltic herring to be taken in the Gulf of Riga (SD 28.1), as well as for the Russian share, the catch should be below 89 827t.

Petition launched to stop new oil and gas drilling in the Baltic Sea

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 09:13:55 GMT

3 October 2025 - Coalition Clean Baltic, together with its Member Organization BUND - Friends of the Earth Germany and the citizens’ initiative “ Lebensraum Vorpommern ”, have launched a petition to stop new oil and gas drilling projects in the Baltic Sea .

The petition comes in response to plans to exploit a deposit just 6 km offshore Świnoujście , Poland, in the transboundary waters of the Oder Estuary and Pomeranian Bay. The planned site lies at the heart of NATURA 2000 protected areas , which are vital for biodiversity, climate action, and local communities.

Oil and gas extraction in the Baltic Sea poses severe threats to its fragile ecosystems. Industrial activities such as drilling, pipeline construction, and ship traffic risk polluting the water with chemicals, oil leaks, and toxic waste. Underwater noise from pile driving and increased traffic would further degrade marine habitats. These pressures add to the already critical challenges faced by the Baltic Sea, including biodiversity loss, eutrophication, and the accelerating impacts of climate change.

The consequences extend far beyond nature. Local communities rely on a clean and healthy Baltic for tourism, fishing, and quality of life. Expanding fossil fuel infrastructure would also undermine Europe’s climate commitments and lock in carbon emissions for decades to come.

The petition calls on the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland, the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the European Commission, and the Secretariat of the Espoo Convention to :

Stop the plans for oil and gas extraction in the Oder Estuary and the Pomeranian Bay;
Ban any new oil and gas extraction across the Baltic Sea;
Ensure strong cross-border cooperation and communication amongst all involved states.

The petition is open through the WeMove Europe´s platform and can be signed here .

(Closed) Job vacancy: Coalition Campaign Manager - Common Fisheries Policy

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:11:11 GMT

Job Title: Coalition Campaign Manager - Common Fisheries Policy

Position type : Full-time consultancy contract. Open to part-time arrangements initially if needed.

Contract duration: Short-term contract until end of March 2026, with possibility of extension subject to funding availability

Reports to: Steering Committee

Location : Flexible(remote/home office) with regular travel. Working in Brussels is of advantage.

Starting date : ASAP

In close cooperation with the Steering Group of the coalition, lead, plan, coordinate, and support the campaign of an NGO network working together towards the implementation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the evaluation thereof. The campaign manager's responsibility is to develop and ensure the successful and timely delivery of political advocacy and public engagement activities of the campaign, both at EU and Member State level.

Job description

Strategy & Planning

Develop and implement short-, and long-term campaign strategies aligned with coalition objectives, in close cooperation with the Steering Group.
Set clear goals, timelines, and performance indicators for the campaign and ensure timely delivery thereof.
Analyse policy development, political climate, media and public opinion, and stakeholder landscapes to inform tactics.

Campaign Delivery

Manage day-to-day execution of the campaign activities at Brussels and Member State level.
Coordinate coalition partners and ensure communication between Steering Group and coalition members, as well as relevant groups/coalitions/experts and other stakeholders outside the coalition.
Advise coalition members on strategic delivery of advocacy activities at all levels, including Member State level.
Join Steering Group meetings in an advisory capacity. Report back to the Steering Group on the delivery of the campaign's activities, meeting of targets and milestones, and report back on activities, budget and impact.

Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement

Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, key stakeholders, and allies to support campaign aims.
Analyse opportunities of engagement, advise on policy language.
Organise/coordinate/prepare and support relevant activities, including events, briefings, and advocacy activities in close cooperation with coalition members.
Ensure relevant knowledge management and information flow within the coalition and across partner organisations.
Liaise with communication experts on message framing, strategy and timelines.

Management

Support CCB administrative and finance staff managing grants to coalition partners.
Ensure coalition partners receive information and materials that enable them to effectively contribute to achieving campaign goals (political information, policy briefings, templates, policy language, opportunity analyses).
Support fundraising efforts as needed/requested by the Steering Group.
Lead on funders narrative reporting.

Qualifications & Skills required

The consultant must be legally authorised to provide services and work as a consultant within the EU, based in an EU Member State.
Fisheries and ocean expertise (preferred), or other environmental background.
Degree (or equivalent experience) in communications/campaign management, political science, resource management, fisheries, or related field.
Proven track record in designing and delivering successful advocacy or public campaigns at EU or Member State levels involving a larger coalition.
Strong understanding of political processes at EU level and Member State levels, media landscapes, and public engagement.
Excellent project management and organisational skills.
Skilled communicator and coordinator, able to craft persuasive messages and engage a larger network into a common goal within tight deadlines.
Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
Fluency in English is required; additional EU languages are a plus.

Application

Should you be interested in applying for this assignment, please send your CV (max. 2 pages) together with a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 9 October 2025 , COB, to secretariat@ccb.se

Please include your consultancy rate in your application inclusive VAT (if applicable).

Applications should be submitted in English.

Incomplete applications (e.g. lacking either CV or personal letter) will not be considered .

Any inquiries related to this assignment should be forwarded to the above email or to CCB Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin at mikhail.durkin@ccb.se and +46 739 770 793.

In the application and hiring process, CCB will not discriminate against any individual based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property, disability, age, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic and social situation.

Damning new report: EU fish polluted with ‘forever chemicals’, while governments seek to delay action

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:26:06 GMT

A new report from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and its member organisations reveals widespread PFAS contamination in wild fish across Europe, with many samples far exceeding proposed new safety limits. These so-called "forever chemicals" pose a growing threat to public health and aquatic ecosystems - yet EU Member States are pushing to delay action on needed pollution controls until 2039.

The EEB briefing, “ Forever chemicals poisoning Europe’s waters and fish: The tip of the PFAS iceberg ,” analyses monitoring data from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. It shows that most fish samples tested between 2009 and 2023 contained dangerous levels of PFOS, a persistent PFAS identified as possibly carcinogenic for humans.

Key findings:

Nearly all reported values exceed proposed new EU safety limits;
24% of values in Sweden, 19% in France, and 15-17% in Austria and Spain exceed the limit by 500 times or more;
Some samples from Sweden, Germany and Spain exceeded the proposed standard by over 10,000 times.

This analysis only covers one PFAS chemical – PFOS – while new EU proposals would target a group of 24, suggesting the scale of contamination is likely far greater.

Outdated EU rules are masking the true extent of the crisis.

Member States are currently only required to monitor PFOS, and not the thousands of other harmful PFAS chemicals. A 2022 proposal from the EU Commission to update EU water pollution laws, including regulating a group of PFAS in coastal and freshwater, including biota, has faced several delays, with governments now seeking to push compliance until 2039 – potentially wasting more than a decade of action in the urgent fight against toxic pollution.

The EEB is calling for immediate EU-level action to protect nature and public health from pollution. The next key moment: EU institutions meet on 23 September to decide the future of Europe’s water pollution standards.

Sara Johansson and Athénaïs Georges, EEB said:

"PFAS pollution of EU waters and its wildlife is widespread, yet badly underreported. Coherent obligations on Member States to act to limit further water pollution, e.g. by putting in place stricter discharge permits for industry are urgently needed. We urge the EU institutions to stop delaying action and to adopt updated EU water pollution standards, with a binding obligation for Member States to include measures to limit further pollution from PFAS and other priority pollutants in the next River Basin Management Plans."

CCB contributed to the work of the EEB briefing with the analysis of the Polish data made by Ewa Leś , CCB Eutrophication Working Area Leader, founder of River University, and expert in freshwater security governance, who commented:

" Across Europe, PFOS contamination in rivers, lakes and coastal waters is alarmingly high, with fish in some countries showing levels more than 19,000 times above the new safety standards. While Sweden has taken early, preventive steps, most countries still lag behind in monitoring and transparency. In Poland, structured data from the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection is an important step forward – but citizens still lack full access to information on contaminated sites. Data precision protects public health, and we call on state institutions to strengthen monitoring and reporting. "

***

Notes to editors

Currently, fewer than 30% of EU surface waters achieve good chemical status, but this figure is based on a narrow and outdated list of 45 pollutants dating from 2013, including only one PFAS.
EU Member States are not on track to deliver on their obligation to bring Europe’s waters to good status by 2027 at the latest, and the European Commission recommends Member States to implement additional measures to address chemical pollution .
A wide range of stakeholders have called on the EU institutions to ensure that Member States are obliged include measure to limit further water pollution of PFAS and other harmful chemicals in the next River Basin Management Plans that are currently being prepared.
Over 450 scientists have called on the EU institutions to reject proposals that undermine the Water Framework Directive and its environmental objectives, and instead urgently adopt up-to-date rules, reflecting the state of the current scientific knowledge to address chemical water pollution.

For further information, contact:
Ben Snelso , Communications Officer for Agriculture and Food, European Environmental Bureau benedict.snelson@eeb.org

NGOs Welcome Commission's Precautionary Baltic Sea Fishing Limits for 2026

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:25:15 GMT

Council Must Follow Commission's Lead to Protect Critical Small Pelagic Fish Populations

27 August 2025 – Environmental NGOs (Deutsche Umwelthilfe, FishSec, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and WWF Baltic Sea Programme) welcome the European Commission's proposal for 2026 Baltic Sea fishing opportunities, published on the 26th of August. The organisations urge EU Fisheries Ministers to support these precautionary measures when the Council meets to decide final fishing limits in October.

Alarming Stock Status Demands Precautionary Action

The Commission's precautionary proposal reflects that the Baltic Sea marine ecosystem is in crisis. Of four herring populations, only the Gulf of Riga stock remains healthy. The population of the Central Baltic herring remains low, Bothnian herring stock has experienced steep decline, whilst western Baltic herring remains at critically low levels with scientists recommending zero catch since 2019.

The Baltic sprat population has also declined due to very low recruitment from 2021-2023. Despite minor signs of stock improvement, the predicted strong year class of 2024 is tied to a single survey in one area of the Baltic Sea. The positive recruitment forecast hence carries significant uncertainties.

“ The Commission has shown responsible leadership by proposing to maintain central Baltic herring and sprat catches unchanged whilst significantly reducing Bothnian herring fishing limit by 62% to protect these depleted stocks ," says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Fisheries Policy Officer from FishSec.

Critical Role of Baltic Sea Forage Fish

Sprat and herring are not merely commercial species – they are the backbone of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. A recent report " Small Fish with a Big Impact " reveals that these small pelagic fish occupy a pivotal position in the Baltic Sea food web, serving as prey for top predators such as cod, salmon, seabirds and marine mammals, whilst simultaneously acting as predators of zooplankton.

This dual role makes them essential for transferring energy and nutrients from lower to higher trophic levels. " These small fish are the backbone of the Baltic Sea ecosystem ," says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer from FishSec. " The Commission's precautionary proposal on fishing limits on herring and sprat offers a vital opportunity to rebuild these depleted stocks – essential not only for marine biodiversity but for the long-term viability of Baltic fisheries. "

Council Must Resist short sighted decisions

Due to the critical state of the majority of Baltic Sea small pelagic fish populations, NGOs call on EU Fisheries Ministers to resist industry pressure and support the Commission's proposal on precautionary fishing limits on herring and sprat at the upcoming October Agriculture and Fisheries Council, AGRIFISH.

Past Council decisions have repeatedly set fishing limits above scientifically advised levels, failing to meet legal obligations under both the Baltic Multiannual Plan and the Common Fisheries Policy. Article 4.6 of the Baltic Multiannual Plan specifically requires fishing limits be set in such a way that it ensures the probability of stocks falling below critical spawning stock biomass limits remains below 5% – a safeguard frequently ignored in political negotiations but fully respected in the Commission’s proposal.

“ The Commission demonstrates that it’s taking the dire situation in the Baltic Sea seriously. Ensuring healthy sprat and herring populations is a crucial step that could contribute to the rebuilding of depleted cod and salmon populations. Now it’s up to the EU fisheries ministers to decide on Baltic Sea fishing limits that allow for the recovery of Baltic Sea fish populations – for the benefit of people and nature - says Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead for WWF Baltic Sea Programme.

By adoption of the Commission's proposal on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026 the EU ministers would make a step towards implementation of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management - an important and legally binding objective of the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

First meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC)

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 14:11:30 GMT

The first meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC) was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 23–27 June 2025 , bringing together government representatives, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including the Coalition Clean Baltic representative, the private sector, youth, and academia. This marked the first global gathering since the GFC was adopted at the Fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) in 2023.

The primary focus of OEWG-1 was to take stock of progress since ICCM5 and to discuss how best to operationalize the framework’s goals. Participants exchanged views on implementation needs and priorities, as well as preparatory work for the first International conference of GFC , expected in 2026.

Advancing Implementation Programmes Across Key Sectors

A central discussion point was the development of terms of reference (ToR) for three Implementation Programmes under the GFC. One of these programmes will include sector-specific sub-programmes , aiming to promote safer chemicals management practices in industries such as electronics, textiles, health care, and construction . The intent is to support sector-wide engagement, innovation, and accountability in reducing chemical risks.

Delegates also addressed the selection and future treatment of chemical Issues of Concern (IoCs) - substances or groups of substances that require global attention, e.g. lead in paints, highly hazardous pesticides, environmentally persistent pharmaceutical pollutants , and others) . While there was broad support for retaining all currently recognized IoCs, discussions highlighted the need for clear criteria, dedicated workplans, and adequate resourcing to ensure each IoC is actively addressed rather than left unresolved.

Financing as a Cornerstone of Effective Implementation

Discussions made clear that successful implementation of the GFC will require adequate, sustained, and predictable financial resources .

The meeting explored the operation of the GFC Fund , with particular attention to how it might be improved to ensure equitable access to financial resources , especially for low- and middle-income countries. Ideas for a resource mobilization strategy were also shared, with many participants emphasizing the importance of sustained public and private sector contributions.

There was significant support for applying the “polluter pays” principle , ensuring that industries contributing to chemical pollution take financial responsibility for managing its impacts. The intersessional work ahead of COP1 will be critical for shaping a robust financing mechanism that matches the framework’s ambition.

Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides launched

A major milestone from the meeting was the launch of the Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) . This new initiative aims to promote international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and support for safer alternatives, including agroecological approaches that reduce reliance on harmful substances in agriculture.

Regional Perspectives: Implications for the Baltic Sea

“ For the Baltic Sea region , chemicals management remains a critical environmental and public health issue ”, commented Eugeniy Lobanov, Leader of the Hazardous Substances Working Area at Coalition Clean Baltic . “ Implementation of the GFC provides an opportunity to reinforce regional actions under the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan , especially concerning the reduction of hazardous substances entering the marine environment, e.g., pharmaceutical pollutants ”.

It is important that Baltic Sea countries actively contribute to the GFC’s development and ensure regional priorities are reflected in global strategies.

To read summary report of OEWG 1 .

***

Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

Photos by IISD/ENB - Natalia Mroz

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:06:23 GMT

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.

The poor status and decline of many Baltic Sea fish populations have been thoroughly documented over several decades, indicating that the entire ecosystem is in great distress. So far, policy interventions have not reversed, or even halted, the negative trend concerning most of these populations.

Fish populations that once formed the cornerstone of the Baltic Sea fishery, such as the eastern and western Baltic cod and the western Baltic herring are now doing so poorly that the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is advising zero catch for these stocks. Yet, even with the targeted fishery being closed for some years now, none of these three stocks are showing sufficient signs of recovery.

The condition (such as weight-at-age) of many flatfish populations, such as plaice, also raises alarm bells. The salmon spawning migration has fallen short of the target level in the past two years. As a result, even the healthiest salmon stocks are now unlikely to produce enough smolts corresponding to sustainable levels in the coming years. Even in cases where populations show minor signs of anticipated increased biomass, such as the Baltic sprat, these presumed increases are tied to a number of scientific uncertainties.

Disregarding the scientific uncertainties, and the warning signals that scientists have been pointing out for years, will have devastating consequences for the ecosystem and those who depend on it. Political will and ambition is needed to improve current fisheries management in the Baltic Sea to address the crisis facing its fish populations and the broader marine ecosystem.

In our briefing , we provide joint NGO recommendations regarding fishing opportunities for 2026, prioritising long-term ecosystem health and sustainable fisheries management over short-term economic interests. The recommendations are based on the ICES advice, the requirements of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Baltic Multiannual Plan (MAP) to apply the precautionary approach and implement an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, and the objective of achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).

The current ICES advice on fishing opportunities - and the requests (by fishery managers like the European Commission) that guide the provision of such advice - do not fully reflect all relevant legal requirements and policy objectives applicable to the EU.

Concretely, they are not geared towards:

1. Recovering fish populations within a concrete timeframe and maintaining them above sustainable levels in the near future;
2. Preventing fish populations from, or minimising the risk of, falling outside safe biological limits, despite legal safeguards in the EU’s MAPs, including the Baltic Sea MAP; or
3. Delivering on all relevant elements of “Good Environmental Status” (GES) under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), such as healthy population structures and/or food web integrity (e.g. leaving enough food in the sea for other marine life).

EU decision-makers must urgently work with ICES to recognise and address these fundamental
shortcomings in the advisory approach, and apply additional precaution by setting fishing opportunities below the ICES headline advice, until the necessary changes have been made.
Fishing at or above advised MSY-based catch levels will not set the Baltic Sea on a clear
path out of the crisis. We need a management system, underpinned by fully recovery-focused, precautionary and ecosystem-based advice, that goes beyond short-term fishing interests, and instead protects ecosystem functions, fisheries and coastal communities, in the long term.

To improve the scientific advice underpinning fishing opportunities, NGOs recommend that the European Commission should:

● Work with ICES and other relevant ICES advice clients to develop and implement a clear roadmap for how current shortcomings will be swiftly addressed and dealt with when setting fishing opportunities.

● Work with other relevant decision-makers to agree on ecosystem-based fisheries management objectives to inform the ICES advice request process. International commitments on biodiversity conservation, such as Global Biodiversity Framework Directive, Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) of HELCOM Commission as well as the MSFD should provide a basis for these ecological objectives and be considered alongside the rules and objectives of the CFP.

● Change the requests for ICES advice on fishing opportunities to:

a) aim for rapid recovery of fish populations, particularly depleted or at-risk stocks, within a concrete timeframe and for maintaining them above sustainable levels in the near future,
b) prevent or minimise the risk of fish populations falling outside safe biological limits, in line with the legal safeguard in the Baltic MAP to keep the risk of stocks falling below B lim below 5%,
c) fully reflect ecosystem dynamics and needs and multispecies considerations, also delivering on all relevant elements of Good Environmental Status (GES) under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), such as healthy population structures and/or food web integrity (i.e. leaving enough food in the sea for other marine life), in line with an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, and
d) provide sufficiently precautionary alternative catch options where a full incorporation of these aspects is not yet possible, to minimise risks to stocks and the overall ecosystem.

We urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to adopt, fishing
opportunities at levels well below the F MSY point value, where available, to allow for the rapid
recovery of Baltic Sea fish populations. This would ensure sufficient precaution, and safeguard
long-term population and ecosystem health, resilience and productivity.

Read the full Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026 here .

Over 200 NGOs Call for Urgent Action on Offshore Fossil Fuel Exploration Ahead of UN Conference in Nice

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 13:50:07 GMT

- More than 200 environmental organisations worldwide demand immediate ban on offshore oil and gas exploration to protect marine ecosystems

- Coalition urges world leaders to commit to transformative ocean protection measures at UN Ocean Conference 2025

- Open letter highlights critical window for action as Ocean faces unprecedented threats from climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss

Less than one week before world leaders gather in Nice for the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025, a powerful coalition of 208 environmental organisations has issued an urgent call for governments to ban offshore oil and gas exploration and commit to comprehensive ocean protection measures.

The open letter reflects a remarkable show of global unity from civil society, with signatories spanning six continents – including leading marine conservation groups, climate coalitions, and grassroots organisations – demanding decisive action to confront the Ocean’s escalating crisis.

" The upcoming high-level 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of
Sustainable Development Goal 14 (UNOC3) will take place in June 2025 in Nice, France. UNOC3
must become a turning point for ocean protection. This important moment cannot be wasted. Earth's
oceans, seas, and marine wildlife are under increasing threat from human activities, jeopardising
their vital functions on which all life depends. Earth’s largest carbon sink, the ocean, has already
absorbed 90 percent of the excess heat from carbon emissions, leading to rising seas, melting ice,
intensifying marine heatwaves, and increasing acidification with severe consequences for marine
life.

Fossil fuels are responsible for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90
percent of all CO2 emissions. The UN Emissions Gap Report 2023 highlights that if current policies
persist, global emissions will reach 56 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalents by 2035—55 percent higher
than the level required to stay below 1.5°C. Achieving the Paris Agreement’s targets demand an
immediate halt to the search for new hydrocarbon deposits. Yet, billions of dollars continue to be
poured into seabed exploration for oil and gas, even within marine protected areas.

The era of fossil fuels must come to an end. [...] "

Read the full letter with the list of signatories here .

The coalition emphasises that continued offshore fossil fuel exploration is fundamentally incompatible with meeting the Paris Agreement's climate targets and protecting marine biodiversity. Current exploration activities involve the use of airguns that produce some of the loudest human-generated noise in the marine environment, causing severe harm to marine wildlife from the smallest plankton to the largest whales.

The letter calls on governments to commit to transitioning away from fossil fuels by prohibiting all new exploration activities for fossil fuels in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction, in line with the objective agreed at the COP28 climate conference. With the conference due to begin on 9 June, the organisations are urging governments to incorporate such a commitment into the Declaration, which will chart a course for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 13 and 14. Consistency requires keeping fossil fuels in the ground by immediately ending the exploration of new hydrocarbon deposits, which would strengthen the link between marine conservation and climate action.

NGOs to EU decision makers: Commit to a Genuine Baltic Sea Recovery Plan

Wed, 28 May 2025 13:39:17 GMT

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.

Cod collapse requires continued zero catch

The alarming state of Baltic cod populations persists. ICES maintains its zero-catch advice for Eastern Baltic cod in 2026 and 2027. Despite closure of the direct fishery since 2020, the stock shows no signs of recovery.

For the first time, ICES also recommends zero catch for Western Baltic cod . The stock has suffered from weak recruitment since 2016. Despite the targeted direct fishery being closed since 2022, scientists now advise a full fishing halt for 2026 and 2027 (2).

ICES also recommends actions to restore degraded marine ecosystems affected by pollution and the climate crisis. These measures, if implemented, are expected to have both direct and indirect effects on reducing mortality and improving the poor condition of both cod populations.

Higher catch advice, despite low herring biomass and sprat data uncertainty

Compared to last year, the ICES advice for Central Baltic herring and sprat has increased, Central Baltic herring biomass is marginally above critical levels and risks genetic diversity loss, while the sprat advice increase relies on potentially unrepresentative recruitment data from a single Northeastern survey (3). NGOs warn that these apparent improvements mask significant concerns.

“ On paper these catch limit increases look encouraging, but a closer reading of the ICES advice shows we’re still walking a tightrope ,” said Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Fisheries Policy Advisor at FishSec. “ These fish populations remain fragile, and the uncertainties in the underlying data should make decision-makers proceed with caution. ”

Uncertainty also clouds Gulf of Bothnia herring (4). Gulf of Riga herring , the only Baltic herring population consistently fished in line with the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan, yet shows a declining spawning stock biomass (5). The advice for Western Baltic herring remains zero catch for 2026.

“ Herring and sprat are vital to the Baltic Sea’s ecosystem and economy, serving as both valuable catches and essential prey for larger fish, marine mammals and birds ” said Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer. “ Overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and a warming, oxygen-starved sea now threaten these species. Setting cautious catch limits—alongside habitat restoration—is crucial to protect the Baltic’s entire ecosystem. ”

ICES headline advice does not consider legal safeguards for two herring stocks

In addition, ICES headline advice does not take into account legal safeguards under the EU Baltic Multiannual Management Plan designed to prevent the collapse of fish stocks (6) When it comes to Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for 2026 this important provision applies to Central Baltic and Gulf of Bothnia herring (7). Most concerningly warn NGOs, as the Fisheries Council has broken this legal rule twice already in relation to Baltic stocks.

“ We cannot once again ignore the fact that the advised catches would push both these herring stocks beyond the determined biological and legal risk limit. These are not just numbers ”, said Aimi Hamberg, Marine Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, “ they reflect real threats to the reproductive capacity of the stocks. Ignoring the legal safeguards in the Baltic Sea Multi Annual Plan once again could lead to long-term stock collapse and socioeconomic fallout. ”

“ ICES advice on fishing opportunities should always be used in conjunction with the existing binding law. We understand and expect that ICES advice for the Baltic Sea fish stocks will be used by the decision makers respecting the provisions of the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan and considering its important safeguards. In practice this would mean much lower catch levels for Central Baltic herring and Gulf of Bothnia herring, compared to the headline advice. ” said Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead in WWF Baltic Sea Programme.

Scientists flag poor flatfish condition and call for habitat restoration

ICES flag the poor flatfish conditions and call for habitat restoration. Over the last five years, Baltic plaice — and other flatfish — have shown sharp declines in weight-at-age and overall condition, a clear sign of ecosystem stress (8).

“ Fisheries management must account for the reality that our marine ecosystem has been damaged by human activities and climate change ,” said Lioba Schwarzer, Lead of Marine Conservation at DUH. “ ICES scientists are now recommending habitat restoration efforts, specifically improving oxygen levels on the seafloor, which will ultimately help improve the health of the plaice stock .“

Ecosystem failure and data gaps demand more precautionary limits

ICES’ latest advice exposes significant uncertainties and data gaps, such as misreported landings (especially for herring and sprat), missing Russian catch figures, and incomplete biological data, that undermine Baltic Sea stock assessments.

“ In light of the current biodiversity and climate crises, it is imperative to rebuild all fish populations well above sustainable and productive levels in order to enable them to cope with and mitigate mounting pressures ”, said Rémi Cossetti, Marine Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, “ policymakers must invest in the resilience of fish populations and ecosystems by adopting fishing limits well below the maximum catch level advised by ICES to ensure the long term sustainability and resilience of the fisheries sector and the coastal communities that depend on them .”

NGOs therefore urge EU decision-makers to urgently agree on a Baltic Sea Recovery Plan, that includes adopting precautionary limits that restore and maintain resilient fish populations amid the ecosystem and climate crisis.

__END

CONTACTS:

Aimi Hamberg, Marine Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic, aimi.hamberg@ccb.se
Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Fisheries Policy Officer, FishSec, Cathrine@fishsec.org +45 21977905
Lioba Schwarzer, Team Lead Marine Conservation, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, schwarzer@duh.de , +49 171 9851538
Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead, WWF Baltic Sea Programme, jzajchowska@wwf.pl
Rémi Cossetti, Marine Policy Officer, Seas At Risk, rcossett@seas-at-risk.org
Magda Jentgena, Baltic Sea and Freshwater Programme Manager, Pasaules Dabas Fonds, mjentgena@pdf.lv , +371 28652770
Joonas Plaan,Board member, Marine and Climate program, Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF), joonas.plaan@elfond.ee , +372 5665 2979

NOTES

Link to ICES advice.
Western Baltic cod : Last year, ICES had advised no more than 24 tonnes catch for both recreational and commercial fishing. However, Ministers set a bycatch quota of 266 tonnes for 2025 to avoid limiting the flatfish fishery, which catches significant amounts of cod when using bottom trawls. As a result, commercial landings reached 155 tonnes in 2024, of which 123 tonnes are estimated to have been discarded—a practice that is illegal under the Common Fisheries Policy. ICES highlights that reducing cod bycatch in flatfish fisheries could enhance stock recovery.
ICES advice for Central Baltic herring : a maximum of 154,542 tonnes for 2026 (taking account of the mixing between the Central Baltic herring and Gulf of Riga herring) vs 125,000 tonnes for 2025, sprat : a maximum of 230,518 tonnes vs 165,000 tonnes for 2025. Central Baltic herring biomass remains just above the critical conservation reference point, and with vulnerable sub-populations not being managed separately there is a risk that genetic diversity may be lost forever. ICES’s higher sprat advice is based on promising recruitment data from just one northeastern survey that may not reliably predict biomass increases across the entire Baltic stock area.
Gulf of Bothnia herring : ICES advises a decrease to a maximum of 62,684 tonnes for 2026 (down from 74,515 tonnes), noting fluctuating weight-at-age linked to changing prey availability.
Gulf of Riga herring : ICES limits 2026 catches to a maximum of 34,367 tonnes (down from 45,235 tonnes). Western Baltic spring-spawning herring (WBSS): ICES advises zero catch for 2026 and has done so since 2019. ICES highlights that without additional area and seasonal restrictions on the herring fishery in the North Sea in 2026, catches of WBSS herring in the North Sea will be unavoidable, delaying the recovery of the stock.
Art. 4.6 of the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan requires fishing opportunities to be set in such a way that there is less than a 5% probability of the stock’s spawning biomass (SSB) falling below critical biomass levels ( Blim ).
ICES headline advice for Central Baltic herring and Gulf of Bothnia herring does not take into account the safeguard under Art. 4.6 of the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan , which requires fishing opportunities to be set in such a way that there is less than a 5% probability of the spawning stock biomass (SSB) falling below critical levels ( Blim ) – “the 5% rule”. If fishing limits for Bothnian herring are set in line with the ICES headline advice of 55,869 to 62,684 tonnes, the probability of the spawning stock biomass falling below Blim in 2027 is 9-10%, well above the 5% legal limit. To comply with the law, the total catch in 2026 cannot exceed 25,560 tonnes. For Central Baltic herring, the probability of spawning biomass being below critical levels in 2027 after fishing the recommended 120,378 to 157,996 tonnes is 5.9-8.1%—also above the 5% rule. To comply, the total catch in 2026 must stay under 103,073 tonnes.
ICES advises a maximum of 16,533 tonnes for the plaice quota in 2026. This is a decrease compared to the separate advice of 5,303 tonnes for subdivisions 24–32 and 20,062 tonnes for SD 21–23, given for 2025.

EU Commission upholds Fisheries Law: Finland's 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota reduced after unjustified overfishing in 2024

Wed, 07 May 2025 13:36:24 GMT

7 May 2025 - Yesterday the European Commission took a strong decision to deduct Finland´s 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota due to unjustified overfishing last year. This action is a clear application of the EU fisheries rules - aiming to ensure sustainable fishing practices and compliance with established quotas - and an important precedent for the consistent enforcement of fisheries law.

In 2024, Finland was allocated a strict by-catch quota for Atlantic salmon, with direct fishing prohibited, except for some specific, minor exceptions. Despite this, Finland reported catching 3,162 salmon in a targeted fishery, under a claimed derogation stating the fishery was for scientific research purposes. Upon review, the European Commission concluded that these activities did not meet the legal standards for such an exemption and therefore found this claim unjustified.

The number of vessels participating, 32, the number of salmon caught as well as the fact that Finland refused to re-release the salmon after conducting the “scientific research” are all reasons why the fishery cannot be considered to have been carried out for scientific research purposes. As a result, the same number of salmon caught beyond the legal limit in 2024 is now being deducted from Finland’s 2025 quota, from the same stock.

“ We welcome the Commission's decision to take enforcement action and apply the law as intended. It sends a clear message to Member States that exceeding quotas will have consequences. However, more consistent enforcement is urgently needed across EU waters, especially in the Baltic Sea, where many fish stocks are collapsing and the ecosystem is in a poor state ” said Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland has already responded to the Commission´s quota reduction for Atlantic salmon by stating that this decision “is not legally justified” and they will consider taking legal action against it.

As this matter continues to evolve, it is highlighting the importance of collective responsibility in managing fish stocks sustainably. Species like salmon, herring and cod , are under increasing pressure due to overfishing, climate change and habitat loss. In this context, rule enforcement is not just a bureaucratic step but a necessary action to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine life in the Baltic Sea.

CCB is looking for a Network Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat (closed)

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:36:28 GMT

Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 27 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden.

CCB* is recruiting a Network Officer to play a central role in strengthening the voices of its Member and Observer organizations in joint actions. This includes acting as a point of contact between the CCB Member organizations as well as the CCB Secretariat, facilitating a coordination platform to promote joint efforts and impacts, gathering and sharing information about activities in the Baltic Sea Region that are of relevance to Members and Observers. The Network Officer will also work with supporting Members and Observers’ national and joint international work in different ways, i.a. organizational, capacity building, outreach and financial support to their environmental activities.

You will work closely with the CCB Secretariat team in Sweden and beyond on different topic-wise issues to ensure effective implementation of CCB’s projects and initiatives. You will also support the development and coordination of CCB’s strategic and thematic plans and ensure their effective implementation.

The CCB Network Officer

Serves as the main liaison and contact person between the CCB Secretariat, Working Area Leaders, Working Group Coordinators and Members & Observers;
Facilitates coordination through the CCB platform to strengthen Members & Observers cooperation;
Maintains direct and permanent in- and outbound communication channels for Members & Observers;
Ensures implementation of CCB Constitution provisions relevant for Members & Observers;
Represents the CCB, its Members/Observers at relevant events or networking opportunities;
Prepares and coordinates the implementation of the Network Development Strategy.

More specifically the position includes the following tasks and responsibilities:

Keeping the registry of CCB Members & Observers updated, including general and specific contacts for Working Areas and Working Groups;
Advising on the development and implementation of the Network’s Development Strategy;
Promoting CCB Membership / Observership : seeking for new potential Member Organisations; keeping membership criteria updated and visible; supporting on-/offboarding of network Members & Observers;
Coordinating arrangements of General Meetings and Annual Conferences (dates and venues, hosts, etc.), as well as performing the secretary functions for those (circulating documents, taking minutes);
Coordinating the arrangement and supporting communication & promotion of CCB joint events that serve the whole network, incl. Our Common Baltic , River University , Baltic Climate School , etc.;
Regularly liaising with Members & Observers to respond to any questions related to CCB and to have an overview of what they’re working on/are interested in, and what their challenges are;
Facilitating and promoting active participation of Members & Observers in the CCB Working Areas/Working Groups and joint events;
Facilitating implementation of relevant CCB policies (travel policy, gender policy); supervising the implementation of CCB’s Travel Policy , incl. climate footprint of travels/events;
Monitoring and coordinating training opportunities for Members & Observers;
Facilitating CCB financial support to Members & Observers, based on their applications and requests;
Facilitating communication of Members & Observers’ news across CCB via the internal newsletter;
Supporting communication functions by providing information and updates about Members & Observers through CCB’s communication materials and channels, regarding activities relevant to CCB;
Supporting the CCB Communication Officer’s work as agreed and deemed necessary;
Cooperating with and providing ad hoc support to other staff, as needed.

Required skills and backgroud:

We are seeking candidates with:

- Relevant knowledge of global, EU and regional environmental policies, preferably in the NGO sector;

- BSc./MSc. qualification in communication (environmental / intercultural) or social sciences;

- P revious experience in similar positions, e.g. working on memberships support, working in multicultural environment, as well as competences in events organization;

- Skills and experience in communication tools and channels, e.g. newsletter tool;

- EU citizenship or at least residence and work permit in order to travel for work purposes;

- Excellent proficiency in spoken and written English.

We would also welcome interest from candidates who have been working in wider/non-marine environmental policy areas, if they can demonstrate relevant skills and knowledge.

Desirable skills:

Experience of working for a non-profit organization is a merit.

Working knowledge of any other language common in the Baltic Sea catchment area, including Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Ukrainian.

If you are an adaptable, people-oriented and solutions-focused professional with advocacy or campaigning expertise, a positive disposition, a passion for environmental conservation, vibrant team spirit and a can-do attitude, we’d love to hear from you!

Salary: Salary comparable to NGO staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective unions. Subject to adjustment depending on experience and annual increase.

Location: Flexible, preferably within the Baltic Sea Region. Work from the office in Uppsala, as well as residence in Sweden is appreciated, but not mandatory. Several joint offline events for the whole Secretariat staff and Council expected per year in Sweden.

Travel: Candidates should be flexible to travel as required for meetings and events – mostly within the Baltic Sea Region. You may need to be able to participate in occasional events on weekends.

Contract type: Intended permanent position with 6-month probation period.

 Starting time: As soon as possible, depending on availability of the chosen candidate.

Application and deadline

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send your CV (max. 2 pages) together with a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 15 May 2025 to secretariat@ccb.se .

Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English. Applications submitted in any other language will not be considered.

Incomplete applications (e.g. lacking either CV or personal letter) will be also not considered .

Likewise any inquiries related to this vacancy announcement should be forwarded to the above email or to Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin at mikhail.durkin@ccb.se and +46 739 770 79 3.

* Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB Being an international network organization, CCB has the advantage of being able to work both at the international and national policy levels as well as with concrete field projects. Four ways to reach our goal are: (1) Advocacy , (2) Information, environmental education and other activities , (3) Concrete co-operation projects in the field and (4) Support to Member Organizations . In order to strengthen its efforts and promote joint action to restore the environment of the Baltic Sea, CCB has 4 main Working Areas that are important for all its members: Eutrophication, Biodiversity, Hazardous Substances and Maritime.

CCB is Member of IUCN, BSAС; GWP Partner; Observer at HELCOM, NASCO, IWC.

To read more about CCB’s engagement in marine policy implementation, please visit our recent Annual Reports

Further information about CCB’s policies and main documents is available here.

Attacks on NGOs: 570+ Organisations Join Forces to Defend Civil Society

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:45:57 GMT

European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. Spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles that attempted to clarify this misleading narrative. European CSOs are crucial to ensure the voices of citizens from different parts of Europe are heard in the EU institutions. Attacks against civil society are unfortunately not new and are exacerbated by this harmful idea. Furthermore, for-profit corporate lobbying is through the roof when compared to non-profit advocacy. In 2024, the 50 corporations with the largest lobbying budgets collectively spent nearly €200 million on lobbying the EU alone (66% more than in 2015). Comparing this to the funding environmental NGOs receive under the LIFE programme - €15.6 million annually of a €700 million yearly budget - truly shows the weakness of this ‘scandal’.

This is why over 570 civil society organisations from 40 countries, including all EU Member States, have joined forces to call on those in power to act now and ensure that civil society is adequately funded and enabled to share our crucial perspectives . In this statement, we address:

The source of this false narrative;
Inaccurate claims made about how CSOs obtain and use funding;
Why it’s paramount that CSOs receive sufficient funding;
The need for civil dialogue to enable CSOs participation.

Democracy is about the right of citizens to be collectively heard for building an inclusive society and a shared European future; properly funded independent CSOs are a crucial tool for that. We call on decision-makers to ensure civil society organisations can thrive and play their role in interacting with policy-makers in order to have a more fully informed decision-making process.

Read the full statement here .

-END

Civil Society Europe (CSE) is the coordination of civil society organisations at EU level. Through its membership, CSE unites EU-level membership-based organisations that reach out to millions of people active in or supported by not-for-profits and civil society organisations across the EU. CSE was created by several civil society organisations as a follow-up to the European Year of Citizens and was established as an international not-for-profit under Belgian law in 2016. Since then, it has become the point of reference for EU institutions on transversal issues concerning civil dialogue and civic space.

Global Call on Governments to Commit Banning Offshore Fossil Fuel Exploration at UN Ocean Conference

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 09:37:35 GMT

More than 100 civil society organisations from around the world are calling on governments to immediately ban any exploration for oil and gas in the Ocean and to phase out offshore drilling for fossil fuels consistent with the Paris Agreement.
The letter comes at a crucial time, with growing recognition that a healthy ocean is crucial for the earth’s climate regulation.
The UN Ocean Conference in June 2025 presents a key opportunity to agree on critical conservation measures towards resilient and healthy marine ecosystems fit for climate protection.

This week, a coalition of more than 100 environmental organisations - including Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) - from six continents has published an open letter calling on governments to include a commitment to ban the search for new oil and gas deposits in the seabed and phase out existing extraction in the final declaration of the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) . The conference, scheduled for June 2025 in Nice, France, represents a critical opportunity to advance both ocean protection and climate action.

The diverse coalition – including marine conservation organisations, climate justice groups, and environmental NGOs from both the Global North and South – emphasises that continuing to explore for new hydrocarbon reserves is incompatible with meeting international climate goals and protecting marine ecosystems.

The letter highlights how billions of dollars continue to be invested in seabed exploration for oil and gas, even within marine protected areas, despite scientific evidence pointing to the urgent need to halt new fossil fuel development. The search for new deposits involves seismic surveys using powerful airguns that produce some of the loudest human-made sounds in the ocean, causing widespread harm to marine life across entire food webs.

The joint NGO call is part of a broader effort to ensure that the UNOC3 becomes a turning point for both ocean protection and climate action.

Nicolas Entrup , Director of International Relations at OceanCare:

“ If we truly want to protect the Ocean, we must end the destructive practice of oil and gas exploration in marine environments immediately. These activities cause some of the most intense noise in our seas, with severe and even deadly impacts on marine life – from the smallest plankton to large whales. Meanwhile, the Ocean has already absorbed 90 percent of the excess heat from carbon emissions, leading to rising sea levels, melting ice, and intensifying marine heatwaves. We cannot continue to exploit the very ecosystems that are buffering us from the worst impacts of climate change. The Third UN Ocean Conference must be a moment of action, not merely of empty phrases. ”

ENDS

Media contact

Dániel Fehér, Head of Press, OceanCare: +49 176 81434026; dfeher@oceancare.org

Publication

Open Letter from NGOs: “ End Fossil Fuel Exploration in the Ocean ” (with list of signatorees)

Notes to editors

The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) will be held in Nice, France, in June 2025. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, this high-level conference focuses on accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water). UNOC3 provides a crucial opportunity for governments to commit to concrete actions for ocean protection and address the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

CCB leaves the social media channel X

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 13:34:31 GMT

Uppsala, Sweden - 19 March 2025 - At Coalition Clean Baltic, we support open, civil, and constructive discussions. False news and hostility on X (former Twitter) have become more common in recent times and for this reason we have decided to close our account on this platform .

“ Our aim has always been to engage in an open-minded exchange of relevant facts and views on environmental issues. We strive to connect with our community through inspiring actions and by advocating for the Baltic Sea, while sharing common values and principles of diversity, inclusiveness, and freedom of expression ”, says the CCB Council.

Stay connected with us through the following channels:
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�� Newsletter – Subscribe here: https://www.ccb.se/ccb-newsletter
�� Website - https://www.ccb.se/

Thank you for being part of this journey - Let’s keep working together for a sustainable future and a healthier Baltic Sea!

"Focus on the Coast” – The history and current best practices of coastal protection in the face of climate change

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:00:05 GMT

14 March 2025 – The newly released documentary video "Focus on the Coast" takes an in-depth look at the pressing environmental threats facing the Baltic Sea coastline.

Produced by Ecodefense and Coalition Clean Baltic, with financial support from the EU LIFE Programme (*), the 1-hour film explores the devastating effects of intensified storms and rising sea levels , alongside inspiring and best conservation practices in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland .

Global climate change has led to catastrophic storms and floods in the Baltic Sea region, destroying unique ecosystems and causing significant harm to communities and infrastructure. However, the Baltic region has a long history of coastal conservation, with valuable lessons learned and innovative solutions implemented. "Focus on the Coast" dives deep into this critical issue, highlighting both the threats and the measures being taken to safeguard these vulnerable coastal areas.

“ With this documentary, we aim to showcase not only the challenges facing the Baltic coasts but also the efforts of those working tirelessly to protect them ,” said Alexandra Koroleva, Ecodefense Co-Chairwoman, author and producer of the documentary video. “ By featuring real stories and interviews with local activists and scientists, we hope to inspire action and demonstrate that effective coastal protection is possible ”.

Through experts’ insights and on-the-ground footage, viewers gain insight into why these areas need protection, the specific strategies being implemented, and how they are making a difference. The documentary also underscores the gap between international recommendations —such as those from HELCOM (2014)— and the reality of policy implementation , emphasizing the need for stronger action from governments and policymakers.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a crucial role in advocating for policy change, collaborating with scientists, independently exploring the coast and taking part in practical work on coastal conservation, participating in public hearings on environmental impact assessments (EIA), organizing educational programs, working with media, attracting and engaging local residents, and encouraging municipalities to act.

"Focus on the Coast" serves as a vital educational tool to support these initiatives, providing high-quality visual materials that communicate the scale of the problem and the importance of sustainable coastal management.

The documentary video it´s released on CCB´s YouTube channel and will be distributed through Coalition Clean Baltic´s network and partners to raise awareness and reach policymakers, scientists, and the general public.

For more information, please contact:

Alexandra Koroleva, Ecodefense Co-Chairwoman, author and producer of the documentary video, ecosasha@gmail.com

(*) Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.

Protecting the Baltic Sea: Uncovering gaps in MPA management

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:25:16 GMT

The Baltic Sea, one of the world’s largest bodies of brackish water, is home to a wealth of varied biodiversity. But this unique and delicate ecosystem is facing increasing pressures from human activities and global threats, such as climate change. A key strategy for safeguarding the sea is the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) —designated zones where human activities should be regulated for the benefit of biodiversity, allowing ecosystems to recover and thrive.

Despite globally recognized efforts by the countries bordering the Baltic Sea to designate MPAs, significant gaps remain in their governance, management, and monitoring—both individually and as part of a transboundary network. To address these gaps, the PROTECT BALTIC project —under the umbrella of the regional sea convention HELCOM—is working to better understand the current state of the Baltic Sea MPA network and its management across the region, as well as how countries can collaborate to enhance it. A key step in this process is updating and improving the region’s MPA Portal, a regional platform designed to store comprehensive MPA information and strengthen the capacity of marine protection actors.

In this process, the project is uncovering some notable challenges, but also some significant opportunities.

Estefania Cortez, PROTECT BALTIC Project Manager / Legal expert from CCB, is leading the task of collecting and compiling information from the Baltic countries’ MPA management plans and other similar official instruments. She provides insights into the complexities of MPA management in the region and the crucial role that the project is playing in modernizing information and bridging existing gaps.

A shared commitment to protecting the Baltic Sea

PROTECT BALTIC is a collaborative effort aimed at strengthening the designation, management, governance and effectiveness of MPAs across the Baltic Sea, with the goal of ensuring quality protection for marine life. Estefania explains, “ Initially, our aim was to consolidate and analyze data on nationally recognized MPAs in the Baltic region. But as the project progressed, we realized that the landscape for management of these areas was far more complex than anticipated. Our role evolved from mere data collection to actively verifying and cross-checking information to ensure consistency and accuracy. ”

The project aims to address the core challenge of fragmented and inconsistent management-related data across different countries, while also reducing barriers to accessing this information. Each nation has its own way of defining, managing, and documenting these areas and there is currently no regional platform where such information can be shared. As Estefania highlights, “ While countries bordering the Baltic Sea have made significant strides in establishing MPAs, there remains a lack of a common, unified framework. Each country has its own regulations and management frameworks in place. Some areas, for example, are privately protected, while others are part of large national programs and key strategies. These variations make it difficult to assess and objectively compare how MPAs are being managed across the region as a whole. "

The work done so far in PROTECT BALTIC has already led to some groundbreaking results: through our data collection efforts, the number of MPAs documented in the region has increased tenfold . Initially, only 189 MPAs were included in the database, but with new submissions, this number has surged to an astounding 1,876 MPAs . Estefania explains, “ A large part of the increase in data is a direct consequence of recent national efforts to continue designating MPAs while strengthening effective measures in those areas. ”

Collating MPA management data to build a comprehensive picture

The core of this work involves compiling and updating information from MPA management plans—comprehensive documents that outline protection objectives, strategies, and actions for managing each MPA. These typically include details on protection goals, the pressures faced by the area, the specific measures in place to address these challenges, monitoring protocols, and enforcement actions. They are essential for understanding how each MPA is designed to protect marine ecosystems and ensure sustainable use.

Estefania explains, “ Initially, the estimate for the number of available management plans ranged somewhere between 100 and 200. But it turned out there were far more than we anticipated— over 850 plans or similar documents across the region. This required us to rethink our approach and bring in additional support to extract key data from these documents. ”

The task was complex, involving tracking down the documentation, analyzing the plans, and collecting and collating data. Since most plans are also only available in the national language of the country where the MPA is located, all the collected information also needed to be translated into English as part of the process. With each nation defining and managing MPAs differently, some lacked clear legal frameworks or official documentation, making data interpretation challenging. To address this, the team developed a structured methodology for extracting the data, which was continually tested and refined as specific documents required additional guidance.

A group of nine trainees, with expertise in environmental and data management and fluency in at least one of the Baltic Sea languages, was onboarded. Each trainee focused on a specific Baltic country, except for Sweden, where three trainees were needed to handle the high volume of management plans. Estefania notes, “ We quickly realized that translating every single document in its entirety would be too costly and time-consuming, so we trained the team to extract relevant information in their local languages and condense it into a standardized Excel format. We further utilized pre-determined internationally agreed lists on species and habitats, as well as information on human activities and pressures produced within the project. ”

Harmonizing the data was yet another challenge, as countries defined threats, management measures, and conservation goals in unique ways, sometimes also between areas or area types within the same country. Despite the varied levels of detail in the plans, the team remained flexible and methodical in extracting relevant information.

What has been collected?

The key categories of information collected include:

Basic MPA details : name, code, designation year, type, management plan status, IUCN category, stakeholder engagement, and transboundary elements.
Protected features : species, habitats, ecological functions as well as cultural heritage and ecosystem services, whenever possible.
Human activities and pressures : including shipping, fishing, tourism, and pollution, utilizing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and Water Framework Directive (WFD) as references.
Protection measures : ranging across the whole span of human activities and from seasonal restrictions to full no-take zones.
Monitoring efforts : identifying the direct inclusion of ecological or human activities monitoring in the area. The data has been gathered from official national MPA lists, government institutions, legal sources, and ongoing conservation projects such as Biodiversea in Finland.

Challenges, lessons learned and country profiles

Although the large volume of collected data still requires further processing, and national consultation and review before detailed conclusions can be drawn, one of the key takeaways from this work has been the significant diversity in how MPAs are designated and managed across the Baltic region. Some countries, like Germany and Finland, have multiple jurisdictions responsible for MPA oversight, leading to variations in management plans within the same country.

A major issue uncovered is the lack of marine-specific protection measures in many MPAs. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of existing protections and highlights the need for adaptive management strategies that allow for the modification or expansion of protection measures as knowledge improves and the dynamics affecting the ecosystem change.

Another significant challenge has been gaps in data comprehensiveness and the availability and accessibility of data. Many management plans either lack critical information or exist only in non-digital formats, complicating data gathering and analysis. Additionally, some countries experienced delays in providing up-to-date documents, either because the information wasn’t available digitally or because the plans were still under revision.

“ The data gaps became very clear after we received the first round of information from the countries ,” Estefania Cortez explains. “ Some management plans were missing or incomplete, and in some cases, MPAs themselves were not listed correctly. This is a problem because, without accurate data, we can’t measure the effectiveness of protection efforts or understand where and what additional measures are needed. ”

While the team has gathered substantial amounts of data—far more than initially expected—Estefania notes, “ We have gathered enough data to highlight key trends and challenges, but protection planning requires a comprehensive understanding that goes beyond just data points. This includes broader ecological, economic, and social contexts, which are being actively addressed under other work packages within PROTECT BALTIC. ”

To make the management data as useful as possible, it’s crucial to consider both what has been collected and how it is applied. In some cases, there are challenges with data-sharing between countries or institutions, which can result in incomplete or outdated information being available. Moving forward, refining the datasets to ensure they are comprehensive and applicable will be essential.

The data collection showcased the different approaches each country has adopted:

Denmark : The team reviewed 85 management plans covering different types of MPAs, including Natura 2000 sites and other protected areas. However, 51 MPAs have been recently added and are currently being reviewed.
Estonia : 38 management plans were reviewed, but many MPAs have overlapping areas with multiple protected area categories, adding an important factor into the assessment process.
Finland : The most complex case, with over 1,000 MPAs (including Private Protected Areas). Often these sites fall under multi-management plans, meaning that a single document can cover multiple MPAs.
Germany : 82 management plans were reviewed. The country’s approach to MPA management is highly jurisdictional, with different rules applying to MPAs depending on the federal and state governance levels.
Lithuania : Only 7 management plans or similar documents were assessed, as most MPAs fall under larger territorial conservation programmes rather than standalone sites.
Poland : The team analyzed 22 management plans, which highlight the varied pressures affecting MPAs, from industrial development to tourism.
Sweden : With 148 management plans reviewed so far, and 292 still being checked, the trainees are exploring the use of AI to assist and speed up the data extraction process, especially for identifying protected species and habitats within a specific MPA.

An important decision was made regarding Latvia and Åland . Both Latvia and Åland are separately undergoing full-scale revisions of their suite of management plans, with updates expected to be finalized only in the second half of 2025.

“ If we included their current management plans in our dataset at this stage, they’d be outdated before they could even be added to the database, ” Estefania explains. “ So, we decided to wait until their new plans are finalized to ensure we use the most accurate and relevant information. In the meantime, we stay in constant communication with the relevant authorities to track the progress of their updates. ”

Filling in the blanks

A central aspect of the work has been gathering data on the pressures faced by MPAs, such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change, as well as the mitigation measures being implemented, like fishing restrictions and habitat restoration. While some of this data has been useful, Estefania points out that certain gaps remain: “ We are still completing the overarching MPA landscape. There is a lack of data regarding the intensity and location of the pressures. We need more detailed information on how these pressures are affecting specific areas and how effective the mitigation measures have been. ”

To address this, PROTECT BALTIC is currently working on advancing the spatial modelling of human activities and the resulting pressures, including identifying what pressures are suited for management at MPA level.

Another significant gap is the limited data collected on MPA monitoring, which is essential for assessing whether management measures are being followed. Estefania explains, “ Some countries focus on compliance, while others prioritize ecological tracking. We need to ensure that monitoring systems are standardized, cover both ecology and human activities, and are regularly updated. Opportunely, this in-depth research will be further explored by the Monitoring work package within the project. ”

The way forward: a unified approach

Looking ahead, PROTECT BALTIC is preparing to analyze the second round of data collection, which was open until February 2025. This round has focused on addressing gaps and refining the initial findings, filling in missing details, cross-checking discrepancies, and ensuring that the dataset is as robust as possible. While the first data call primarily identified MPAs, this phase focuses on understanding how they are managed and protected through specific sectorial measures. The last step in the process will be populating the Baltic Sea MPA database and inviting the countries to review and quality check the data before it is made publicly available.

Estefania emphasizes, “ The success of the project depends on collaboration with all Baltic Sea countries. We need their active involvement to validate the data we’ve collected, and we also need their feedback throughout the project to improve the MPA Portal. The more data we can collect, the better we will understand the challenges facing the Baltic Sea, and the better we can recommend suitable solutions to protect these areas. ”

This second phase will also gather additional information about national legal frameworks, sectoral instruments, and other factors influencing MPA management. The insights gained will be instrumental in shaping future conservation strategies and recommendations, ensuring that the work translates into tangible policy and conservation actions that protect biodiversity.

***
Article written by Paul Trouth, Communication Coordinator (PROTECT BALTIC), and available also on the PROTECT BALTIC´s webpage .

This crucial work on mapping and analyzing MPA management plans will be presented at the 4th EU Blue Parks Community Workshop in Brussels on 6 March 2025 , during European Ocean Week.

Estefania Cortez, alongside Jannica Haldin, PROTECT BALTIC's Project Manager, will share insights on the challenges and progress of the project in ensuring sufficient protection and restoration of the Baltic Sea’s marine environment. Their presentation will be part of the session on the state-of-play of strict protection in European seas.

CCB´s response to the Call for Evidence of the EU Oceans Pact

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:16:57 GMT

What is the Oceans Pact?

The Commission defines this Pact as a political initiative that aims to promote sustainable ocean management and ensure the health, resilience, and productivity of the oceans and thus the prosperity of the EU’s coastal communities. The pact was announced by President Von Der Leyen in her political guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029) and aims to bring coherence across all EU policy areas linked to oceans.

The Oceans Pact will target 3 pillars:

Maintain a healthy, resilient, & productive ocean.
Promote a sustainable and competitive blue economy, including fisheries & aquaculture.
Work towards a comprehensive agenda for marine knowledge, research, innovation, & investment.

It will also look at:

how we affect the ocean
how the ocean affects coastal communities
the opportunities that the ocean provides us with

The Oceans Pact will be presented by the EU Commission at the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.

What CCB thinks is important to include in the Oceans Pact:

For the Oceans Pact to truly benefit the Baltic Sea we need it to be ambitious and include legally binding targets benefiting the marine environment and biodiversity (e.g. goals on marine protection of 30 % by 2030 or good environmental status).

In particular, for CCB the Oceans Pact should:

be built on legally binding targets to protect, restore and conserve our Oceans.
outline coherence between different marine legislation and strategies (e.g. the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Common Fisheries Policy, Marine Action Plan, the Biodiversity Strategy, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the Water Framework Directive, Renewable Energy Directive, Habitats and Birds Directive and the Natura 2000-network, the Marine Spatial Planning Directive and pressures on the marine environment, such as shipping and Carbon Capture and Storage or commercial and recreational fishing).
address the large pressure of the Baltic Sea marine environment from land and agriculture .
bring cooperation to decision-making and management and emphasize the full implementation of existing legislation .
support the implementation of a just transformation towards a ‘regenerative blue economy’ to the benefit of coastal communities and marine ecosystems.
create a new Ocean Fund that aligns with the existing legislation to replace the current EMFAF. The Ocean Fund would be used to fund 1) ocean conservation & restoration, and 2) a just transition to a regenerative blue economy. In this context, misuse and/or counterproductive use of funds needs to end, which includes the abolishment of harmful subsidies e.g. fuel for fishing vessels. Instead, a CO2 tax should be implemented on fuel for vessels fishing with harmful mobile bottom-contacting gear.

***

EXTRA RESOURCES

CCB signed and published documents with further recommendations:

The Blue Manifesto , co-signed with over 140 other NGOs. It includes a roadmap with clear targets for the marine environment.
CCB position papers pushing for actions towards the 30x10 target by 2030: the MPA and the OECMs papers (published in 2024).

Letter to the German BALTFISH presidency for the protection of the Baltic harbour porpoise

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 15:44:52 GMT

6 February 2025 - Together with other NGOs, we sent a letter to the German Baltfish Presidency to demand urgent action to prevent the extinction of the Baltic harbour porpoise.

The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population is on the brink of extinction. This dire situation
has been well-documented for many years. Solutions are available and can be implemented
immediately, alongside necessary measures to restore the Baltic Sea's good environmental status.
Allowing the loss of this unique population due to political inaction would be unacceptable and
would undoubtedly face widespread societal condemnation.

Read the full letter with our requests to the German Baltfish Presidency.

EXTRA RESOURCES

CCB´s webpage to #SaveTheBalticPorpoise.
ICES (2024). EU request on support for the implementation of the Action Plan for harbour porpoise in the Baltic Sea (Baltic Proper) .

CCB welcomed a new Member Organization!

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:57:04 GMT

During the last CCB General Meeting , held online on 18 November 2024, CCB welcomed a new Member Organization in its network: the Finnish Society for Nature and Environment (Natur och Miljö), from Finland.

The Finnish Society for Nature and Environment ’s core operational area is where its members live and work, i.e., the Baltic Sea coastline from Loviisa in the east to Kokkola in the northwest, including the Åland archipelago in the southwest.

They address issues such as eutrophication, fishing, and land-based impacts on the Baltic Sea through campaign activities, comment letters to authorities, and participation in various official working groups.

With their new campaign, From Forest to Sea (in Swedish: Från skog till hav), they aim to inspire nature-based solutions and restoration measures for a cleaner Baltic Sea. As a shoreline or landowner, you can contribute to a cleaner Baltic Sea by, for example, clearing reeds in the right way or managing forests sustainably.

Forest management practices such as drainage through ditching, clear-cutting, and harvesting buffer zones are still in use in Finland today, despite evidence that they increase nutrient loads in waterways. By raising awareness of nature-based forestry methods that harness the forest's ability to capture nutrients, they aim to benefit both forest ecosystems and the health of the Baltic Sea.

Learn more about how you can contribute to the From Forest to Sea campaign on the campaign website (in Swedish here: https://www.naturochmiljo.fi/fran-skog-till-hav/ )

As part of the campaign, they will also organize events and support landowners in implementing nature-based solutions. Additionally, they will collaborate with other actors and organizations at both local and national levels.

Accelerating the Baltic Sea Action Plan Implementation: A Call to Action for a Healthier Baltic Sea

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Uppsala/Helsinki, 12 December 2024 - Today, we have launched a new publication, Accelerating the Baltic Sea Action Plan Implementation , addressing the urgent need for the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) governments to enhance their efforts in implementing the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) . As submitted for discussion to the 6th HELCOM Informal Consultation Session of the Heads of Delegation (HOD) - which is currently taking place in Helsinki, Finland - this publication emphasizes that ecological recovery requires immediate, coordinated action.

Our lives in the Baltic Sea region depend on healthy and diverse marine and coastal ecosystems. Protecting, restoring, and maintaining their health is vital to sustaining our future. However, the latest HELCOM holistic assessment (HOLAS 3) shows the Baltic Sea is not on a path to recovery . Pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, and cumulative impacts of human activities continue to grow, jeopardizing our shared marine ecosystem.

In our publication, we outline the critical actions required to reverse this trend and achieve a Good Environmental Status (GES) of the Baltic Sea by 2030 .

Key Recommendations Include:

Strengthening political commitment to prioritize BSAP targets;
Embedding Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) as a core principle;
Allocating necessary financial and human resources to meet BSAP obligations;
Enhancing cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration at all levels;
Ensuring accountability through transparent evaluation and monitoring mechanisms;
Adhering to agreed deadlines with consequences for non-compliance and addressing ongoing ecocide.

“ The HOLAS 3 report makes it certainly clear: incomplete and delayed measures are stalling the recovery of the Baltic Sea ,” said Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary. “ Governments must take coordinated and sustained efforts to fulfill their commitments under the BSAP, ensuring a healthy and resilient marine ecosystem for future generations .”

This publication not only identifies priority actions but also highlights the challenges and solutions associated with achieving BSAP targets. We urge all Baltic Sea Region countries to live up to their responsibility and immediately and effectively follow up on the commitments of the HELCOM BSAP.

For further details, or to access the publication, click here .

Joint civil society letter to EU Commission on EU LIFE funding

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 10:25:39 GMT

EU LIFE operating grants: ensuring public participation in the development of environmental policy, enabling civil society engagement to strengthen democracy and support the European project.

5 December 2024 - In an open letter to the European Commission , together with other Environmental Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), we have called for enhanced recognition and support of our essential role " not only for Europe’s future, strong public participation and the resilience of European democracy, but also as a legal requirement under the Treaties and the Aarhus Convention ".

The letter emphasizes the critical contribution of civil society to EU policymaking and the urgency of sustained funding to uphold their work in tackling pressing global challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

The Role of Civil Society: Bridging Citizens and Policymakers

Civil society organisations serve as vital intermediaries between EU institutions and its citizens, ensuring that public voices resonate in policy decisions. These groups safeguard transparency, nurture institutional trust, and offer innovative, citizen-centered solutions to environmental challenges like marine conservation, water quality improvement, and renewable energy development.

“ We represent significantly more than fifty million citizens involved in environmental organisations and have, over the past decades, constructively engaged in the development and implementation of EU policies ”, our joint letter states.

Legal Foundation for Participation: A Core EU Value

The coalition highlights that civil society engagement is not merely aspirational but a legal obligation under the Aarhus Convention and Treaty on European Union (TEU).

This includes providing the “ citizens and representative associations the opportunity
to express and exchange their views in all areas of Union action” and stipulating that the
“institutions are required to maintain an open, transparent, and regular dialogue with civil society ”.

The EU LIFE Programme: A Strategic Investment in Civil Society

The LIFE Programme, the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental and climate action, explicitly prioritizes the involvement of civil society. Through this framework, NGOs play a pivotal role in implementing EU strategies, driving innovation, and amplifying policy impacts.

The letter stresses the EU LIFE Programme´s contribution " to the strategic priorities of the EU, and it has a long and successful history of supporting bottom-up projects that have helped CSOs and wider NGOs work with a range of stakeholders (including researchers and academia, businesses, farmers, local communities and others) across Europe to help mitigate climate change, ensure a fossil free energy transition, support farmers engaging in organic and agroecological practices, improve air and water quality, support nature conservation and restoration together with local actors and to engage with businesses in the creation of a sustainable economy, to cite a few. "

The way forward

We are open to working with the European Commission and all EU institutions in advancing the European project for the benefit of all, for present and future generations.

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Read the full letter and list of signatories here .

Stalled Progress: Negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty Continues into 2025

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 11:30:33 GMT

4 December 2024 - The UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting in Busan, South Korea, was supposed to be the fifth and final round of negotiations to produce the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, by the end of 2024. However, it concluded in early December 2024 without an agreement, leaving countries with an extended deadline and a proposal by the Chair to resume talks at an additional session (INC 5.2) in 2025 to resolve outstanding disagreements. Countries will use the latest version of the Chair’s text as the basis for the continued negotiations.

Plastic production & global warming

At the heart of the discussions was whether the treaty would include limits on plastic production. Over 100 nations, including small island states, African countries, and several European and developing nations like Norway and Mexico, along with the EU, supported a proposal to set a global target for reducing plastic production. Many have emphasized that this is essential to address chemicals of concern. However, for some plastic-producing and oil and gas countries, such a proposal crossed a red line.

The plan of petrochemical states to maintain plastic production growth threatens to derail global climate goals. Every year, the world produces more than 360 million tonnes of new plastic. Plastic production is on track to triple by 2050. Scientists estimate that a 75% reduction in plastic production is needed by 2040 to keep global warming to 1.5°C. Without such cuts, plastic production alone could consume up to 31% of the world’s remaining carbon budget to stay within that critical temperature threshold.

Plastic & health

The economic burden of health impacts is growing. Research by the Endocrine Society revealed that merely four groups of plastic-related chemicals are responsible for health expenses exceeding $400 billion annually in the United States. On a global scale, the UN Environment Programme cautions that failing to address chemical and plastic pollution could result in costs reaching as high as 10% of the world’s GDP.

Microplastics have been found in air, fresh produce, and even human breast milk. In animals, such as fish, these broken-down bits of larger plastics have been linked to lower levels of growth and reproduction, among other issues. Researchers are still working to determine more conclusively whether microplastics pose a direct risk to human health, and if so, at what level.

 Finance

Another key area of contention was the financial support for developing country parties. At least 126 countries have called for an independent, dedicated fund to assist with treaty implementation. However, the Chair’s draft weakened this demand, and this is one of the issues will be furthered discussed at INC-5.2 – as well as the proposal of establishment of a polymer production fee, a widely supported mechanism for funding global action.

Science & civil society

“ The science is clear: A treaty that protects human health and the environment must address the issues of plastic production and chemicals ,” said Bethanie Carney Almroth, Professor at the University of Gothenburg, speaking for the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, a network of over 400 independent experts.

“ Coalition Clean Baltic, along with many other environmental organizations, entered INC-5 with the expectation of securing a treaty that would protect human health by regulating chemicals throughout the lifecycle of plastics and reducing production ,” commented Eugeniy Lobanov, Leader of the Hazardous Substances Working Area at Coalition Clean Baltic . “However, progress has been slow and did not lead to finalizing a text. We are united with many other organizations and countries in their ambition for a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution across its lifecycle, as set out in the UNEA Resolution 5/14.”

INC-5.1 made some progress toward a treaty to end plastic pollution, producing a streamlined Chair’s Text open for further submissions at INC-5.2. Delegates worked extensively on revisions but the exclusion of civil society and observers from discussions raised significant concerns about transparency and inclusivity.

What´s next?

So in the end, the INC-5.1 did not produce a final treaty, leaving key details, including the dates and modalities of the next session, unresolved. There was no proposal for intersessional work, so informal discussions will continue in an effort to align on the core provisions of the draft treaty, which include:

• Article 3 on products, including the possibility of restricting chemicals in plastic production and ensuring transparency and traceability of chemicals in plastic products;
• Article 6 on supply, including the possibility of setting a reduction goal for plastic production;
• Article 11 on setting a financial mechanism that will be crucial to funding the implementation of the treaty, particularly upstream control measures.

Delegates acknowledged the complexity of addressing plastic pollution, which intersects with broader environmental issues like climate change and biodiversity loss, but expressed hope for continued progress in future sessions.

-END

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Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

Further Information

Water for Climate and Finance: Key Takeaways from COP29 in Baku

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 08:53:48 GMT

COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, concluded on November 22. Often referred to as the "Finance COP," this conference also placed a strong emphasis on water issues. We’ve gathered the key highlights from COP29 that focus on the intersection of water and climate.

29 November 2024 - The climate crisis is most acutely affecting water resources. WMO’s State of Global Water Resources reports show that the water cycle is spinning out of control and becoming more erratic, unpredictable, and extreme.

CLIMATE & WATER

Climate change is expected to lead to more frequent incidents of water pollution, salinization, and eutrophication , driven by increased droughts, floods, sea level rise, and rising water temperatures in certain rivers and lakes. The Baltic Sea , with its relatively small water volume and slow exchange of water with the North Atlantic, is particularly vulnerable . These conditions amplify the impact of climate change, causing many processes and interactions to occur more rapidly than in other seas. To learn more about the effects of climate change in the Baltic Sea in the latest update of HELCOM Baltic Sea Climate Change Fact Sheet.

At COP29, the most significant and expected event has been the adoption of the Declaration on Water for Climate Action. The Declaration commits to applying comprehensive approaches to combating the causes and consequences of climate change for water basins , paving the way for increased regional and international cooperation. Nearly 50 countries joined the adoption of the Declaration, it was approved by prominent non-state actors, including WWF, Water.org & Water Equity, Stockholm International Water Institute and the Islamic Development Bank.

It also emphasizes the need to integrate water-related mitigation and adaptation measures into national climate policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). To support this, signatories will collaborate to enhance the generation of scientific knowledge on the causes and impacts of climate change on water resources and basins. This will include efforts to share data and develop new climate scenarios at the basin level.

To support the implementation of these actions Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action was launched with high-level representatives from the European Union, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Moldova, the Netherlands, Slovenia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States . This initiative will serve as a collaboration platform between COPs, promoting continuity and coherence in water-related climate actions. It will ensure a sustained focus on water and its connections to climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and desertification, with an emphasis on actions at the international, regional, river, and basin levels.

Commenting on the Water for Climate Action launch, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev said: “ Water is the link that flows between the climate, biodiversity and desertification crises. By enhancing collaboration between countries and between COPs, the Water for Climate Action initiative will allow us to act on all three fronts ”.

From the point of view of water resources, COP29 is an important milestone, an official recognition at a high level that water resources are an integral part of the global climate agenda . The necessity of integrating water management and transboundary cooperation into national climate policy, such as Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans, is not something new, but obviously crucial for effective climate adaptation and mitigation. We will be able to see the first results of this process next year. Parties will provide updates to their own NDCs and NAPs by February 2025 so COP29 is an important moment in making the case for water’s role in these key documents.

CLIMATE & FINANCE

One of the main results of COP29 was the approval of t he New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) - the target of $300 billion per year by 2035 annually by developed countries to combat climate change in developing countries . This result falls short of what developing countries would hope for at the end of a long negotiation process, and does not meet their real needs considering the scale of the observed impacts of global climate change and the speed of ongoing climate shifts. On the other hand, the call in the final document to jointly create conditions for increasing climate financing for developing countries from all sources to at least $1.3 trillion per year by 2035 seems to leave the door open and maintains hope for a qualitatively higher level of ambition in this critical area. However, it also hints that large sums of money will not simply fall from the sky and that all stakeholders and countries will need to work hard to attract such funds and elevate climate finance to a new level.

OUTCOMES

Overall, climatologists and activists worldwide expressed dissatisfaction with the recent conference. They felt the issues facing Pacific island nations were not adequately addressed, the financial commitments were insufficient, and the outcomes of the conference were, in the words of Shailendra Yashwant, Senior Advisor at Climate Action Network South Asia : " not just a failure, but a betrayal " of developing countries.

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Article written by Anna Ushakova, CCB Maritime Working Area Leader

Final Round of Negotiations on Global Plastic Treaty Begins in South Korea

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:17:31 GMT

Busan, South Korea – 25 November 2024 – After the 4 ^th meeting (INC-4) held in Ottawa, Canada , delegates and observers have gathered again in South Korea for the final round of negotiations on the Global Plastic Treaty (INC-5).

This pivotal session will take place from November 25 to December 1, 2024, aiming at the development of a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including its impact on the marine environment. Also CCB, along with other civil society organizations from across the globe – such as its Member Organization the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation - are actively engaged in these negotiations.

In her opening statement, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen , remarked:
“ Today marks one thousand days since the historic UNEA resolution greenlighting these negotiations. While some multilateral agreements have taken decades to finalize, this represents good progress. However, plastic pollution operates on a different timescale. Some plastics take up to one thousand years to decompose. Even then, they break down into smaller particles that persist, pervade, and pollute.

This pollution harms the natural systems and species we rely on, hampers our ability to adapt to climate change, damages ecosystem resilience, and blocks drainage systems in cities. It very likely also harms human health. Furthermore, the continued growth of plastic production emits greenhouse gases, pushing us closer to climate disaster. ”

Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader , emphasizes the critical moment the negotiation process is currently living:
“ We are at a crucial juncture, with sharp differences in interests among groups of Member States. It is imperative to craft a Treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, including upstream activities such as production and content regulation. Managing plastic waste alone will never suffice.

Another vital element is the inclusion of health provisions in the treaty. The INC must retain references to protecting human health and the environment, maintaining the objective of safeguarding both through this instrument. ”

Campaigners, businesses, and members of the High Ambition Coalition—an alliance comprising EU member states and southern hemisphere nations where much of the world’s waste is dumped or incinerated—support production limits as the most effective way to curb plastic waste and encourage recycling.

The EU’s Role in Tackling Plastic Waste

In the European Union, upcoming regulations aim to shift the responsibility for managing plastic and other packaging waste onto the companies that produce it.

The revised Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive , an update to a 1994 EU Regulation, is expected to come into force next year. Under this directive, every EU country will be required to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes to achieve a 5% reduction in waste by 2030 and a 15% reduction by 2040.

Lawmakers have also agreed to make all packaging reusable or recyclable by 2030 and to ban certain single-use packaging items, such as lightweight plastic bags and condiment sachets, by the same deadline.

Progress in Negotiations

Since its inception in 2022, the INC has convened four times (INC-1, INC-2, INC-3, and INC-4), overcoming initial procedural challenges and advancing to text-based negotiations based on a draft compilation of the future treaty.

During INC-5, the Committee is expected to divide into four contact groups to address key issues:

Plastic Products and Production : Including chemicals of concern, product design, and supply chain aspects.
Plastic Waste Management : Covering emissions, releases, existing pollution (including in marine environments), and just transitions.
Finance and International Cooperation : Establishing financial mechanisms, capacity building, technical assistance, technology transfer, and cooperative efforts.
Implementation and Compliance : Addressing national plans, reporting, monitoring progress, evaluating effectiveness, sharing information, and raising awareness through education and research.

-END

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Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

Further Information

Short-sighted decision by EU fisheries ministers pushes Baltic Sea ecosystem closer to collapse

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:28:21 GMT

22 October 2024 - The Agriculture and Fisheries Council decided today on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2025. In a move that has sparked great concern among marine organisations (1), EU fisheries ministers have yet again ignored the limits (2) of the ecosystem and exceeded scientific recommendations on some of the Baltic Total Allowable Catches (TACs). Despite clear evidence that Baltic Sea ecosystem is under severe stress (3), as well as legal obligations to restore fish populations to healthy levels under the Common Fisheries Policy (4) and the Baltic Multiannual Plan (5), a short-sighted agreement which prioritises interim political gains over long-term sustainability will put vulnerable stocks such as cod, herring and sprat at further risk.

Today's agreement is likely to contribute to further degradation of this fragile ecosystem and hasten biodiversity decline.

Ministers have increased the TAC for central Baltic herring by over 100%, basing this decision on an increase in the fish population caused mainly by reduced fishing pressure over the most recent years. However, scientific assessments indicate that the central Baltic herring population remains below a healthy level. Moreover, the scientific projections of the stock growth rely on uncertain data (6) and simplification of complex ecosystem processes, with new research showing that stock assessment estimates and recovery trajectories for overfished species tend to be overly optimistic (7). Central herring therefore urgently needs effective rebuilding measures which go beyond the agreed spawning closures.

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Policy Advisor for FishSec highlights:
“To rebuild the herring population, we urgently need more precautionary fishing limits, combined with other appropriate remedial measures. This is crucial not just for biodiversity, but also for the recovery of other species, such as cod and salmon, and ultimately for the Baltic fishing sector. Today's decision goes in the opposite direction.”

The TAC for sprat has been set at a lower level than last year; however, with the sprat population already in decline for years, more efforts were expected to preserve this fish population. Sprat and central Baltic herring are often caught together by large-scale industrial fisheries, and a lack of sufficient monitoring makes it difficult to accurately assess how much of each species is being caught. As a result, this sprat quota also directly impacts the struggling central herring population. Herring and sprat are a fundamental part of the Baltic Sea food web - they are a vital source of food for key predators such as cod, salmon, harbour porpoise and seabirds - and their continued overfishing will have cascading effects across the entire ecosystem. In addition, a great majority of these catches will not even be destined for human consumption but will instead be processed into fishmeal to feed salmon in aquaculture and pigs in land-based farming.

On a more positive note, NGOs welcome the decision to keep a low quota for plaice, as increasing this quota was likely to result in a higher bycatch of Baltic cod. However, to increase chances of cod recovery, additional management measures are needed, including trawl-free zones in essential cod habitats and the introduction of remote electronic monitoring (8).

Key fish species are already on the brink of collapse, with populations at historically low levels. Scientific experts from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advised ministers to set zero TACs for critically depleted stocks (9) like eastern cod and western herring. EU ministers chose to disregard this advice, opting to keep by-catch quotas for western herring and both Baltic cod stocks.

Remi Cossetti, Marine Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, expresses deep concern over the agreed Baltic fishing opportunities:
”Despite the strong message sent recently by the European Parliament backing safeguards for declining species (10), fisheries ministers have once again set fishing quotas that overlook the essential needs of the Baltic Sea ecosystem (11). This irresponsible decision will exacerbate ecosystem decline and threaten the livelihoods of fishers and coastal communities. Such decision-making, which neglects our environmental responsibilities, is profoundly short-sighted in an era already marked by environmental crises.”

Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead at WWF Baltic Sea Programme, stresses:
“Today's decision on the Baltic Sea sprat catch limit is very disappointing. We had hoped that EU fisheries ministers would recognise the role that pelagic fish populations such as sprat play as prey for the many predatory species that inhabit the Baltic Sea, such as depleted cod stocks, and that they would therefore take prudent decisions. In the meantime, the fishing limit set for sprat is too high to recover the balance of the ecosystem while ensuring the long-term prosperity of fishers.”

Andrea Cervantes, Biodiversity Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, underscores the disconnect between biodiversity goals and new quotas:
"While the EU arrived with big promises at the Convention on Biological Diversity at the COP16 happening right now, fisheries ministers are further pushing biodiversity outside their door to the brink of collapse. Despite the global agreement on biodiversity (12) reached in Montreal last year, which set targets for the sustainable use of biodiversity, current fisheries management continues to fail in translating these ambitions into effective actions. It is impossible to address biodiversity loss and the increasing pressures of climate change on Baltic Sea fish populations while simultaneously pushing the ecosystem’s resources to their limits. Applying a precautionary buffer is a climate and environmental responsibility that cannot be ignored when setting fishing quotas for 2025."

Isabel Seeger, Policy Advisor for Fisheries and Marine Conservation at Deutsche Umwelthilfe, warns for what the TACs mean for the Baltic Sea ecosystem and the fishing industry:
“By putting short-term economic interests first, EU fisheries ministers have once again taken risks in setting fishing quotas, doing both the ecosystem and the fisheries a disservice. The victims of this chronic mismanagement are the fishers, as many fish populations are now only a fraction of what they once were. The state of western herring and cod, the traditional key species of German Baltic Sea fisheries, remains catastrophic. Without fish, there is no fishing - but a rethink of fisheries management centering ecosystem health is not yet in sight.”

-END

CONTACTS
● Sara Tironi, Senior Communications Officer, Seas At Risk, stironi@seas-at-risk.org +32
483 457 483
● Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Fisheries Policy Officer, FishSec, Cathrine@fishsec.org
● Isabel Seeger, Policy Advisor Fisheries and Marine Conservation, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, seeger@duh.de, +49 170 7057673
● Andrea Cervantes, Biodiversity Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic, andrea.cervantes@ccb.se
● Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead, WWF Baltic Sea Programme, jzajchowska@wwf.pl

NOTES TO EDITORS
(1) - Seas At Risk, FishSec, Coalition Clean Baltic, WWF Baltic Sea Programme, Deutsche
Umwelthilfe and Suomen Luonnonsuojeluliitto (Finnish Association for Nature Conservation).

(2) - EU Fisheries Ministers’ decision for 2025 Fishing opportunities: Baltic Sea: Council agrees on catch limits for 2025 - Consilium .

(3) - The Baltic Sea is not in a good environmental status. HELCOM (2023): State of the Baltic Sea. Third HELCOM holistic assessment 2016-2021. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings n°194 . According to WWF’s report on biodiversity loss, the western cod population decreased by 77% between 2000 and 2023. WWF-Living-Planet-Report-2024-Kurzfassung-dt.pdf . Moreover, climate change also impacts marine species. According to Copernicus Marine Service, heatwaves in the Baltic are increasing in frequency and intensity. https://sp.copernicus.org/articles/4-osr8/16/2024/

(4) - Common Fisheries Policy (Article 2.2) ”The CFP shall apply the precautionary approach to fisheries management, and shall aim to ensure that exploitation of living marine biological resources restores and maintains populations of harvested species above levels which can produce the maximum sustainable yield. In order to reach the objective of progressively restoring and maintaining populations of fish stocks above biomass levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield, the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate shall be achieved by 2015 where possible and, on a progressive, incremental basis at the latest by 2020 for all stocks.” REGULATION (EU) No 1380/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2.

(5) - Multiannual Plans (MAPs) are the main EU fisheries management tools under the Common Fisheries Policy: Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 establishing a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks, amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005 and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1098/2007

(6) - Advice by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea on the central Baltic herring.

https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/report/Herring_i_Clupea_harengus_i_in_subdivisions_25_29_and_32_excluding_the_Gulf_of_Riga_central_Baltic_Sea_/25019276?backTo=%2Fcollections%2FICES_Advice_2024%2F6976944&file=46738738

( 7) - A recent study has shown that several projections in fisheries management have been overly optimistic: Graham et al. (2024) “ Stock assessment models overstate sustainability of the world’s fisheries” Science https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl6282

(8) - Remote electronic monitoring:

https://www.efca.europa.eu/en/content/remote-electronic-monitoring-rem

(9) - The advice by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea for 2025 Baltic fishing opportunities: https://www.ices.dk/advice/pages/latest-advice.aspx

(10) - The Baltic Multiannual Plan (MAP) requires setting fishing limits in accordance with ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management for some key species to ensure that negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem are minimised: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R1139 . In September 2024, the European Parliament sent a strong signal to fisheries ministers by refusing to consider a proposal that would have removed the critical safeguard in the Baltic Multiannual Plan. Last year, the fisheries ministers broke both environmental law and fishing regulations by setting TACs for herring in the Baltic Sea despite the risk of the population’s collapse: Environmental organisations appeal to EU court to invalidate fishing quotas due to Baltic herring stocks collapse (ccb.se) ; CURIA - Documents (europa.eu)

(11) - The scientific advice provided focuses primarily on individual fish species, without adequately considering the broader ecological context. As a result, the overall health and long term integrity of the Baltic Sea ecosystem have been overlooked. The responsibility for integrating these ecosystem needs into fishing quotas lies with fisheries ministers.

(12) - The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted last year (2023). The agreement sets targets to be achieved by 2030, where ensuring sustainable management and use of biodiversity for human activities is stated, including for Fisheries (Target 10).

140 organisations call on new EU leadership to prioritise ocean health with new fund and ban on destructive activities

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:31:51 GMT

With Ocean Week taking the stage this week in Brussels (30 September- 4 October), CCB and other 139 organisations call on the newly elected EU institutions to take a series of bold measures to stop the EU’s ocean and coastlines being pushed to the brink, including launching a Ocean Fund and proposing new legislation to ban destructive activities at sea.

2 October 2024 - Launched at the European Parliament on 1 October, the Blue Manifesto , led by Seas At Risk, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, ClientEarth, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation Europe and WWF, advocates for an ambitious Ocean Deal that places ocean health at the heart of EU decision-making. It comes after the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, pledged to create a “European Ocean Pact” in July as she was re-appointed for a new term.

According to the European Environment Agency, more than 90% of Europe’s marine area is under pressure from human activities – intensive fishing, shipping, oil and gas drilling, tourism and other coastal activities. Destructive practices such as bottom trawling continue in 90% of EU offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and more than 14 million tonnes of plastic still enter the ocean each year.

The Blue Manifesto - first launched in 2020 and updated in 2024 - calls on the EU to:

Use its money more wisely
Improve ocean governance
Ensure effective marine protection
Fight against pollution
Add the “blue” to the EU’s green just transition

The full document is available in English, French, German and Spanish HERE .

Watch the promotional video:

List of organisations which signed the Blue Manifesto:
Aquatic Life Institute, aquatil gGmbH, Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, ARK Rewilding NL, Art Bakard, Asociación Ambiente Europeo, Associação Bandeira Azul de Ambiente e Educação, Association BIOM, Atlantic Cities, Beyond Plastic Med, BirdLife Malta, BirdLife Sweden, BirdWatch Ireland, BLOOM, Blue Ventures, BLUEBIO ALLIANCE, Blutopia, Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, BUND, CAN Europe, Cantine sans plastique France, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), CHELONIA, Child Rights International Network (CRIN), City to Sea, Clean Air Action Group, CNCD-11.11.11, Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB, Coastwatch Europe, Compassion in World Farming, Cyclades Preservation Fund, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, Dansk Ornitologisk Forening (DOF BirdLife), Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR), Doggerland Foundation, Društvo Ekologi brez meja, Eco-Union, ECODES, Ecologistas En Accion – EEA, ECOS (Environmental Coalition on Standards), Electra Energy, Environmental Investigation Agency, Environmental Justice Foundation, Eurogroup for Animals, Europe Jaques Delors, European Environmental Bureau – EEB, European Underwater Federation (EUF), Fauna & Flora, Feedback EU, FishSec, Fondation Tara Océan, Foro Marino Islas Baleares, France Nature Environnement – FNE, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Friends of the Earth Europe, Fundación Montescola, Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua, Fundación para la conservación de Ibiza y Formentera, Gallifrey Foundation, Geota, Global Witness, Good Fish, GOOD KARMA PROJECTS, GYBN Europe, Health and Environment Justice Support, Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS), High Seas Alliance, Iceland Nature Conservation Association, International Fund for Animal Welfare – IFAW, International Peace Information Service (IPIS), Irish Wildlife Trust – IWT, Jesuit European Social Centre, Kelonia-RMR, KYMA sea conservation & research, Lithuanian Ornithological Society (LOD), LookDown Collective, Marilles Foundation, Marine Conservation Society, MATER, MIO-ECSDE, Mundus Maris, Naturskyddsföreningen (Swedish Society for Nature Conservation), Naturvernforbundet, Norwegian Society for The Conservation of Nature, Natuur; Milieu, Natuurpunt, No Plastic In My Sea, North Sea Foundation, Ocean; Climate Platform, Ocean Alive, Ocean Rebellion, Ocean Vision Legal, Ocean. Now! e.V. OceanCare, Oceano Fresco, Oikos – Cooperação e Desenvolvimento, OURZ GmbH, Patagonia, Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk e.V.,Planet Tracker, Plastic Change, Plastic Soup Foundation, Polish Zero Waste Association, Quercus – Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza, Recycle Lebanon, REScoop.eu, Retorna, Sciaena, SDG Watch Europe, Sea First, SEO/BirdLife, SharkGuardian, SharkProject, Stop the Grind, StopFinningEU, Sunce, Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust (SFACT), Sustainable Ocean Alliance, SWAN, TransMarTech S-H GmbH, Umanotera, Waddenvereniging, WeMove Europe, Wetlands International Europe, Wetlands International Europe, Whale and Dolphin Conservation – WDC, Women Engage for a Common Future, Worldrise, Youth and Environment Europe (YEE), zeefier, ZERO, Zero Waste Society.

(Closed) CCB is looking for a Financial Manager/Controller to join the team at the CCB International Secretariat in Uppsala, Sweden

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:52:26 GMT

Role: This position will play a critical role in the CCB (*) International Secretariat’s conservation work, with an emphasis on the flow of financial resources in the Secretariat and to the network of 26 NGO partner organizations advocating across the Baltic Sea catchment. You will work closely with the team in Uppsala on all financial and operational issues to ensure effective implementation of CCB’s projects and initiatives. You will also support and coordinate development of CCB’s operational, strategic and business plans and ensure effective implementation of the same.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

- financial management and internal controls within CCB, including daily and yearly routines;

- control of the agreements with donors and partners, respective payments and financial reporting on grants received and forwarded;

- preparation, implementation and follow-up of the organization’s budget and accounts;

- control after balanced co-funding for available donor’s resources;

- lead and support implementation of CCB’s fundraising strategy.

More detailed list of tasks can be inquired from the contacts below.

Required skills and background:

We are seeking candidates with:

Several years of professional experience in accounting and financial management in Sweden, knowledge of Swedish legislation governing financial transactions and taxation,
proficiency in spoken and written Swedish and English,
an applicant must be based in Sweden and have a permit to work in Sweden.

Desirable skills:

Working knowledge of any other language common in the Baltic Sea catchment, including Danish, Finnish, German, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Ukrainian.
Experience in fundraising.
Experience in working with donor organizations such as Swedish international aid (Sida, Swedish Institute), EU LIFE, Interreg and HORIZON Programmes, etc.

If you are an adaptable, solutions-focused professional, with a positive disposition, a passion for the ocean and environmental conservation, good sense of humor, vibrant team spirit and a can-do attitude, we’d love to hear from you!

Salary: Salary comparable to NGO staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective unions. Subject to adjustment depending on experience and annual increase.

Location: Residence in Sweden is mandatory. Flexible on remote/office hours in Uppsala. Several joint offline events for the whole staff expected per year in Sweden.

Travel: Some travel will be necessary, mostly in the Baltic Sea catchment. You need to be able to participate in occasional meetings on weekends.

Contract type: Intended permanent position with a 6-month probation period. It is expected that the new employee would start preferably not later than 18 October 2024 , depending on availability.

Application and deadline:

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send you CV (max. 2 pages) and a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 26 September 2024 to secretariat@ccb.se .

Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English. Applications submitted in any other language will not be considered. Incomplete applications (e.g. lacking either CV or personal letter) will be also not considered.

Likewise any inquiries related to this vacancy announcement should be forwarded to the above email or by phone to Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin at mikhail.durkin@ccb.se and +46 739 770 793.

***
In the application and hiring process, CCB will not discriminate against any individual based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property, disability, age, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic and social situation.

(*) Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent, non-profit association and unites Member and Observer organizations, as well as partners and individual experts in all countries of the Baltic Sea Region. Combined, the 26 CCB member and observer organizations have almost 1 500 000 members in all countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region for present and future generations. Common objectives for the CCB network include seeking opportunities to encourage new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Being an international network organization, CCB has the advantage of being able to work both at the international and national policy levels as well as with concrete field projects. Four ways to reach our goal are: (1) Advocacy , (2) Information, environmental education and other activities , (3) Concrete co-operation projects in the field and (4) Support to Member Organizations . In order to strengthen its efforts and promote joint action to restore the environment of the Baltic Sea, CCB has 4 main Working Areas that are important for all its members: Eutrophication, Biodiversity, Hazardous Substances and Maritime.

CCB is Member of IUCN, BSAС; GWP Partner; Observer at HELCOM, NASCO, IWC.

To read more about CCB’s engagement in marine policy implementation, please visit our recent Annual Reports

Further information about CCB’s policies and main documents is available here.

Environmental organizations appeal to EU court to invalidate fishing quotas due to Baltic herring stocks collapse

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 06:33:24 GMT

The Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) network has recently submitted an application to the General Court of the European Union (GCEU) to invalidate the EU fisheries ministers' decision on the 2024 fishing quotas for the Baltic herring. CCB considers that the EU Council of Ministers violated existing fishing regulations and that they ignored and directly undermined other environmental legislation in place. Moreover, the Ministers do not take into account the precautionary principle, whether regarding the ecosystem's status or a coastal fishery that can no longer catch Baltic herring for human consumption.

Uppsala, 21 August 2024 - As late as a few months before the decisions on fishing quotas for 2024 were made for the Baltic Sea, the EU and its Member States had actively supported decisions on the protection of our seas on an international level. It was indeed proclaimed that the world's oceans outside national borders must now be protected. But apparently not our own inland Baltic Sea when it comes to fishing quotas.

The EU Commission proposed, in the light of alarming facts but also based on the rules the EU jointly decided to protect collapsing fish stocks, to completely close the targeted Baltic herring fishery primarily caught by large trawlers. Data published by ICES (the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) indicated that even with zero fishing, stocks would not recover above the lowest reference level ( see ICES advice on the Central Baltic herring stock, p3 ). In this particular scenario, there is a rule for how to act, which is of course to close the fishery. The ministers blatantly broke this rule when they instead decided that the permitted fishing in the Southern and Northern Baltic Sea should total over 100,000 tonnes, i.e. 100 million kilos!

During the winter, CCB requested the EU Council of Ministers to review its decision in the light of all applicable laws, i.e. not only the most obvious fisheries regulations but also the EU's and the countries' own environmental laws. When this request was rejected with the claim that nothing was incorrect in the Council’s decision, CCB decided to appeal it and ask the EU Court for an annulment of the Council's decision not to review the 2024 Baltic fish quota decision.

“ We expect the court to agree with our arguments and concur that the Ministers broke the law. Of course, this does not mean that we will suddenly get the fish back. The central thing here is rather to stop the crazy circus of playing with our ecosystem in this way ”, says Nils Höglund, marine and fisheries expert at CCB.

“ It cannot be too much to ask that the Ministers act legally and take into account the needs of the ecosystem but also the needs of the small but important coastal fisheries. I think all citizens demand that the ministers live up to all the nice words they gleefully throw around at big conferences ”, continues Nils Höglund.

If the court approves CCB´s request, it would affect how the Ministers can act in the future. It would set a precedent and clarify how the law should be interpreted in the light of setting fishing quotas not only in the Baltic Sea but across the EU. There is a big risk that the politicians aim to change the rules in order to soften the regulations, which has already partially started. However regardless of that, this court process is unfortunately necessary. Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary of the CCB concludes:

“ Being forced to go to court is absolutely not something we want to do. Environmental policy must be created and implemented by elected politicians with the support of the people. However, when the people have been promised responsible actions, but see only action that is the total opposite of responsible and even illegal, we simply have to call it quits. ”

CCB welcomes all and any support to see this Court process through. It will be a long journey, but we can't do it alone – and for this reason we have launched the campaign “ Plea for the Sea - Advocate for a Fair Baltic Sea! ”. Your donation can help to support the legal case and to pressure policy-makers to follow the law and protect the Baltic Sea marine life.

Donate to be a Herring Hero here: https://www.ccb.se/plea-for-the-sea-herring-heroes-advocate-for-a-fair-baltic-sea

-END

The Swedish version of this PR is available here .

Note to editors:

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) – Is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 27 NGOs, with over 1 500 000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. More info at: www.ccb.se

CCB original complaint and request for internal review contains most of the arguments now raised with the EU Court. That file and all annexes are not yet available publically.

CCB request for internal review to the Council: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-5738-2024-INIT/en/pdf
Council reply to the request: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-9350-2024-INIT/en/pdf
CCBs earlier statement from January about the case: https://www.ccb.se/ngos-request-legal-scrutiny-of-ministers-decision-to-continue-fishing-on-baltic-herring-stocks-in-decline

Contact:

Nils Höglund, CCB Marine and Fisheries Policy Officer: nils.hoglund@ccb.se
Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary: mikhail.durkin@ccb.se

(closed) CCB is looking for a Marine Policy Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 11:20:12 GMT

ROLE

CCB (*) is now recruiting an experienced Marine Policy Officer to join its team and play a central role in its advocacy and conservation work, with focus on the Baltic Sea. The Policy Officer will work on implementation of marine policy (particularly the EU MSFD and HELCOM BSAP) and its interaction with other relevant global, EU and regional environmental and sectorial (e.g. EU CFP) policies and frameworks, taking into account and promoting ecosystem-based management. You will work closely with the team in Uppsala on respective topic-wise issues to ensure effective implementation of CCB’s projects and initiatives. You will also support development and coordination of CCB’s strategic and thematic plans and ensure their effective implementation.

Main responsibilities

- Support the CCB’s Multiannual Plan of Action with regards to marine policy, mostly within Working Area Biodiversity and in coordination with other WAs

Contribute to implementation of the Plan of Action
Contribute to advocacy and take part in discussions and meetings at EU and Baltic regional level in support of

o MSFD implementation and anticipated revision

o Nature Restoration Law

o Helsinki Convention (1992) and HELCOM BSAP

o spatial conservation measures

o ensuring ecosystem-based management in fisheries and minimising its impacts on the marine environment

Coordinate with CCB members’ respective marine policy work
Monitor relevant global, EU and regional policy developments
Support CCB’s communication activities
Support the drafting of position papers, policy briefings and reports.
Organise workshops and events
Contribute to the effective management, including budgeting and fundraising

- Coordinate activities with other environmental NGOs and CSOs

- Promote CCB positions within the EU institutions and internationally, among stakeholders and in relevant meetings and conferences

- Support fundraising, write grant proposals, report to funders

- Contribute to other CCB working areas, if needed.

Required skills

We are seeking candidates with:

- Significant experience in marine policy, knowledge of the EU MSFD, EU Biodiversity strategy, the CFP, preferably within the NGO sector

- Post-graduate qualification in marine science; biology, ecology, conservation, or water science/management with substantial marine content.

- EU citizenship or at least residence and work permit in order to travel for work purposes

- Excellent proficiency in spoken and written English

We would also welcome interest from candidates who have been working in wider/non-marine environmental policy areas if they can demonstrate skills and knowledge of marine science and law.

Desirable skills

Working knowledge of any other language common in the Baltic Sea catchment area, including Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Ukrainian.

If you are an adaptable, solutions-focused, marine policy professional with advocacy or campaigning expertise, a positive disposition, a passion for the ocean and environmental conservation, good sense of humor, vibrant team spirit and a can-do attitude, we’d love to hear from you!

Salary

Salary comparable to NGO staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective unions. Subject to adjustment depending on experience and annual increase.

Location

Flexible. Work from the office in Uppsala, as well as residence in Sweden is appreciated, but not mandatory. Several joint offline events for the whole staff expected per year in Sweden.

Travel

Candidates should be flexible to travel as required for meetings and events – mostly within the Baltic Sea Region, as well as Brussels. You need to be able to participate in occasional meetings on weekends.

Contract type

Intended permanent position with 6-month probation period.

It is expected that the new employee would start preferably ASAP, depending on availability.

APPLICATION & DEADLINE

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send you CV (max. 2 pages) with a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 15 September 2024 to secretariat@ccb.se .

Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English. Applications submitted in any other language or incomplete will not be considered.

Likewise any inquiries related to this vacancy announcement should be forwarded to the above email or by phone to Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin at mikhail.durkin@ccb.se and +46 739 770 793.

Please note that due to limited staff resources and numbers of CVs anticipated, only shortlisted candidates for interviews will receive a reply. Thank you for your understanding.

CCB is Member of IUCN, BSAС; GWP Partner; Observer at HELCOM, NASCO, IWC.

To read more about CCB’s engagement in marine policy implementation, please visit our recent Annual Reports .

Further information about CCB’s policies and main documents is available here .

(closed) Job vacancy: Trainee(-s) on MPA management data for the HORIZON Europe PROTECT BALTIC project

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 07:26:04 GMT

The International Secretariat of the Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), a grass-root environmental NGO network for the Baltic Sea Region, is now seeking to recruit an enthusiastic trainee(-s) on MPA management data to work as part of bigger CCB team for the Horizon Europe PROTECT BALTIC project within its Data Work Package, dealing with the collection and harvesting of management data from multi-lingual Marine Protected Area (MPA) management plans.The successful candidate(-s) will analyse and harvest key information from the pre-selected MPA management plans, which will provide a further understanding of level of governance of nature protected areas and conservation values in the Baltic Sea. Moreover, the Trainee(-s) on MPA management data will contribute to the specific harvesting of information relating to management activities, to support the management effectiveness and sufficiency of measures analysis under the Work Package Management of PROTECT BALTIC.

Information about the PROTECT BALTIC project

The PROTECT-BALTIC project is a large-scale pan-Baltic project focused on marine protection. The overall aim of the work in PROTECT BALTIC is to enable sufficient spatial protection and restoration of the marine environment to secure positive biodiversity outcomes, ensuring that the function of the ecosystem is maintained, thus securing the production of ecosystem services and enabling sustainable use both short and long term. The project is managed by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) .

Who are we?

CCB is a politically independent, non-profit association and unites Member and Observer organizations, as well as partners and individual experts in all countries of the Baltic Sea Region. Combined, the CCB member organizations have almost 1,500,000 members in all countries surrounding the Baltic Sea.The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region for present and future generations.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key responsibilities:

Collection of data from pre-selected national Marine Protected Area (MPA) management plans;
Collation/Harvesting of collected data into pre-determined repositories; considering the following main tag/fields:
- Conservation objectives
- Targets/aim of protection
- Nature values
- Type of management measures
- Human pressures/ activities
- Level and type of enforcement.

Qualification requirements:

The tasks require a person who is meticulous and has a high attention to detail. A love and care for the Baltic Sea and its nature is an asset in this position.

The successful candidate shall have the following core competences/skills:

Language abilities, preferably at a native speaker level, in at least one of the following Baltic Sea languages (Finnish, Swedish, Danish, German, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian) and an adequate working proficiency in English;
At least one year of studies in biology, marine sciences or environmental sciences, or related fields at a university of applied sciences level;
Computer proficiency in MS Word, Power Point and Excel.

Desired competences/skills:

Excellent organizational and communication skills;
Understanding of environmental law main topics.

Duration:

Likely 3-month contract with possibility of either extension or shortening, depending on the performance and workload. A successful candidate is expected to start not later than mid-September 2024.

Location:

Remote. The applicant should be based within the EU.

Contract terms:

full-time (100%), limited-term.

A successful candidate is expected to start as soon as possible, given necessary notification time to her/his/their current employer.

Salary:

Gross salary level will be established within a range 2,200-3,000 EUR/month, based on specific Baltic Sea language proficiency and the quantity of work reflected from the availability and complexity of MPA management plans (MP) per country, and also given that successful candidate(-s) takes care of taxation and social fees by her/him/themselves.

APPLICATION

Kindly send your CV and a motivation letter (max. 1 page) application to: secretariat@ccb.se .
Please write “PROTECT BALTIC – MPA Management Data Trainee” in the subject field of the message.

Closing date:

5 August 2024.

Applicants are encouraged to send their application at the earliest possibility since interviews with suitable candidates can be scheduled immediately after the application period.

Contact:

For further information please contact CCB secretariat: secretariat@ccb.se and/or Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary of CCB ( mikhail.durkin@ccb.se ).

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2025

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:27:47 GMT

On Friday, 31 May, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice on how much fish can be caught in the Baltic Sea next year. 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 ICES headline advice to safeguard ecosystem needs and dynamics and allow for the recovery of fish populations.

The decline of fish populations in the Baltic Sea ecosystem has by now been extensively documented and analysed. The decline has been ongoing for decades but has escalated in recent years with some fish populations collapsing and the effects of the climate crisis manifesting itself. So far any policy interventions have not been ambitious enough to reverse or even just halt the negative trends. The third HELCOM Holistic Assessment of the State of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3) that came out last December, concludes that the ecosystem is in extreme distress and that species extraction is one of the main threats to Baltic Sea biodiversity. This year the ICES assessment shows yet again that populations of commercially harvested stocks are not in a healthy state: Both cod populations remain in a state of collapse, there is high uncertainty on the status of the herring populations, salmon is in decline and sprat has had very low recruitment for the fourth year in a row. Of the fish populations with catch advice, only the plaice spawning stock biomass is high, however alarming signals indicate a high number of small and skinny fish, leading to high levels of discards.

Overall, we urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to adopt fishing opportunities at levels well below the ICES headline advice (and below the F MSY point value where available) to safeguard ecosystem needs and dynamics and allow for the recovery of fish populations.

Concretely this means the following:

For TAC-setting for 2025

1. Set catch limits well below the best available scientific advice provided by ICES, in order to
effectively and rapidly rebuild all fish populations and ensure long-term population and
ecosystem health and productivity, namely:
a) at a fishing mortality level below the FMSY point value for stocks for which MSY reference
points are available.
b) at a fishing mortality level below ICES headline advice for stocks with advice based on
the ICES precautionary approach for data-limited stocks.

2. In the absence of concrete catch scenarios in the ICES advice that are explicitly geared
towards fully incorporating ecosystem needs and delivering a rapid stock recovery. We
recommend to incorporate an additional level of precaution into TAC-setting, by setting
all TACs well below the respective ICES headline advice. This is important to accommodate
for stock-specific uncertainties, low recruitment trends, inter-species dynamics and mixed
fisheries interactions as well as other pressures on the Baltic Sea ecosystem (pollution,
eutrophication, climate change etc.). This could be done by deducting a precautionary
safeguard amount or percentage from the headline advice catch level, the size of which
would depend on population status.

3. Fully utilise the precautionary approach by closing areas with high mixing where we do
not have a robust understanding of the impact on individual (sub-)populations and/or by
substantially reducing quotas to safeguard depleted and vulnerable populations or sub populations and the risk of genetic depletion;

4. Consider the widely recognised lack of implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO)4 by
setting TACs sufficiently below ICES catch advice to ensure illegal, unreported discarding
does not lead to actual catches exceeding ICES catch advice;

5. Provide transparent calculations for TACs based on the ICES advice on fishing opportunities.

With regards to fisheries management beyond TAC-setting

6. Underpin sustainable TAC-setting by robust controls and full catch documentation using
remote electronic monitoring (REM; supported by observer coverage as appropriate) for all
vessels above 12 m and for medium and high-risk vessels below 12 m.

7. Develop and implement effective rebuilding plans (reflecting the findings of ICES
WKREBUILD7) for all populations below MSY B trigger , geared towards rapid rebuilding above
B MSY , including strong safeguards to prevent future population declines or stagnation below
MSY B trigger , and subject to close monitoring and enforcement using REM with cameras.

8. Prioritise and apply environmental and social criteria for national allocation of fishing
opportunities, for example through incentivising use of selective fishing gear and low
impact fishing practices. The European Commission should provide a precise definition
of low-impact fishing, monitor compliance with Article 17 of the CFP Basic Regulation, and
require the Member States to make their allocation criteria public.

9. Agree on ecosystem-based fisheries management objectives to inform the ICES advice
request process8. International commitments on biodiversity conservation, such as Global
Biodiversity Framework Directive, Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) of HELCOM Commission as
well as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) should provide a basis for these
ecological objectives and be considered alongside the rules and objectives of the CFP.

10. Change the requests for ICES advice on fishing opportunities to
a) aim for rapid recovery of depleted or at-risk stocks,
b) fully reflect ecosystem dynamics and needs, also reflecting Good Environmental Status
(GES) requirements under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), and
multispecies considerations, and
c) provide sufficiently precautionary alternative catch options where a full incorporation of
these aspects is not yet possible, to minimise risks to stocks and the overall ecosystem.

11. Improve transparency by making publicly available any proposals subsequent to the official
Commission proposal, including Commission non-papers as well as Council Working Party,
AGRIFISH Council, and BALTFISH documents and minutes.

Read the full recommendations here .

Historic win for EU's nature: EU Council seals the deal on Nature Restoration Law

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 12:32:58 GMT

Today, after a nail-biting last discussion, the EU Environmental Council finally adopted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), marking the last step for this long-awaited proposal to become law. This outcome is a huge win for Europe’s nature, climate action, citizens and future.

17 June 2024 - Member States followed through with their commitments and with a majority of 20 countries, representing 66.07% of the population, the law was officially endorsed, thanks to Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler stepping up at the last minute, changing the country’s previous stance and safeguarding the law.

The #RestoreNature coalition, consisting of BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, EEB and WWF EU, says: “ Today’s vote is a massive victory for Europe’s nature and citizens who have been long calling for immediate action to tackle nature’s alarming decline. After years of intense campaigning and many ups and downs, we are jubilant that this law is now reality - this day will go down in history as a turning point for nature and society. Now, we need all hands on deck: Member States must properly implement this legislation without delay in their countries, in close collaboration with all involved stakeholders. At the end of the day, nature can rebounce, for the benefit of our climate, biodiversity and people! ”

Nature and the Baltic Sea will benefit from the new EU Nature Restoration Law:

The law has faced one of the most tumultuous journeys in the history of EU legislation. After surviving an unprecedented and absurd disinformation campaign, aiming to destroy the NRL in the European Parliament, it faced the risk of being rejected at the very last step in the Environment Council. In the end, however, support for the law carried the day.

This is also a timely outcome to present at the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) later this year, showing that Europe is willing to lead the way in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises by owning up to its global commitments. It is also a very clear message to the new EU Parliament and Commission, to not forget to keep biodiversity at the forefront of their agenda.

This result followed a massive public mobilisation. Over the past few years, over a million signatures and messages from citizens, repeated calls from 6000+ scientists, 100+ businesses , youth organisations , and civil society from across numerous sectors have been made to defend the law and the integrity of the EU Green Deal. As the #RestoreNature coalition, we want to thank anyone who contributed to this result and made it happen.

***

More information
Ola Miklasińska
Communications Officer, Biodiversity, WWF European Policy Office
amiklasinska@wwf.eu
+32 456 37 60 64

Erica Gentili
Communications Officer, BirdLife Europe
erica.gentili@birdlife.org
+39 3492436096

Bianca Vergnaud
EU Communications Manager, ClientEarth
bvergnaud@clientearth.org
+32 471 88 70 95

Annick Hus
Communications Officer for Biodiversity, European Environmental Bureau
annick.hus@eeb.org
+32 490 40 62 53

The new CCB "Gender Equality and the Baltic Sea" online course is now available

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:10:50 GMT

We are glad to announce the launch of the new CCB "Gender Equality and the Baltic Sea" online course , developed under the CCB Gender & Equality strategy and work .

The course helps to understand how to apply a gender-sensitive approach to environmental work. With each lecture, participants can learn how gender and environmental problems are connected and how to practically implement gender principles in environmental projects.

How is it structured and what does it include?

The course is free of charge and consists of 4 online lessons.

The format allows you to take it at any convenient time, and also return to it after.

The course is made for CCB Member Organizations, environmental activists, NGO workers and all who are willing to use gender optics in their environmental projects.

The content is understandable for participants of any level of knowledge in the topic.

Each lesson contains a short video, list of useful resources and an interactive test for self-check.

The link to the course is available here .

NGOs call on decision makers to do right by the Baltic Sea ecosystem – new scientific advice shows that Baltic fish stocks are still under stress

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:32:16 GMT

On Friday, 31 May, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice on how much fish can be caught in the Baltic Sea next year [1]. The numbers show that the Baltic Sea ecosystem and fish stocks remain in severe distress and that even the cuts in catches that have been made over the past years are not enough to bring stocks back to healthy levels. NGOs and small-scale fishermen alike call for a drastic overhaul of the current fisheries management that should put the health of the Baltic Sea ecosystem at its centre.

June 3, 2024 – The decline of fish population in the Baltic Sea has been well documented. It started with salmon and cod over 20 years ago, then the herring stocks started to dwindle until now even the previously abundant sprat stock has entered a free fall. The cause behind this is that fishing pressure is still too high, each year more is taken then can be replenished, leading the ecosystem in a downward spiral.

The main reason for this is that the political choice has been made to set fishing quotas around the lowest level of fish abundance that will avert collapse. This goes against both the EU law as well as common sense, the law stipulates that quota levels should aim for strong fish stocks that can sustain a fishery without being at risk. For example, the scientific advice for central Baltic herring shows that we are far from the target level for a resilient fish stock and there is only a slim probability that this level will be reached in 2026.

“ The sad reality is that there is no herring along the coasts, and coastal fishermen have just about given up. The scientists have again produced advice on stocks that are far from stable in numbers and size. This time even the experts indicate that they do not trust in their own models and data ”, says Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) - “ Everyone has totally lost sight of the precaution needed and the actual goal of our fishing policy: to reach healthy fish stocks. The aim has become to just barely stay away from catastrophe and to stop this, the quotas must come down drastically ”.

The scientific advice from ICES released today shows that most stocks are not recovering or are even declining further. Cod and western herring have been at historically low levels for several years now but now sprat has joined this somber list. The catch advice for this year is nearly 20% lower than last year. This is of high concern as sprat are a vital food source for many seabirds, large fish and marine mammals, species that are already under severe pressure in the Baltic Sea.

“ This depressing conclusion on the new advice has to be that managers simply have not done enough to help some of these stocks recover ”, says Lina Birgersson, project coordinator at FishSec - “ In some cases we even see them trying to reduce the few legal safeguards we have so they can continue to allow fishing even when the scientific analysis shows these stocks to be in an unhealthy state, this is not ecosystem based management, this is fishing down the food web ”.

" The critical situation for the Baltic Sea demands immediate action. The latest ICES data confirms that key species like sprat, cod, and herring continue to face critically low population levels, threatening the entire marine ecosystem. This year’s EU negotiations aren’t just routine — they are a crucial opportunity to redefine our approach and implement quotas that will allow these stocks to recover. It’s time to act decisively to preserve the Baltic Sea for future generations ," says Konrad Stralka, CEO of BalticWaters.

For both cod stocks in the Baltic, the situation remains critical and with no sign of improvement even though no fishing for Eastern cod has been allowed in the past three years. ICES indicates that catches of western cod along the German, Danish and Swedish coasts need to be reduced and advises a maximum of only 24 tonnes in total, comprising both commercial bycatch and catches by recreational anglers. This affects other stocks too, in particular plaice. Even though the ICES advice notes that more plaice can be fished in the Baltic Sea this is problematic since plaice is mainly caught with bottom trawling gear which can have high levels of cod as bycatch. ICES states in the advice that: “there are gears available that successfully reduce cod bycatches in the flatfish fisheries; however, these active gears are not currently in use”.

“ Despite the closure of the cod fishery, cod is still being caught as by-catch by bottom trawlers fishing after flatfish like plaice. We must reduce cod by-catch by introducing bottom trawl free zones in key cod areas as well as electronic monitoring on trawl boats to stop illegal discarding of cod ”, says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Chief Advisor at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.

“ Despite the closure of the cod fishery, cod is still being caught as bycatch by bottom trawlers fishing after flatfish like plaice. We must reduce cod bycatch by introducing bottom trawl free zones in key cod areas as well as introduce mandatory electronic monitoring on trawl boats to stop illegal discarding of cod ”, says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Chief Advisor at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.

“ In 2013 the EU reformed its fisheries policy promising a new era with healthy fish stocks. Since then, the fish biomass in the Baltic has declined by around 800.000 tonnes while catches have shrunk by 130.000 tonnes (40% from the closed cod fishery). Implementing the ICES advice will not bring our stocks back. Coastal fishermen are clear: cut the quotas and restrict the trawl fishery for herring, sprat and plaice ", says Christian Tsangarides, Baltic & North Sea Coordinator at Low Impact Fishers of Europe, LIFE.

END

***

FishSec – Is a politically independent non-profit organisation. We are dedicated to the protection and restoration of marine ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries. www.fishsec.org

Danish Society for Nature Conservation – It is a membership based environmental organisation that works to conserve nature and the environment in Denmark through local work, conservation, lobbying and specific projects. www.dn.dk

BalticWaters – Is an independent foundation engaged in efforts to improve the Baltic Sea environment. The foundation conducts large-scale environmental projects with focus on action-oriented measures and applied research to show which measures can contribute to a healthier sea and viable fish stocks. More about BalticWaters at: https://balticwaters.org

Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE Platform) – is an EU-wide platform of associations of small-scale fishers committed to fishing in a low impact manner while maximising their socio-economic impact. Small-scale fishing is part of the solution, and LIFE’s mission is to unite small-scale fishers to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities. More about LIFE at: https://lifeplatform.eu

C ONTACT
Nils Höglund: nils.hoglund@ccb.s

Lina Birgersson: lina.birgersson@fishsec.org

Konrad Stralka: konrad.stralka@balticwaters.org

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer: cathrine@dn.dk

Christian Tsangarides: bans@lifeplatform.eu, +46 76 405 6675

[1] LINKS TO ADVICE:

In memoriam of Lana Semenas

Thu, 23 May 2024 13:02:28 GMT

On 22nd of May, with great regret, we have received sad news about passing away of our dear friend Dr. Svetlana (aka Lana) Semenas from Belarus. An outstanding environmentalist and agricultural specialist, for several decades Lana has been one of the key drivers for promotion of permaculture and organic agriculture in the Baltic sea region, and Belarus, in particular.
She has been a leader of many regional and national agricultural projects, and worked tirelessly with farmers, scientists, educators, politicians, consumers, journalists, her colleagues in environmental movement and many other groups to create a momentum for making agricultural practices in harmony with nature.

As a scientist she was one of co-founders of the biotechnology department of the Institute of Fruit Growing of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and as a public environmentalist Lana was a creator, and a leader of the public institution Agro-Eco-Culture, which became a professional organization to support development of organic agriculture in Belarus.

We, at CCB, have been enjoying many years of having Lana as our dear friend, colleague, and expert on organic agriculture.

We express our sincere condolences to Lana’s mother, relatives, friends, and colleagues, and will always remember, and rely on Lana’s contribution to the protection of the Baltic Sea!

Coalition Clean Baltic family

Nature Restoration Law supported by 75% of citizens in countries not backing the law

Thu, 16 May 2024 08:11:23 GMT

EU Member States not supporting the Nature Restoration Law are at odds with public opinion. This is the result of a poll conducted in the Netherlands, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Sweden, which shows that three out of four citizens are in favour of the legislation, as pressure mounts on Member States to adopt the long-awaited law.

The Nature Restoration Law, an EU response to the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises, has been in a stalemate since March when it lost the necessary majority from Member States, following Hungary’s last-minute U-turn. Now, a new survey - which was conducted by Savanta with 6190 respondents across the six Member States - reveals that the majority of people in countries not supporting the law believe that nature and biodiversity decline will have negative long-term effects on people, farming and the economy and that it must be tackled urgently by restoring ecosystems.

The Nature Restoration Law received the biggest support in Italy with 85% of citizens backing it, followed by Hungary with 83%, and Poland with 72%. While in Finland and in Sweden, respectively 70% and 69% of the people supports it. Only 6% of those surveyed disagreed that the law should be adopted. The full results can be consulted here .

The #RestoreNature coalition, consisting of BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, EEB and WWF EU, says: “ These results prove that some Member States ignore citizens’ concern for nature. Despite 75% of the Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Polish and Swedish populations supporting the Nature Restoration Law, their governments continue to deny them the benefits of nature restoration, including protection from extreme weather events, improved health and well-being, and long-term financial gains. These numbers confirm how crucial it is for the EU to adopt the law and should be a wake-up call for governments not supporting this vital, citizens-backed legislation. No one wins when our nature is deteriorating while everyone can win when we let nature bounce back. ”

The results come on the heels of a powerful letter sent by 11 environment ministers , urging their counterparts to adopt the law at the upcoming Environment Council meeting on 17 June.

***

Notes to editors:

The results above come from a poll conducted by Savanta, an independent research agency. Savanta interviewed 6,190 respondents across Poland, Finland, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands and Hungary between 1st and 9th May 2024. Quotas were set to make the sample nationally representative by age, gender and region in each country. Data were weighted evenly between each country. Full results can be found here .

Global Plastics Treaty: From Ottawa to Busan

Mon, 13 May 2024 07:08:46 GMT

On April 30, 2024, the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) for a global agreement to end plastic pollution concluded in Ottawa, Canada. The event brought together over 2,500 participants from governments, academia, civil society organizations, private sector entities, UN agencies, and international organizations. Coalition Clean Baltic reflects on its participation alongside many other civil society organizations.

Meeting Dynamics

The INC's work was organized into two primary contact groups. The first group addressed introductory elements (Part I: preamble, objectives, principles, scope, and just transition) and substantive provisions (Part II). The second group focused on Part III (Means of Implementation), Part IV (Implementation Measures), Part V (Institutional Arrangements), and Part VI (Final Provisions). These contact groups were further divided into sub-groups to discuss specific elements and provisions.

Countries agreed to advance intersessional work on financial mechanisms, plastic products, chemicals of concern, product design, reusability, and recyclability. However, discussions on primary plastic polymers were excluded from this mandate. Member states decided to include observers in this intersessional work and established a legal drafting group to review the text and provide recommendations to the plenary.

Peru and Rwanda emerged as champions by proposing intersessional work aimed at reducing global use of primary plastic polymers by 40% from 2025 levels by 2040. This proposal received strong support from several countries, including Malawi, the Philippines, and Fiji. In addition, the Bridge to Busan Declaration on Plastic Polymers was launched to garner support for addressing primary plastic polymers in the treaty text, building momentum for the fifth and final round of negotiations in Busan, Republic of Korea, later this year. However, this declaration is non-legally binding and does not address fossil fuel extraction.

Outcomes of INC-4

The main outcomes of INC-4 were:

Transitioning from a zero draft, which was a collection of inputs from member states, to a first draft "owned" by the INC, allowing for line-by-line negotiations.
Securing intersessional work on regulating chemicals and products.
Agreeing to establish a legal group to translate the draft text into appropriate legal language, starting from INC-5.

Reflections

Significant work remains. The transition from a zero draft with 69 pages to a first draft, approximately ten to eleven pages shorter but with over 3,000 brackets of text, marks progress but highlights the extensive negotiations still needed. The first draft, unlike the zero draft, is created and maintained by the INC, enabling more detailed negotiations. However, it still lacks the structure typical of a treaty.

We welcome the decision to conduct intersessional work on chemicals, products, and the financial mechanism. The INC decided to have an open-ended expert meeting between INC-4 and INC-5, but the participation of observers will be limited. It is disappointing that intersessional work will not address the overproduction of plastic, and there is concern about the ongoing focus on plastic recycling, given the increasing evidence that recycling plastic spreads toxic chemicals.

Despite not securing intersessional work on primary plastic polymers, provisions related to polymer production remain in the draft treaty. This is despite efforts by several countries to exclude these provisions from the future agreement's scope.

What Next

With high-ambition issues seemingly off the table, it remains to be seen whether delegates can agree on common ambition levels for other elements or if this will become a "plastics pollution treaty à la carte." Even if a global mandate on key provisions is still possible, some crucial elements may only be included as voluntary options, if at all.

Nonetheless, the treaty could lay the foundations for strengthening ambition levels in the future, especially through the governing body's work to implement and further international collaboration on plastic pollution. The treaty's eventual ambition level does not prevent countries from adopting stronger measures in their national action plans. With more clarity on the treaty's potential post-INC-5, participants and observers can remain hopeful about the power of multilateralism to end plastic pollution.

CCB Recommendations

We urge countries to:

Recognize that more plastic production leads to more plastic pollution. Ending plastic pollution is impossible without curbing plastic production.
Implement the treaty's health objectives by eliminating hazardous chemicals used in plastic production.
Ensure a toxics-free circularity by preventing hazardous chemicals in recycled plastics. Promoting the recycling of plastics with hazardous chemicals will increase exposures and undermine the treaty's health objectives.

Background

As plastic pollution becomes increasingly visible on land and in waterways, calls to address the mounting plastic waste crisis have grown worldwide. Of the approximately 10 billion tonnes of plastic produced since the 1950s, over 8 billion tonnes are now waste, with 10-15 million tonnes leaking into the marine environment each year. This figure is expected to more than triple by 2050.

Studies link unsustainable production and consumption patterns to the exponential growth of plastic pollution, impacting human health and terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Reports in 2022 found plastic particles in human lungs and blood, and a 2021 report found microplastics in human placentas.

***

Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

Useful resources:

UNEP INC-4 page

IISD Report for INC-4

IPEN Resource page on plastic

The CCB network is growing

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 09:48:03 GMT

Despite the challenges in the region, we continue the work for the protection and restoration of the Baltic Sea and its natural resources, and we are glad to share the news that we accepted two new Member Organizations and one Observer in the CCB network.

During the last CCB Annual Conference and General Meeting held in April in Riga, indeed, we welcomed:

As a Member – "Nierusz Natura" Foundation (Poland)

The Foundation, based in Poland in 2023, will continue the activities of the ecological and local history public association "Nerush," which operated in Belarus from 1997 to 2022.

The aim of the foundation is to support comprehensive, sustainable social, ecological, and economic development, in particular by:

o Establishing high-quality public policies.

o Observing human rights, especially in the countries of the former USSR.

o Developing international cooperation, especially with the countries of the former USSR, with particular emphasis on the Republic of Belarus.

o Combating poverty and social exclusion.

o Improving the quality and increasing access to education for all social groups.

o Safe, orderly, and legal migration, respecting human dignity, freedom, equality, as well as respecting human rights, especially in the context of migration undertaken by citizens of the former USSR.

o Combating human trafficking and modern slavery.

o Preserving the natural environment in an optimal state, enabling the preservation of biodiversity.

o Combating the negative aspects of climate change and developing international cooperation in this area.

More info: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nierusz-natura-foundation/about/

As a Member – Chemical Safety Agency (Ukraine)

The Ukrainian Non-Governmental Organization “Chemical Safety Agency” (CSA), established in 2019, works to achieving Chemical Safety Goals in the creation of toxic-free living environment for our children and future generation. In particular, by:

o Developing and implementing campaigns and projects that lead to the improvement of the environment, public health and public awareness of the most crucial chemical safety issues;

o Capacity building and exchange of experience with all stakeholders, including thematic nongovernmental organizations;

o Providing strategic input, analysis and advice to stakeholders to accelerate positive change in chemical safety and strengthen global and national chemicals and waste policies for a toxics-free future.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/ChemSafety.Ukraine

As an Observer - Center for Environmental Initiatives (Latvia)

The organization, established in 2006, operates in various fields such as urban and rural development and encouraging society to be civically active, in particular by:

o Promoting environmental health and waste reduction;

o Advocating for green cities, waste segregation, and engagement in environmental policies;

o Providing environmental education and promoting eco-friendly, active, and healthy lifestyle;

o Advocating for the sustainable utilization of natural resources.

More info: https://www.videsnvo.lv/

" We are really happy to welcome 2 new member organizations from Poland and Ukraine, and one new observer from Latvia to our network! CCB has always been a member-driven public force, and of course, more members mean more energy and wisdom within the network, more “hands” on the ground, and network’s stronger voice on policy forums. It is good to see that new organizations bring different expertise in various fields important for CCB. We remain committed to continue our work for protection of the Baltic Sea with all of our members and observers ." - commented Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Co-Chair on behalf of the CCB Council and network.

***

More info:

https://www.ccb.se/member-organizations

Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Ottawa - INC4

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 06:24:15 GMT

On April, 21 the 4 ^th session of Intergovernmental Negotiations Committee to develop a global plastics treaty has started in Ottawa, Canada. Coalition Clean Baltic along with some of its Members, including SSNC, ASC/CES, and Ecopartnerstvo is taking part in INC-4.

Plastic pollution is a growing crisis for the environment, human health, human rights, biodiversity, and the climate — actions to address it are urgently needed now at the global level.

In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted resolution 5/14 titled “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument” that began the process to negotiate a new global plastics treaty by the end of 2024. The resolution established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to prepare an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. What is also important, the resolution has been calling for addressing the full lifecycle of plastics, from production to waste management.

At INC-4, delegates will base their discussions on a Revised Zero Draft of the future instrument, compiled by the Secretariat. The Revised Zero Draft is a product of the three contact groups established during INC-3 to consider the original zero draft, and a synthesis report on previously undiscussed elements.

The Revised Zero Draft contains options for treaty text organized in five sections pertaining to:

Primary provisions, including the preamble, objectives, principles, and scope;
The management of plastic along its lifecycle, including primary polymers, product design, and waste management, as well as extended producer responsibility, trade, and existing pollution;
Means of implementation, including financing, capacity building, and technology transfer;
Tracking implementation, including through reporting, compliance, and international cooperation; and
Institutional arrangements, including governing and subsidiary bodies and a secretariat.

“ CCB along with many other organizations believes that for the Plastics Treaty to be effective in reversing the tide of plastic pollution, mechanisms and solutions to address it need to exist within climate and planetary boundaries. This treaty is an opportunity to get it right. It can potentially be one of the most significant environmental agreements in history! We need to remember that we cannot decrease plastic pollution without reduction of plastic production ”, comments Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader and a participant of INC-4.

Before the start of negotiations, on Sunday, April 21, hundreds of impacted community leaders and experts from around the world came together in the streets of Ottawa to advance a plastics treaty, marking a pivotal “make or break” moment for the Global Plastics Treaty. By marching together peacefully in the streets of Ottawa ahead of the negotiations, Break Free From Plastic movement members and allies wanted to remind negotiators of their obligations to protect human rights, human health, the environment, and the climate. “We are here to demand that delegates negotiate a treaty that lives up to the promise of UNEA Resolution 5/14 — that means measures that address the full life cycle of plastics, beginning with production of plastics, which is the production of polymers. Delegates must act like our lives depend on it — because they do,” said Daniela Duran Gonzales, Senior Legal Campaigner with the Center for International Environmental Law. “ Our climate goals, the protection of human health, the enjoyment of human rights, and the rights of future generations all rest on whether the future plastics treaty will control and reduce polymers to successfully end the plastic pollution crisis. ”

CCB urges governments of the Baltic Sea Region to actively participate in the negotiations process, and make an effective Plastics treaty!

***

Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

Useful resources:

UNEP online resource page for INC-4

IISD daily coverage for INC-4

IPEN resource page

BFFP resource page

Baltiplast project

CCB joined the "Save The Baltic Sea" Expedition “

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:14:51 GMT

12 March 2024 - An environmental hiking expedition of 10 people, 9 months and 6000 km around the Baltic has started in Lithuania, on the occasion of the country Independence Day.

The mission is to raise awareness of the Baltic Sea, to seek solutions with the communities and scientists they will meet on the expedition, and most importantly to inform people about the actions we all need to take to save our sea.

CCB - along with other organizations, science and governmental institutions, businesses and media – has joined the expedition as a formal partner for one year. The partnership will aim to:

Disseminate information on events and initiatives jointly organized and carried out;
Disseminate information on the project´s activities;
Co-organize a workshop in Stockholm in June on offshore wind energy .

“ The expedition aligns with the main goal of Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), which is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources in the Baltic Sea Region.

By informing citizens about the state of our marine ecosystems, and bringing together local communities and stakeholders, the expedition complements CCB’s activities and raises awareness for the protection of the Baltic Sea’s environment. CCB network engages people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem and supports the expedition’s environmental campaign. ” – commented Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary.

More info:

https://savebaltic.eu/

https://savebaltic.eu/events/workshop-on-offshore-wind-energy-in-stockholm-a-look-into-our-future-baltic-sea/

https://www.ccb.se/offshore-renewable-energy-Baltic-Sea

CMS grants the endangered Baltic Proper Harbour Porpoise the highest protection status following concerted action from NGOs

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 13:17:13 GMT

The common harbour porpoise is critically endangered in the central Baltic Sea and off the Iberian Peninsula, with only a few hundred individuals left. However, effective measures to enable the recovery of these special populations have so far been lacking. At the meeting of the UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP14, 12-17 Feb 2024), the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise has now been included in Appendix I: This recognises this sub-population as critically endangered and emergency measures can be taken to save it.

15 February 2024 (Joint Press Release) -
Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Humane Society International, Coalition Clean Baltic and ORCA made a decisive contribution to the decision. Last year, they submitted a joint report to CMS on the Concerted Action to call for stronger protections for the harbour porpoise populations in the Baltic Proper and off the Iberian Peninsula and to restore their habitats. As a result, the CMS member states of the EU submitted a proposal for the harbour porpoise to be included in Appendix I of the Convention, thereby granting it the highest protection status and enabling priority conservation measures to be taken. The uplisting has now been granted by CMS. The aim is to prevent, remove or mitigate obstacles to their seasonal migration and to control other factors that might endanger their survival. The main threats to the Baltic proper harbour porpoise include bycatch, underwater noise and pollution.

" We are very pleased that the critical situation of these unique populations has been acknowledged; and we strongly encourage the countries around the Baltic Sea to take urgent action to ensure the survival of the only whale species native to the Baltic Sea ", says Ida Carlén, formerly with the Coalition Clean Baltic, now Senior Policy Officer at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

" The uplisting of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise to Appendix I of CMS is an important milestone that has been the result of years of hard work by NGOs. This positive outcome demonstrates the value and much-needed capacity that civil society can bring to international conservation objectives ", says Ed Goodall, Head of intergovernmental engagement at WDC.

The group of NGOs have long standing experience and have been working for decades in the development of marine conservation and policy, providing advice to governments and the EU as well as by raising awareness through campaigns and petitions. The uplisting of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise to Appendix I of CMS is a further step forward in the implementation of effective conservation measures to protect this population.

END

Supporting information

The Harbour Porpoise is one of the smallest species within the larger family of whales, dolphins and porpoises. The genetically distinct Baltic Proper harbour porpoise sub-population is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN as well as HELCOM, the regional seas convention in the Baltic Sea. There are only a few hundred individuals left in this population, which declined severely in the 1960-1970s due to being caught in fishing nets, particularly the highly deadly gillnet fisheries. They also suffer from high levels of toxic pollutants such as PCBs and dioxins. Due to ongoing pressure, the population has not recovered since.

Bycatch is the main threat to the only resident cetacean native to the Baltic Sea. However, environmental contaminants, underwater noise and the effects of climate change on the marine ecosystem, food availability and natural habitats also pose a threat to the harbour porpoise.

In the process of the CMS Concerted Action, the NGO alliance of Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), Humane Society International (HSI), Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and ORCA has also supported the so-called Jastarnia plan of ASCOBANS, a recovery plan for the Baltic harbour porpoise. This involves advising EU governments on measures to reduce bycatch. The NGOs maintain countries need to do much more to mitigate bycatch and implement and monitor effective conservation measures to help populations recover.

The only survey on abundance and distribution of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise was conducted by the SAMBAH project in 2011-2013. In 2024-2025 a second survey, SAMBAH II, will be conducted, which will be critical in assessing the current status of the population.

WDC conducted an awareness-raising campaign for the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise with the aim of achieving a year-round ban on gillnets in marine protected areas. A petition with more than 100,000 signatures was submitted to the German government in September 2021. WDC also initiated an open letter to the German government, signed by more than 100 cetacean experts from around the world, calling for effective measures to protect the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise. WDC's educational work continues to this day.

CCB and been engaged in awareness raising activities for the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise during this period, through a number of publications, press releases, events and educational activities. A CCB #SavetheBalticPorpoise petition was delivered to the EU Commissioner for Environment, Ocean and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, in Helsinki, in November 2022 with over 120,000 signatures . Awareness raising and policy advocacy for this population remain as some of the main activities at CCB, with support of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC). 

CONTACT

Coalition Clean Baltic Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)

has been active in the conservation of the Baltic Sea harbour porpoises for well over a decade. CCB has until recently coordinated two of the three ASCOBANS harbour porpoise conservation plans, and also works in other projects to improve the awareness and conservation status for the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise.

Contact: Andrea Cervantes, andrea.cervantes@ccb.se

and Ida Carlén, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, ida.carlen@naturskyddsforeningen.se

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)

has been working for over thirty years protecting whales and dolphins around the globe from the challenges they face every day. With extensive experience funding vital conservation, education and research projects, WDC is a global authority on whale and dolphin issues.

Contact: Ed Goodall, ed.goodall@whales.org

Humane Society International (HSI)

is one of the largest and most effective animal protection organisations in the world, with offices in a number of European countries and elsewhere. It has a long history of working on marine wildlife issues including within the context of CMS, ASCOBANS and ACCOBAMS.

Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, rrosensweig@humanesociety.org

ORCA

is a UK-based whale and dolphin conservation charity, dedicated to the long-term protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises throughout UK, European and global waters. ORCA has been collecting scientific data on the density, distribution and range of cetacean species within European waters since 1995, specialising in dedicated distance sampling survey effort, utilising citizen science and platforms of opportunity.

Contact: Lucy Babey, lucy@orca.org.uk

NGOs request legal scrutiny of Ministers decision to continue fishing on Baltic herring stocks in decline

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 15:45:13 GMT

Did the fisheries Ministers act in accordance with the law when setting Baltic fishing quotas for this year? We, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), seriously question this and will tomorrow ask the EU Council to review its decisions to continue removing large quantities of herring even when stocks are far below safe levels. It is time to get legal clarity of what considerations must be taken when fisheries Ministers sit in all night sessions and decide on issues of detrimental importance to the ecosystem.

16 January 2024 - In light of the very poor status on the Baltic Sea and its fish stocks, CCB is requesting an internal review from the Council to seek explanation of how the past October AGRIFISH Council decisions are valid and meet the legal requirements in place.

“The continued decline of our stocks caused by the Ministries continuously acting like it’s business as usual has to stop. It’s time we demand legal action of the flagrant disregard for the law and the environment”, says Nils Höglund, CCB Fisheries Policy Officer.

The legal situation regarding human activities at sea is admittedly fragmented and seemingly unclear in regards to legal interpretation. However, it is clear that there are safeguards in place to prevent the setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) too high or even to allow any fishing at all when the situation is serious. These safeguards have now been breached and in doing so, the Ministers have also made it nearly impossible to reach any of the environmental targets their own governments have supported just a few months ago [1] .

“Setting fishing quotas cannot be done in isolation from requirements set by EU environmental legislation or international agreements [2] , nor from the ecosystem, which needs to sustain itself. Coastal fishermen, NGOs and citizens alike ask themselves if the Ministers have lost all reason when they allow continued fishing of a stock after stock disappearing from the coast. We certainly ask if it’s even legal to make such decisions.” continued Nils Höglund.

What considerations must be taken by the AGRIFISH Council of Ministers when deciding on fishing opportunities annually? This is the core of the request for internal review that CCB is submitting. Specifically, CCB wants clarity into how the rules should be interpreted, considering in particular the herring stocks in the central Baltic Sea. This stock was indicated by ICES advice [3] to be below safe levels, and also noted that the stock will likely not grow above the lowest reference level in the year 2025 even with zero fishing in 2024.

The right to request an internal review of the Council's decision is given to NGOs such as CCB via the EU Aarhus regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006) . This is a rule CCB has not utilized earlier. It is a crucial scrutiny right given to civil society and private citizens to be able to question the legality of public decision making.

ENDS

Background

The AGRIFISH Council in October disregarded the Commission proposal and instead opted to keep a targeted herring fishing open and allow a large sprat fishery with known bycatch of herring, and also big issues with misreporting herring as sprat, to continue. CCB thinks this decision is illegal and seeks clarity as to what considerations should be taken and what the correct interpretation of all the rules in place implies for Council decisions on fishing opportunities.

In doing so, CCB considers it clear that the Council decided to ignore the safeguards and limits and they ignored the poor state of the Baltic Sea, the food web dynamics and clear warnings that genetically distinct sub-populations of also herring are at risk. There is no viable justification for not acting in time and the margin of discretion the Council may have to set any TAC is very low.

CCB makes the case that the Council did not act on all the information available and they did not act with caution as stipulated by the precautionary approach in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), Common Fishery Policy (CFP) etc. even when information is missing, yet risks to the stocks are known.

Notes

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) - Is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 NGOs, with over 1 500 000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. More info at: www.ccb.se

[1] EU regulation 2016/1139 (as amended) establishing a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea. See specifically article 4.6 and article 5 outlines actions to be taken when stocks fall below safe levels.

[2] The key questions are related to the rules in the Baltic Sea multi annual management plan for herring, sprat and cod, to the rules in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the environmental objectives in primarily the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Also important is the link to the Birds and Habitat Directive as well as international treaties and regional agreements.

[3] ICES advice for fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea in 2024:
https://www.ccb.se/scientific-advice-states-that-baltic-sea-herring-stocks-are-below-safe-levels-ngos-stop-while-there-is-still-time

CCB & other NGOs and small scale fishermen´s reaction on ICES advice for fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea in 2024:
https://www.ccb.se/scientific-advice-states-that-baltic-sea-herring-stocks-are-below-safe-levels-ngos-stop-while-there-is-still-time

Contacts

Nils Höglund (English, Swedish)
nils.hoglund@ccb.se
+4 6 708679249

The water agenda at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28)

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 14:13:46 GMT

The UN defines the climate crisis primarily as a water crisis. We are feeling its effects in the form of increasing floods, rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, forest fires, and droughts. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Report on the State of World Water Resources for 2022 , which contains an extensive assessment of global water resources, the hydrological cycle is out of balance as a result of climate change and human activities. Droughts, extreme rainfall, and other effects of climate change have a serious impact on life and the economy, threatening the long-term security of water resources for many millions of people. Despite the obvious link between water and climate policy, the water agenda has yet to be mentioned in the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement, and it is only in the last few years that the presence of water issues in the debates at annual climate conferences has gradually increased.

Learn more about climate change in the Baltic Sea region here and here .

COP28 was very promising for the global water community. Even though official documents do not contain significant formulations of the role of water in fighting climate change, nevertheless, we can identify a general trend toward increasing the importance of the role of water resources in the climate agenda. So at last year's COP 27 conference in Egypt , the topic of water was finally included in the main outcome document. During COP 28, water issues began to rise even more sharply. Can we expect progress in integrating water and climate policies? There are grounds for hope for this, the main results of COP 28 in the context of water issues are presented below. The topic of water was also discussed at high-level discussions, as well as side events in various pavilions. The two main points of attraction were "Water for Climate" and "Ocean" pavilions.

During high-level discussions held at COP28 on the thematic days on Peace, Security, and Health and on Agriculture, Food, and Water, UNECE and its partners stressed the critical need for joint water management across borders at the center of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Key measures discussed include strengthened cooperation under the UN Water Convention. The Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition, comprising over 40 governments and organizations published a new policy brief about transboundary risk management. Learn more here .

UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean stated: “ Climate change is already having huge impacts on water resources, which for 153 countries worldwide are shared with their neighbors. I encourage all UN Member States to join the UN Water Convention and to catalyze climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts through transboundary water cooperation. This can benefit peace and stability, clean energy production, flood and drought resilience, sanitation, financing for adaptation in shared basins, and much more. ”

This call was further reinforced by a new analytical note published by the Coalition for Transboundary Water Cooperation , which includes more than 40 Governments and organizations. The summary shows how, through the exchange of hydrological and other data, countries can better understand and address transboundary risks, improve forecasting of extreme events, and coordinate their response to natural disasters. Find out more and read a brief overview of the policy here .

As a result of the negotiations, the ocean became part of the COP 28 agreement for the first time. This is a significant achievement since the Paris Agreement and recognition of the important role of our ocean in the climate system. The world's oceans act as a carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and we will not achieve our climate goals without protecting it.

The final text agreed at COP 28 notes “the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems, including [...]the ocean.” The text also invites parties to “conserve and restore oceans and coastal ecosystems and expand, if necessary, actions based on ocean mitigation capabilities.”

18 countries have signed the Joint Declaration on Ocean and Climate Action, which recognizes the urgent need for the sustainable management of 100% of the world's oceans under national jurisdiction, and they call on countries around the world to join commitments to preserve the long-term health and resilience of the ocean.

One of the most attended sessions in the program of the pavilion "Water for Climate" was the statement of Kazakhstan and France on the joint holding of the United Water Summit together with the UN General Assembly in September 2024. As Karin Gardes noted afterward, this event will serve as a natural bridge between events on next year's water agenda, such as World Water Week 2024 and COP29.

On Food, Agriculture, and Water Day at COP28 - December 10, 38 countries joined the Freshwater Challenge, the world's largest initiative to restore degraded rivers, lakes, and wetlands to protect and restore 30 percent of the planet's degraded freshwater ecosystems by 2030. The target announced at the UN Water Conference 2023 aims to restore more than 300,000 km of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030, or about 30% of the degraded freshwater ecosystems of the Earth.

The main results of COP28 are the approval of the Global Stocktake (GST) , as well as the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) . Both of these documents include water issues.

The GST is an overall assessment of progress in the fight against climate change over the past seven years. The main conclusion is that despite the progress we have made, we are far from the goal of keeping the temperature rise within 1.5 °C. It is important for water and climate here that the preamble of the GST recognizes the crucial role of water systems and water-related ecosystems. In doing so, the GST followed the precedent set by the COP27 decision, which for the first time recognized the role of freshwater in fighting climate change.

The highlight of the conference was the adoption of the GGA structure. Global adaptation goals have been defined to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change worldwide. According to the results of COP28, water is listed as the first thematic goal in the GGA. This opens up additional opportunities to reduce vulnerability to the climate crisis, provided that the financing of adaptation projects is increased and the goals set are achieved.

Water resources, especially freshwater, are considered more likely to be a source of problems related to the effects of climate change, but water can and should be part of both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. The results of COP28 in this regard can hardly be called unambiguously successful, but it is safe to say that significant progress has been made in this over the past 2 years. We would like to believe that there will be an understanding and recognition that actions to fight climate change may ultimately be in vain if we do not give priority to water security issues.

***
Article written by Anna Ushakova, CCB Maritime Working Area Leader

Nature Restoration Law on homestretch after Environment Committee endorsement

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 08:30:59 GMT

Today, the members of the Environment Committee of the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Nature Restoration Law as agreed in the trilogue negotiations, approving the final text with 53 to 28 votes. The proposal is now only one step away from the European Parliament’s side of the co-decision process to become reality: adoption in plenary.

Initially designed to implement measures to restore at least 20% of the EU’s nature on land, rivers, and seas by 2030, the law travelled a troublesome path to get to this point. Earlier this year, the proposal unexpectedly became the target of an aggressive disinformation and scaremongering campaign led by Manfred Weber’s EPP group.

During its plenary vote in July, the European Parliament had considerably watered down the draft law, making it the weakest position compared to the Commission’s proposal and the Council’s general approach. In the following trilogue negotiations, compromises were made to accommodate all parties involved in the agreement that was reached on 9 November. This outcome of today reflects the joint work and the many concessions that were made during the negotiations to reach the trilogue deal.

The only missing step from the EU Parliament’s side is now a final rubber-stamp vote in plenary, expected to take place in early 2024. To conclude the legislative process, the Council will also need to give one last formal approval, which, given that the text already got a green light from the EU Member States last week, will be a formality.

This vote is also the result of several months of unparalleled mobilisation in support of the first-ever EU law to restore ecosystems: more than 6,000 scientists, 100+ businesses, over 200 NGOs, numerous climate activists and over a million signatures and messages from citizens demanding a strong Nature Restoration Law urged and are still urging decision-makers to deliver this much-needed law.

" The lawmakers actions are a bit closer to the end, but for nature it has not even begun yet. This law is badly needed and we can now soon focus on implementing both protection and restoration measures as legally binding actions ", commented Nils Höglund, CCB Fisheries Policy Officer.

The #RestoreNature coalition, consisting of BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, EEB, and WWF EU says: “ It is encouraging to see how the support for the law has grown since an agreement was struck; the Environment Committee has now shown its clear commitment to get this law ready before the next European elections. However, it is still disappointing to see some MEPs not willing to protect Europe and its citizens from the devastating impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. It is now up to the Parliament’s full house to follow suit and vote ‘yes’ on the Nature Restoration Law. ”

ENDS.

Notes for editors:

[1] The Nature Restoration Law has received support from  EU Member States , the  wind energy  and  solar industry ,  scientists , the  progressive farming community ,  European hunters ,  financial institutions ,  European mayors , an  increasing number of companies and business associations  and  European youth . Almost 1,200,000 signatures and messages for an ambitious Nature Restoration Law have been collected through various campaigns, which were launched by the  #RestoreNature coalition  (incl. Avaaz),  WeMove , etc.

[2] For more information about the Nature Restoration Law, please visit, www.restorenature.eu or www.ccb.se/restorenature-campaign

Plastics Treaty negotiations: we need higher ambition

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:53:51 GMT

Nairobi, Kenya – The third meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) for a global agreement to end plastic pollution concluded on 19 ^th of November at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Despite a mandate for a revised draft, Member States failed to reach an agreement on priorities for intersessional work ahead of INC-4, despite an 11th-hour attempt, jeopardizing significant advancements for the treaty process.

With the significant petrochemical influence in the treaty negotiations , including the ‘low ambition’ of a group of ‘like-minded’ plastic-producing countries, and the lack of ambition by the so-called ‘high ambition’ countries, the INC-3 concluded without concrete headway towards the mandate adopted at the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) to negotiate a comprehensive and legally binding treaty that will cover measures along the entire life cycle of plastic.

Downstream actions are not enough

According to the views of many Member States and INC observers, and based on mandate of UNEA resolution 5/14, a strong Global Plastics Treaty shall take into account the entire life cycle of plastics, from production to disposal. The most comprehensive modeling, incorporating the recent report “Towards Ending Plastic Pollution: 15 Global Policy Interventions for Systems Change” by Systemiq/the Nordic Council of Ministers , indicates that effectively tackling plastic pollution throughout its life cycle necessitates the implementation of supply-side controls on plastic production. Given the absence of projections indicating that waste management capacity will ever align with current estimates of plastic production, reducing the supply is the sole viable long-term solution. Currently, less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled, the U.N. Environment Programme says , while at least 14 million tonnes end up in oceans every year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says .

Chemicals in plastics

During the negotiations many countries strongly supported provisions on addressing chemicals of concern, and protecting human and environmental health from chemicals in plastics.

A proposal by Switzerland and Uruguay to hold more discussions on curbing harmful polymers and chemicals of concern garnered support from more than 100 members states. It was an expectation from many Member States and observers, that INC will mandate intersessional work to create an initial list of chemicals of concern, including monomers and polymers, to be listed in the Annexes of the Treaty, together with respective criteria for their selection. However, the influence of a group of other countries, including fossil fuel and plastic-producing countries overpowered these perspectives.

CCB along with many other environmental organizations, including IPEN reminds that plastics are a combination of chemicals and carbon. Thousands of those chemicals are known to be chemicals of concern and for most of the rest there is a remarkable lack of data. Moreover, for users and the waste management sector there is limited, or in most cases no data on the chemical composition of plastic materials and products. This lack of transparency, traceability, and available data means that there are no plastics that can be considered safe, since it is not possible to know if they contain toxic chemicals. These gaps are also key obstacles toward a safe circular economy.

Unfortunately, after seven days of negotiations, the INC-3 missed the opportunity to set the stage for ambitious intersessional work on any priority, including the development of targets, baselines, and schedules for an overall reduction in plastic production, as well as strict reporting mechanisms to inform and monitor compliance with a global reduction target.

“ Currently, we see a lack of clear path towards to an effective Plastic Treaty. And there is a clear division between different Member States regarding the level of ambitious, and even scope of the upcoming Treaty. We really need to address this political divide very soon, as we have only 2 more rounds of talks in 2024 ”, commented Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances and Marine Litter Working Area Leader, and participant at the INC3.

The week in detail

Most of the INC-3 week was spent in three contact groups: (1) Contact group 1 reviewed the first two parts of the Zero Draft : Part I (Preamble, objective, definitions, principles, and scope) and Part II (Primary plastic polymers, chemicals and polymers of concerns, problematic and avoidable plastics, exertions, product design -including reuse-, substitutes, extended producer responsibility, emissions, waste management, trade, existing plastic pollution, just transition, and transparency). (2) Contact group 2 focused on the second two parts: Part III (financing and capacity building), and Part IV (National plans, implementation and compliance, reporting, and monitoring). (3) Contact group 3 discussed the Synthesis Report containing elements not discussed at previous meetings and intersessional work.

During the week, civil society organizations exposed the conflict of interest within the INC-3 process, starting with the publication of an analysis of the participants revealing that 143 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered for INC-3, a 36% increase from INC-2; some of whom were registered under six Member States delegations.

The INC-3 agreed that the next round of negotiations (INC-4) will be held in Ottawa, Canada, on 21 - 30 April 2024, and INC-5 in Busan, Republic of Korea on 25 November to 1 December 2024. Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdiviezo (Ecuador) was confirmed as Chair for the rest of the INC process.

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

Resources:

UNEP online resource page for INC-3

IISD Daily coverage of INC-3

Start of Competition for NonHazCity Building Award in the Baltic Sea Region

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 16:18:38 GMT

16 November 2016 - Tallinn, Estonia - Today the competition for the first ever NonHazCity Building Award in the Baltic Sea Region was announced at the Green Governance Conference by the Green Capital of Europe 2023 Tallinn and the World Future Council in Tallinn.

The NonHazCity Building Award is the first policy prize recognizing best policies in construction in the Baltic Sea Region at local, regional or national level. It aims is to highlight policies protecting people and the environment from hazardous chemicals in buildings, integrating circularity, toxic-free & climate neutrality. The World Future Council co-ordinates and bestows the award in the framework of the NonHazCity 3 Project.

“ Municipalities have a responsibility to protect their citizens and the environment from hazardous chemicals and to contribute to climate-neutral and circular construction. We cannot have sustainable cities and communities without sustainable construction. This award helps us to show that sustainable construction is possible and raise awareness among cities to be at the forefront to implement these solutions ,” said the Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, Joosep Vimm.

Alexandra Wandel, Chair, Management Board of the World Future Council commented “ Everyone has a responsibility towards future generations that the building sector can make a contribution to a non hazardous, circular and climate-friendly construction. We invite policymakers, civil society, scientists and citizens to submit their nomination for this unique award. We aim to provide inspiration to showcase innovative solutions. ”

The nominations can be submitted here .

The announcement was made at the conference "Driving change: empowering sustainability through green governance" that took place at Tallinn Creative Hub as part of Tallinn's Green Technology Week. The conference aimed at bringing together cities from the Baltic Sea region and beyond, as well as businesses and experts, to discuss green public procurement and support for sustainable consumption and production.

- END

For further information:

Kai Klein, BEF Estonia, Tel +372 53 33 8572

Alexandra Wandel, World Future Council, Tel+49 172 748 39 53

Global Plastics Treaty is taking a next step in its development

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 09:31:13 GMT

13 November 2023, Nairobi (Kenya) - Coalition Clean Baltic along with many other global and national environmental NGOs is joining UN governments for a third session of the Plastics Treaty Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3), which is taking place this week in UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

During INC-3 participants will be mainly working with the zero draft of the Plastics Treaty, which was released by UNEP and the INC Chair in September 2023. The released document includes many placeholders and different language options, which are a good basis for further discussions. The most promising areas presented in the draft include options for progressive reduction of plastic production, elimination of polymers and chemicals of concern, elimination of problematic short-lived and avoidable plastics, the recognition of the need for transparency, just transition, and the setting up of systems and targets for reduction and reuse, among others. Potentially problematic and ambiguous provisions include text on recycled plastic content, Extended Producer Responsibility, and waste management. Without ambitious standards, these areas could misplace the emphasis on recycling and waste management measures, undermining the treaty's effectiveness.

“ CCB believes that plastic pollution is currently a growing international crisis with a devastating impact on the environment, including on the marine resources, human health, human rights, environmental justice, the rights of indigenous people, biodiversity, and climate. As numerous studies have demonstrated, plastic has been found everywhere, not only in ecosystems and the atmosphere but also in the food we eat, the water we drink, and even inside our bodies ”, comments Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances and Marine Litter Working Area Leader, and participant of INC 3 in Nairobi. He continues: “ The future Global Plastics Treaty shall be effective in reversing the tide of plastic pollution, mechanisms and solutions to address it need to exist within climate and planetary boundaries. Among other things the new Treaty should be centered on avoiding future plastic pollution throughout the life cycle by phasing down production and consumption of plastics, and prohibition of toxic chemicals in plastics. ”

CCB would als o like to highlight that the evidence of toxic threats from chemicals in plastics has been accumulating, with recent evidence showing the complexity of the toxic plastic problem. Data published in the beginning of November 2023 reveal that hundreds of chemicals, including numerous highly toxic pesticides, were found in recycled plastic material (pellets) collected from thirteen countries across Africa, South America, Asia and Europe. In correspondence also published in November 2023 in the prestigious journal Science, researchers from IPEN , the University of Gothenburg, Aarhus University, and the University of Exeter noted that “Hazardous chemicals present risks to recycling workers and consumers, as well as to the wider society and environment… Before recycling can contribute to tackling the plastics pollution crisis, the plastics industry must limit hazardous chemicals.” A webinar previewing a forthcoming study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology noted that there are more than 16,000 chemicals used in plastics with 25% classified as hazardous and noted that “no plastic chemical [can be] classified as safe.”

“ Plastic recycling has been touted as a solution to the plastics pollution crisis, but toxic chemicals in plastics complicate their reuse and disposal and hinder plastic recycling ,” said Dr. Bethanie Carney Almroth, of the University of Gothenburg in Göteborg, Sweden and a co-author of a recent study showing that plastic and chemical pollution has exceeded the Earth’s “planetary boundaries.” Dr. Almroth continued, “ Numerous studies show that hazardous chemicals can accumulate even in relatively close-loop plastic recycling systems. We need to rapidly phase-out plastic chemicals that can cause harm to human health and the environment .”

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

Resources:

UNEP online resource page for INC-3

IISD Daily coverage of INC-3

IPEN resource page for INC-3

BFFP resource page

Background information:

Plastic pollution is a growing crisis for the environment, human health, human rights, biodiversity, and the climate — actions to address it are needed now at the global level.

In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted resolution 5/14 titled “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument” that began the process to negotiate a new global plastics treaty by the end of 2024. Following UNEA-5.2, an ad hoc open-ended working group (OEWG) met in Dakar, Senegal, to prepare for negotiations. That meeting recommended five Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings over the following two years. The first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting—INC-1—took place 28 November – 2 December, 2022, in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Significant intersessional work has been happening since.

UNEA Resolution 5/14 was a landmark moment in global policy making. Global treaties are the world’s best hope at regulating transnational environmental problems, as we saw in the successful regulation of ozone depleting substances by the Montreal Protocol. Negotiations between UN governments will now focus on interpreting that mandate and developing the treaty. Significant questions about the treaty’s objective, scope, function and form remain.

At the INC-1, civil society groups joined forces to demand a strong and effective treaty, one which fully meets the challenges of the plastics crisis. INC-1 ended with a mix of highs and lows as civil society and rights-holders called for a full life cycle approach, addressing the extraction of feedstocks and production to transport, use, disposal, and remediation.

The INC-2 took place at the UNESCO Headquarters, in Paris, France from 29 May to 2 June, 2023. INC-2 considered multiple elements that could be included in the future treaty. Delegates also elected remaining members of the INC bureau and agreed on the provisional application of the draft rules of procedure. In the end, delegates agreed to mandate the Secretariat to prepare a Committee-driven zero draft, to reflect differing views on elements related to the plastic lifecycle, such as identifying options on definitions and criteria along the plastic supply chain, including on problematic and avoidable plastic polymers and products, design for circularity, substitutes and alternatives, releases and emissions, and addressing means of implementation.

The INC-3 is scheduled to take place from 13 to 19 November 2023 at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The session will be preceded by regional consultations on 12 November 2023. Also, as decided by the Committee at its second session , a preparatory one-day meeting will take place on 11 November 2023 at the same venue.

Nature Restoration Law one step closer to becoming reality – but with loopholes

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 16:44:07 GMT

Intense trilogue negotiations concluded tonight

Brussels, 10 November 2023 Late Thursday night, the intense negotiations between the EU Parliament, Commission, and Council concluded on the eagerly awaited Nature Restoration Law, resulting in a political agreement between the three institutions.

While we are pleased to see that all ecosystems originally covered by the law are still included in the agreement, the articles have been watered down compared to the original Commission’s proposal and the Council’s position. It is disappointing to see the many exemptions included, and the excessive flexibility regarding obligations for Member States.

Below follows our initial reaction to the main components of the agreement:

The scope of terrestrial restoration has not been restricted to Natura 2000 sites exclusively, but significant loopholes were added which can decrease the total area to be restored.
The requirement to prevent deterioration has been severely undermined, making it difficult to implement.
Fortunately, concrete requirements to increase nature on farmlands, as well as restore peatlands made it into this agreement, but the reintroduction of the article came at a high cost, with significant concessions being made, such as introducing the possibility to pause the implementation of the legislation – also referred to as the ‘emergency brake’.

The so-called trilogue negotiations are reported to have been challenging as the Council and Commission worked to find common ground with Parliament’s significantly weaker position.

The law, initially designed to implement measures aimed at restoring a minimum of 20% of the EU’s nature on land, rivers, and seas by 2030, unexpectedly became the target of an aggressive disinformation and scaremongering campaign led by Manfred Weber’s EPP group, aiming to prevent this law from ever seeing the light of day. As a result, numerous targets were watered down when the Parliament's position was adopted. Many compromises and concessions were made to accommodate all parties involved, with the expectation of gaining support even from the most conservative factions.

As shown by the latest HELCOM holistic assessment - HOLAS 3 , the Baltic Sea is not in a good state. All actors must intensify the efforts and the collaboration towards a healthy and sustainable Baltic Sea and environmental resources and ecosystems in Europe. " Both passive and active ecological restoration strategies are needed, along with the implementation of ambitious, effective and concrete local and outsourced measures. The future role and importance of the Restoration Law will depend on its active nature and specific obligations, surpassing the more general targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy ", commented Andrea Cervantes, CCB Biodiversity Officer.

The call for an impactful Nature Restoration Law received unprecedented support from over one million citizens, businesses, scientists, and multiple other stakeholders [1].

The agreement reached must now be endorsed by Member States, as well as undergo a crucial vote by the EU Parliament’s Environment committee, later this year, where conservative groups may attempt to torpedo the law once again.

If the proposal successfully navigates these steps, it will subsequently go through a final rubber-stamp vote during the Parliament’s plenary vote, expected to take place in December 2023.

We now call on Member States and the EU Parliament to approve this trilogue agreement, and not delay the much-needed restoration work that will help the EU fight the climate and nature crisis.

NGOs COMMENTS

Sofie Ruysschaert, Nature Restoration Policy Officer, BirdLife Europe:
“ We are relieved to see that the negotiators have not completely failed European citizens. The inclusion of restoration targets for farmlands and drained peatlands gives us a modest chance for a brighter tomorrow, as our ability to have food and clean water depends on these ecosystems being healthy and biodiverse. But the true litmus test lies in whether this law will really address the staggering repercussions of the climate and nature crisis. And that will only be seen if and when Member States properly implement the law. ”

Ioannis Agapakis, Nature Conservation Lawyer at ClientEarth:
“ We finally have a much-needed law that in theory, would force the EU to take concrete action to restore its ailing nature. However, negotiators have hollowed out the law to the point that it risks being toothless in practice and prone to abuse. The numerous exemptions and lack of legal safeguards have set a very frightening precedent for EU law-making, rather than cementing the EU at the forefront of biodiversity conservation. Failing to recognise our vital dependence on nature will leave Europeans exposed to the disastrous impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises."

Sergiy Moroz, Policy Manager for Water and Biodiversity at EEB:
“ Despite significant concessions made to the opponents of the impactful Nature Restoration Law, the provisional agreement includes several positive elements such as targets to reverse the decline in pollinators or restore free flowing rivers. It is imperative that the law is now formally adopted by the co-legislators before the EU elections in 2024, and its implementation starts without delay to also enable EU to fulfil its global commitments on climate and biodiversity. ”

Sabien Leemans, Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer at WWF European Policy Office:
“ While this deal is more ambitious than the weak Parliament position, it is still a far cry from what science tells us is necessary to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies. Yet, given the fierce opposition to the law, we are relieved that an agreement was reached. Without this, the EU’s international credibility would have suffered severely. There is hope now that the EU will make concerted efforts to bring nature back, for the sake of biodiversity, people and our climate - it's the best chance we have. ”

ENDS.

Notes for editors:

[1] The Nature Restoration Law has received support from EU Member States , the wind energy and solar industry , scientists , the progressive farming community , European hunters , financial institutions , European mayors , an increasing number of companies and business associations and European youth . Almost 1,200,000 signatures and messages for an ambitious Nature Restoration Law have been collected through various campaigns, which were launched by the #RestoreNature coalition (incl. Avaaz), WeMove , etc.

[2] For more information about the Nature Restoration Law, please visit, www.restorenature.eu or

https://www.ccb.se/restorenature-campaign

For more information, please contact:

Honey Kohan, Communications Manager, BirdLife Europe:
honey.kohan@birdlife.org
+32 482 55 95 43

Ola Miklasińska
Communications Officer, Biodiversity
amiklasinska@wwf.eu
+32 456 37 60 64

Bianca Vergnaud,
EU Communications Manager, ClientEarth
bvergnaud@clientearth.org
+32 471 88 70 95

Federica Pastore
CCB Communication Officer

federica.pastore@ccb.se

Baltic youth movements to Danish Ministers: "Our future is at stake Stop the Lynetteholm project and consult all Baltic Sea countries!"

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 06:35:57 GMT

26 October 2023, Uppsala / Copenhagen / Stralsund - Today, environmental and youth NGOs from 11 countries of the Baltic Sea Region representing over 1,500,000 citizens sent a letter [1] to the Danish Minister of Transport, Thomas Danielsen, and the Danish Minister of Environment, Magnus Heunicke, expres sing their deep concern about the Lynetteholm project [2], an artificial island in the Copenhagen harbour that may affect the biodiversity and ecological state of the entire Baltic Sea.

According to Stiig Markager, a Danish Professor of marine ecology and biochemistry at Aarhus University, the artificial island may block the flow of vital oxygen rich salt water through the Danish Øresund to the Baltic Sea a blockage that according to hi m can have significant, irreversible, negative environmental consequences for the Baltic Sea and all the countries around it [3].

Therefore, young people living in the Baltic Sea Region call on Danish Ministers to promptly engage an independent multinational marine expert body that will have a clear overview of the cumulative environmental effects of all projects in the Baltic Sea marine areas and the responsibility for the status of Øresund and the Baltic Sea.

" The Danish authorities are ignoring not only us, young people and concerned citizens, but also scientists and International and European laws [4]. It is our future, the future of our children and that of the marine environment of the entire Baltic Sea that is at stake. Therefore, we urge the
Danish Parliament to engage an independent multinational marine council to evaluate the potential environmental consequences of Lynetteholm as well as of future projects in the Baltic Sea ", commented Maren Høj Muff from the Green Youth Movement in Denmark, as one of the representatives of the environmental and youth NGOs behind the letter.

Until then, they request the Danish ministers to immediately put the Lynetteholm project on hold and to consult all countries that may be environmentally and financially affected by this project because as they state “a good cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries is an absolute necessity not only to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea, but also to see us move towards a better future”.

***

For further information, please contact:
Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary:
mikhail.durkin@ccb.se
(+46) 739 770 793

Maren Høj Muff, The Green Youth Movement in Denmark: mhmuff@gmail.com
(+45) 4086 2101

Moritz Röhlke, NAJU Rostock: rostock@naju-mv.de

Daniela Herrmann, Scientific Associate Marine Conservation, Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU): Daniela.Herrmann@nabu.de
+ 49 (0)162 2050373

***

NOTES for the editors:

[1] The full letter is available here .

[2] In June 2021, A majority in the Danish Parliament approved the Lynetteholm project, allowing the construction of an artificial island of 2.8 km ² that will provide a new residential area for 35,000 inhabitants and 35,000 workplaces in the outlet of Copenhagen harbour. The project is due to be completed in 50 years’ time (2070). More info: https://www.ccb.se/-stoplynetteholm-campaign

[3] The Baltic Sea is brackish water and only receives oxygen rich salt water from the Atlantic Ocean through the three Danish seas Øresund, Great Belt and Little Belt. According to Stiig Markager, Professor of marine ecology and biochemistry at Aarhus University , there is a high degree of certainty that even a minor reduction in the salinity of the Baltic Sea will have significant negative consequences for biodiversity and the ecological state of the Baltic Sea. Read his memo /analysis sent directly to Danish politicians (April 2023).

[4] Under the UN Espoo Convention and the EU's SEA/EIA Directives, the authorities of a country are obliged to consult all countries that may be environmentally affected by a construction project unless "significant transboundary impact can be excluded with certainty". The Lynetteholm project was approved despite Swedish criticism and without consultation of all the Baltic Sea countries despite the fact that all Baltic Sea countries may be affected.

So far, only Sweden has been consulted under the Espoo Convention. However, the Lynetteholm project was adopted in the Danish Parliament in June 2021 despite the fact that the Swedish Minister of Environment and Climate a month before had sent a letter directly to the Danish Minister of Environment in which he emphasizes the importance of the Danish Parliament not taking any decisions regarding Lynetteholm before the environmental impacts have been properly investigated and before the Espoo consultations between Denmark and Sweden have been finalised. His letter was kept secret and not forwarded to the members of the Danish Parliament before voting about the Lynetteholm project (read the full letter in English here: Microsoft Word - Per Bolund 2021 letter final.docx (cdn-website.com) and the original here: Aktindsigtsoversigt 4 - Maj-2021-Jan 2022.pdf (cdn-website.com) . In addition, a letter sent to the Danish authorities in May 2023 on behalf of six Swedish authorities - where they repeat their concern for the Baltic Sea and ask about the solution regarding the blocking of saline water to the Baltic Sea - has so far been ignored (read the full letter in English here Microsoft Word - Naturvaardsverket letter May 2023 final.docx (cdn-website.com) and the original here: Yttrande remissvar (cdn-website.com)

EU ministers set quotas for Baltic herring that defy fisheries laws

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 10:28:41 GMT

Luxembourg, 24 October 2023: Today EU fisheries ministers have taken decisions concerning declining Baltic Sea herring stocks that will actively contribute to the further deterioration of the ecosystem and its fish stocks and that go against EU fisheries law. They chose to keep the targeted fishery for herring in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Central Baltic open at a level associated with an unlawfully high risk of ecosystem collapse, irresponsibly jeopardising the already stressed ecosystem.

PRESS RELEASE from: BalticWaters, Coalition Clean Baltic, ClientEarth, the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Deutsche Umwelthilfe,The Fisheries Secretariat, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, and WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

The European Commission had proposed, before the meeting, closing the targeted fishery for this species, in line with the Baltic Multiannual Plan that governs fisheries in the Baltic Sea and as agreed by all EU Member States and the European Parliament back in 2016. With many Baltic Sea populations on a downward trend and an ever-increasing risk of ecosystem collapse, the outcome of these negotiations is a missed opportunity to set this sea on a path to recovery and sustainable fisheries in the long term.

Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic said: ” The rule of law is displaced in favour of business as usual. Ministers gave green light to industrial fishing and ignored coastal fishermen that were hoping for change and now need to find another job instead. The ecosystem gave up long ago .”

One of the main drivers of the drastic decline of Baltic herring is the unsustainable fishery for herring and sprat that are used in fishmeal and fish oil. These small fish provide a vital food source for larger fish like cod, marine mammals, and seabirds, so it is crucial that enough of these so-called forage fish remain available for Baltic wildlife. This is why it is disappointing that the catch limits for sprat were also set higher than levels that would safeguard overall ecosystem health, functioning and resilience. With regards to Western Baltic herring, the continued closure for targeted fishing is important, but ministers need to take additional measures to ensure minimal bycatch of this stock in the North Sea herring fishery.

Outcomes for other fish stocks

NGOs welcome that fisheries ministers upheld the Commission’s proposal to prohibit targeted fishing of Eastern and Western Baltic cod, and finally agreed to close the recreational catch of Western Baltic cod, which, according to scientists, represented 68% of the total fishing mortality of the stock. At the same time, NGOs regret that the bycatch quota set for Western Baltic cod is higher than the maximum fishing mortality advised by scientists. It is imperative that fishing mortality, even caused by bycatch, remains extremely low in order to recover this vulnerable stock, which is considered to be collapsed.

Concerning salmon catches, the Council accepted the Commission’s proposal to close the Bothnian Sea area north of the Åland islands, but demanded that extra scientific advice be provided to see if fishing could be kept open there, with further protective measures in place.

The ministers’ decision to roll over last year’s quota of plaice is a small step in the right direction, since a higher plaice quota would risk higher bycatches of both Baltic cod stocks. However, an even lower fishing limit would have benefitted the recovery of the vulnerable cod stocks.

ENDS

Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic +46 707 679 249, nils@ccb.se

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Chief adviser, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening/ Danish Society for Natur Conservation, Cathrine@dn.dk , +45 311 932 26
Emily Fairless, Oceana Communication officer, +32 478 038 490, efairless@oceana.org
Hannah Griffiths Berggren, Communications officer, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, +46 (0)8 515 114 83, hannah.griffiths.berggren@wwf.se
Petra Holgersson, Press Officer, Naturskyddsföreningen / Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, +46 (0) 725 65 44 05, petra.holgersson@naturskyddsforeningen.se
Deutsche Umwelthilfe Newsroom, +49 30 2400867-20, presse@duh.de
Konrad Stralka, Executive Director, BalticWaters +46 70 750 23 31, konrad.stralka@balticwaters.org
Sara Tironi, Seas At Risk Communication officer, +32 483 457 483, stironi@seas-at-risk.org
Sara Söderström, Policy Officer, FishSec, +46 (0)70 440 41 86 sara.soderstrom@fishsec.org
Bianca Vergnaud, EU Communications Manager, ClientEarth, +32 (0) 471 88 70 95, bvergnaud@clientearth.org

Open letter: NGO reply to the European Commission on the role of hydropower in the deployment of renewable energies in Europe

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 07:30:00 GMT

Reply to the European Commission letter of 4 May 2023 on the role of hydropower in the deployment of renewable energies in Europe as an open letter signed by 100 NGOs.

20 October 2023 - 100 NGOs reply with an open letter to the European Commission´s letter on the role of hydropower in the deployment of renewable energies in the European Union, in response to the NGO letter of 6 February 2023 .

While we agree that hydropower plants represent a small share of all river barriers in
Europe, hydropower barriers, even those with mitigation measures, have a much higher
environmental impact than other obstacles due to the specific fish-killing effect of hydropower
turbines and infrastructure, and due to hydropeaking causing declines in fish, insect and plant
populations as well as alterations in sediment dynamics.

We urge the European Union:

● To ensure that no new hydropower projects in Europe receive EU financing, in particular
through the Resilience and Recovery Facility respecting the do-no-significant-harm
pledge.
● When reviewing Member States development plans designating renewable acceleration
areas, closely monitor that any planned hydropower development is checked against the
EU environmental legislation, including Article 4(7) of the Water Framework Directive.

The full letter with detailed motivations and resources is available here .

Fisheries ministers poised to breach EU law and exacerbate Baltic ecosystem crisis, NGOs warn

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 09:14:36 GMT

On 23rd October, EU fisheries ministers will set Baltic Sea fishing limits for next year. Their decisions will likely breach EU law and worsen the dire state of the Baltic Sea, as Member States have made clear that they don't support cuts to Baltic fishing opportunities in order to bring them in line with legal obligations. NGOs are urging fisheries ministers to suspend the fishing of severely depleted stocks, as foreseen by EU law in these circumstances.

To prevent the collapse of fish populations, EU multiannual management plans require that fishing opportunities are set so that fish populations are at the very least kept above a minimum level (1). This year, due to persistent overfishing, scientific data shows that two herring stocks in the central and northern Baltic are now at or below this clear red line. Any targeted fishery on these herring stocks would be in breach of EU law.

Detailed rules for how to set fishing quotas and agree on emergency measures, including the option of complete fisheries closures, are set out under EU multi-annual management plans, in line with the objectives of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Following the rules of the Baltic multi-annual management plan and the status of these herring populations, the European Commission has proposed to close the targeted fishery for herring in these two areas.

To date, however, Baltic Member States have argued that the Commission proposal is going too far, and have questioned the interpretation of the regulations in place. In doing so, the Member States are disregarding the very clear rules and the obvious fact that both these herring populations are below the agreed minimum levels.

Nils Höglund, Senior policy officer at CCB, said: “By aiming to evade the rules in the Baltic management plan and the CFP in relation to avoiding fish stock collapse, and pushing to keep what is largely a fishmeal fishery open, the Council is breaching both EU fisheries and environmental legislation, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The possibility to reach good environmental status is likely made near impossible by the Agrifish Council. This approach must be deemed doubly illegal”.

Sara Söderström, Policy officer at the Fisheries Secretariat, said : “The health of the Baltic Sea ecosystem depends on forage fish such as herring and sprat, which feed other fish, mammals and seabirds. It is clear that when we remove large amounts of biomass it disrupts the food web and negatively affects the age and size distribution of herring, defying the targets in both the CFP and the MSFD. If we are to achieve an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, a much more precautionary approach must be applied.”

Bruno Nicostrate, Senior Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, said : “If EU Fisheries Ministers fail to comply with EU law not only will they contribute to the disappearance of Baltic herring populations, they will also pave the way for the decimation of other fish species. EU Member States must respect the very laws they have co-designed and signed up to and prevent this impending ecocide by putting a stop to fishing of endangered fish populations."

Javier Lopez, Campaign Director of sustainable fisheries at Oceana in Europe, said : “It is inconceivable to see EU Member States attempting to set catch limits for Baltic stocks that ignore the very rules they have created themselves. Several populations of iconic species such as eastern Baltic cod and central Baltic herring are in a critical state and targeted fishing of them must stop. Ministers cannot cherry-pick the law for political expediency, but must rather apply it comprehensively for the sake of the health and sustainability of fisheries.”

ClientEarth marine wildlife and habitats lawyer Arthur Meeus said : “According to EU law, overfishing should have ended by 2020 for all stocks. Instead, overfishing of already depleted stocks continues not only in the Baltic, but throughout the EU’s seas. It is high time for a clear court decision to put an end to this systemic issue. Multiple court cases are already underway to get this much needed clarity and we are eagerly awaiting the first judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union. This official ruling from the EU’s top Court will be crucial to finally give EU fisheries rules the teeth needed to ensure Member States can only manage fisheries in line with science and the law going forward.”

BACKGROUND

Herring and sprat play key roles in the Baltic ecosystem as they are a food source for predators, like cod and salmon and also regulate plankton. Today, this valuable resource is mainly used for fish meal, rather than human consumption .

According to the latest scientific data, herring in the central Baltic Sea is in a critical condition with a disheartening outlook. The Bothnian herring is also in a critical state and experts note that even with a complete fishing closure, the stock will not recover in the short term. Article 4(6) of the Baltic multiannual management plan explicitly requires that “ Fishing opportunities shall in any event be fixed in such a way as to ensure that there is less than a 5 % probability of the spawning stock biomass falling below B lim ”. The herring stocks in question are already below this biological reference point B lim , below which reproduction is impaired and the risk of stock collapse is very high. Setting fishing limits at levels associated with a higher than 5% risk of the stocks remaining below this level, as seems to be the intention of Baltic Member States, will be in breach of the law.

In 2020, Friends of the Irish Environment and ClientEarth challenged the EU Council’s decision to set limits for several Northeast Atlantic fish stocks above sustainable levels before an Irish Court.

In a legal first, the Irish judge asked the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) to judge on the validity of this European regulation setting fishing limits in the Northeast Atlantic. Following a hearing held in March 2023 in front of the CJEU, Advocate General Ćapeta delivered an Opinion in June 2023 claiming that unsustainable fishing limits in the Northeast Atlantic were illegal and recommended that governments set all fishing limits at sustainable levels from now on. The environmental groups are now waiting for the final ruling from the CJEU.

ClientEarth is also expecting hearings this year for two other cases launched in 2022 against the EU Council for the setting of unsustainable fishing limits for EU-only stocks and stocks shared between the EU and the UK.

NOTES :

(1) Article 4.6 of the multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring, and sprat in the Baltic Sea states that: “Fishing opportunities shall in any event be fixed in such a way as to ensure that there is less than a 5 % probability of the spawning stock biomass falling below the limit spawning stock biomass reference point (Blim) set out in particular in Annex II, column B.” https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02016R1139-20201201

ENDS

CONTACTS

Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic nils.hoglund@ccb.se
Sara Söderström, Policy Officer, FishSec sara.soderstrom@fishsec.org
Helen Willetts, Communications Director, Seas At Risk hwilletts@seas-at-risk.org
Emily Fairless, Communications Officer, Oceana in Europe efairless@oceana.org
Bianca Vergnaud, Communications Manager, ClientEarth bvergnaud@clientearth.org

Europe needs a Nature Restoration Law fit for purpose, urge 200 NGOs

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:01:02 GMT

3 October 2023 - In recent months, the call for an impactful Nature Restoration Law received unprecedented support from more than one million citizens, businesses, scientists, and multiple other stakeholders [1]. As the three EU institutions engage in the conclusive ‘trilogues’ to finalise the law, it is crucial that the negotiators ensure this long-awaited law is equipped to tackle global climate and biodiversity emergencies.

T he negotiations take place following another summer of devastating extreme weather events of unprecedented intensity across Europe. Floods in Greece, wildfires across the Mediterranean, and heatwaves in southern Europe painfully remind us that Europe desperately needs healthy and resilient ecosystems to prevent such catastrophes and protect its citizens. It is the duty of our leaders to give Europeans a law that will truly protect them from future climate change-related disasters.

N ow, together with 200 NGOs we call upon all EU Member States, Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission to ensure several key elements are included in the final text of the law, among them :

All terrestrial and marine habitats are covered by quantified, time-bound and enforceable targets in and outside Natura 2000 areas.
Restoration of agricultural ecosystems, complemented by dedicated targets for the restoration of drained peatlands.
Ensure the law can enter into force immediately, without preconditions for the timely and steady implementation of the restoration targets
Dedicated and additional funding to finance restoration measures.

Find all the key elements in the full version of the NGO statement here .

More info: https://www.ccb.se/restorenature-campaign

***

NOTE TO EDITORS

[1] The Nature Restoration Law has received support from EU Member States , the wind energy and solar industry , scientists , the progressive farming community , European hunters , financial institutions , European mayors , an increasing number of companies and business associations and European youth . Almost 1,200,000 signatures and messages for an ambitious Nature Restoration Law have been collected through various campaigns, which were launched by the #RestoreNature coalition (incl. Avaaz), WeMove , etc.

CCB welcomes a new Global Framework on Chemicals

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 10:41:55 GMT

September 2023 - Representatives of the Coalition Clean Baltic, including the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Sweden), BUND (Germany), and Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader have participated in the fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5), and associated meetings, which took place on 20-29 of September in Bonn, Germany.

ICCM is the leading UN multi-stakeholder, and multi-sectoral body responsible for steering of the strategic international chemicals management. Most importantly, the UN Conference adopted a comprehensive Global Framework on Chemicals that sets concrete targets and guidelines for key sectors across the entire lifecycle of chemicals.

This framework provides a vision for a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste, for a safe, healthy and sustainable future – and is an important part of the wider group of agreements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals , the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the global treaty on plastic pollution under negotiation.

Based around 28 targets, the Global Framework outlines a roadmap for countries and stakeholders to collaboratively address the lifecycle of chemicals, including products and waste. According to ENB , the 12-part Framework, its three annexes, and the accompanying 12 resolutions “provide a rationale, targets, and actions to ensure that a broad cross-section of stakeholders from governments, international technical agencies, civil society, and the private sector can collaborate” on such issues as:

phasing out the most harmful chemicals;
strengthening capacity building, particularly for countries with weak enforcement regimes; and
creating better linkages across diverse sectors, including health and occupational safety, trade, agriculture, energy, and transport.

The negotiating process was unique in that representatives from governments, the private sector, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, and academia participated at the same level.

Governments have committed to creating, by 2030, the regulatory environment to reduce chemical pollution and implement policies to promote safer alternatives. Industry has committed to managing chemicals in a way that reduces chemical pollution and adverse impacts by 2030. The framework calls for, by 2035, a phase out of highly hazardous pesticides in agriculture where the risks have not been managed and safer alternatives are available. There is a target on strengthening links between the new instrument and the climate, biodiversity, human rights and health agendas.

Crucially, an integrated approach to financing was agreed, with private sector financing lining up with the targets of the agreement. A dedicated trust fund will be set up and managed by the United Nations Environment Programme. Into this fund, governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and foundations can add to an initial EUR 20 million pledged by Germany.

“ We at CCB are happy that a multi-year negotiations process of development of the new global chemicals instrument has finally concluded with adoption of the historic decision to establish the “Global Framework on Chemicals – For a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste.” We believe that it sends quite a strong political signal to all stakeholders - we have to act quickly and in a coordinated way in order to prevent harm, caused by chemicals production and use throughout the lifecycle, and to achieve a sustainable chemicals management ”, said Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader. “ The Baltic Sea region shall be among leaders in implementation of the Framework, and in arranging support to developing countries in addressing their challenges regarding chemicals management ”, continued.

In addition, ICCM5 launched a Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides, as well as a process for creating implementation programmes for the new Framework that should result in new sector-focused initiatives involving key heavy users of chemicals, such as the textile and construction sectors.

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

More information:

Coalition Clean Baltic urges Danish authorities to stop the construction of Lynetteholm island

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 08:25:03 GMT

Coalition Clean Baltic calls to stop the Lynetteholm project that may result in environmental disaster in the Baltic Sea.

September 2023 - In 2021 the majority of the Danish Parliament adopted a Construction Act which allowed the constructor By & Havn and the Ministry of Transport to start the Lynetteholm project : an artificial peninsula in the Copenhagen harbour as a new district area in the city, that will house 35,000 residents and 35,000 workplaces. This project was approved despite Swedish criticism and without consultation of all the Baltic Sea countries.

In the same year, an Executive Order was introduced, nullifying the environmental laws in place and preventing complains. The only way for citizens, municipalities and associations to be heard is to raise a case in the national courts.

Environmental issues

The construction of this artificial island may block the flow of salt, oxygen-rich water into the Baltic Sea. The result of the Lynetteholm project can have significant, irreversible, negative environmental consequences for the Baltic Sea. Even minimal changes in the water flow into the Baltic Sea may affect the entire marine environment of all the countries around the Baltic Sea.

Regardless of the consultation responses, the ongoing Espoo negotiations with Sweden and the Climate Movement´s lawsuit , the construction of Lynetteholm continues.

Citizens and NGOs actions to stop the project

In 2021, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) called to postpone the the adoption of the Lynetteholm project through a letter sent to the Danish authorities, which was also shared with the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries , as well as with Directors General of respective DG of the European Commission and the Chair of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference.

In 2022 Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) signed another letter, together with other 16 NGOs, to complain to the EU about Lynetteholm blocking water flow.

In 2023 updated information were published about the Lynetteholm project. This document contains the most updated information including those deliberations that have happened namely that:

updates about the Danish Climate Movement ´s lawsuit;
the report of the ' professional reference group ’ set by Transport Agency with four independent professors (Prof. Katarina Elofsson, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University; Prof. Lone Kørnøv, Department of Planning, Aalborg University; Prof. Stiig Markager, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University; Prof. Thorbjørn Joest Andersen, Department of Geosciences and Nature Management, University of Copenhagen) released on 5 March 2023 which states that “ blocking effects are cross border and can potentially affect the entire Baltic Sea. One consideration might be to change the design of the project, so that the outermost part does not include Kongedybet ”. Individual opinion of Prof. Stiig Markager is i.a. that “ the calculations carried out by DHI are not sufficient to reject a significant effect on the salinity in the Baltic Sea. This effect can occur throughout the Baltic Sea and will thus affect all countries around the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, any effect on the stability of the Baltic Sea's water column will produce derivative effects that can accumulate over time and potentially affect salinity beyond the immediate effect on salt transport ”. According to Prof. Markager, the implementation of the project in its current state will have significant negative impact on environmental status of the Baltic Sea, hence also constituting a violation of the EU MSFD;
the supplemented EIA report for the project changes in the Lynetteholm project was released for public consultation until 8 May 2023;
the completion of the Espoo Convention transboundary consultation process is unknown.

In addition, in March 2023 CCB shared its concern to the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) regarding the Lynetteholm project and submitted documents to the Informal consultation session of the Helsinki Commission (IC HELCOM 1-2023) . In June 2023 CCB submitted new documents to the Informal consultation session of the Helsinki Commission (IC HOD 3-2023).

The consultation on the Lynetteholm project by all Baltic Sea countries is a legal duty incumbent on Danish authorities. Until all affected countries and organisations are consulted we call to immediately stop the Lynetteholm project.

Resilient rivers – the place we would like to be

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:15:00 GMT

August 2023 - “Over several days, we explored firsthand the significance of freshwater ecosystems for nature-based water management, sustainable forestry, waterway management, environmental accident mitigation, the practical challenges of rewilding, and so much more. It was a truly immersive experience that highlighted the beauty and fragility of rivers and reinforced the need to protect these ecosystems” commented Valerie Kendall, from MKO Ireland and one of the lecturers of the 4th edition of River University , which took place in the unique Oder Delta landscape, in Germany, on 31 July-4 August 2023.

The environmental catastrophe in the Oder river in 2022 still shows its negative consequences nowadays - along with new issues and challenges - making it difficult to reach a full and smooth recovery. To experience, understand and discuss the importance and the need of an integrated water management plan in the whole basin, the participants of this year's edition of River University gathered in the Oder river basin, hosted by the co-organizer Rewilding Oder Delta .

KEY PROBLEMS IN ODRA BASIN

The biggest problems of the Oder river and its basin relates mainly to the poor quality of its surface waters and its hydromorphological transformation [1]. Above-normal amounts of toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals are present in surface waters which result in poor chemical status of Oder waters.This pollution comes from fossil fuel burning, transport and industrial emissions. Relying on fossil fuels in transport, energy and heating, doesn't help the recovery. Coal mines, which still function in the trilateral Odra basin, are responsible for brine discharges that have a significant impact on the high salinity of the Oder river. Additionally, large technical investments in new dams for inland navigation and hydropower stations negatively affect the river's natural capacity to self-regulate, and by consequence contribute to the current climate crisis.

In such a vulnerable riverine ecosystem, the concerns are high both in the Polish and German borders.

THERE IS STILL HOPE

Data science gives hope to the local communities: the Oder River is alive [2] . Different species of fish and conditions for breeding are present, yet it's our human work to be done to help this river to return to its full swing of life.

A coordinated approach of the different states (Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic) is essential: responsible ministries as well as the lower authorities and intergovernmental organizations like the Helsinki Commision (HELCOM) and the International Commission on the Protection of the Oder against Pollution (ICPO) have to cooperate with each other for the management and protection of the Oder basin.

“ The pressure on the Oder river is high and it’s not the only one. This is the point when catastrophe only waits to appear. ”, commented Pavel Danihelka from UNECE Joint Expert Group on Water & Industrial Accidents, during River University 2023 [3].

Continuous water quality monitoring is critical for detecting and preventing pollution discharges. Still, in the entire territory of the international basin of the Odra River, this activity is not being carried out now at any locality. It was done in the period 2004-2014, helping to discover and record a number of cases of significant deterioration of the biological quality of waters, but despite the advantages the river basin management institutions stopped the activity after ten years [4]. Also, macroinvertebrates can play a role in biomonitoring, providing valuable information on the trends of biological changes based on their role in the ecosystem and unique characteristics [5].

CCB River University 2023 - Credit: Agnieszka Soboń, Rewilding Oder Delta

INPUTS FROM RIVER UNIVERSITY 2023

During the 5-days event, speakers, practitioners and guides stressed the importance of river´s resilience, the ways to improve it, and urgency to speed up the fulfillment of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) to protect our biodiversity including the Odra river waters and natural resources that rely on them.

The lectures, field visits and expert discussions revealed that there are plenty of tools available to reduce risks and avoid critical situations, e.g.:

SCIMAP - a rapid spatial assessment tool [6];
Water Management Adaptation, with useful methodology such as the Czech " Methodology of the procedure for declaring emergency conditions on streams " [7];
Cross-sectoral and transboundary cooperation, as also stated in the new CCB report “ The Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region ”;
Improving the natural character of rivers by applying rewilding principles of increased water retention, allowing dynamic processes to form rivers, regenerating the natural morphology of river beds to reconnect floodplains;
Updated International Warning and Alarm Plan for Odra basin .

“ We strongly believe restoring ecosystems on a landscape scale is achievable when various institutions, businesses, organisations and individuals cooperate and share the same vision. We are excited to see the new collaborations that have emerged from the River University, bringing us closer to achieving this goal. ”, remarked Ewa Leś and Peter Torkler, co-organizers of River University 2023.

CCB River University 2023 - Credit: Agnieszka Soboń, Rewilding Oder Delta

The Oder river is not only an infamous example of what can happen when human pressures damage the environment, but it could also represent a good example of holistic approach and joint transboundary improvements to make the recovery possible [8] and to ensure the resilience of the river.

***

Article written by Ewa Leś, CCB Eutrophication Working Area Leader & founder of River University.

NOTES

[1] CCB Report “Major Challenges For Water Management In Poland” (2023), extended analysis of the CCB report “The Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region” (2023).

[2] Lecture at River University 2023: ’Dying river – what the Oder catastrophe has shown us’ , Christian Wolter, IGB.

[3] Lecture at River University 2023: ‘The potential problem of chemical accidents on rivers’ , Pavel Danihelka, University of Ostrava & Member of UNECE Joint Expert Group on Water & Industrial Accidents.

[4]-[7] Lecture at River University 2023: 'Accidental pollution of rivers' , Přemysl Soldán, T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute.

[5] Lecture at River University 2023: 'Benthic macroinvertebrates: tiny creatures - big environmental clues’ , Valerie Kendall, MKO, Irland.

[6] Lecture at River University 2023: 'Tools to support resilient, nature-based water management' , Aaron J. Neill, Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, Durham University (UK).

[7] See note n. 4.

[8] Online article on the Green European Journal (14 August 2023): ‘Odra Disaster, One Year On: Poland’s Rivers Still Need Saving’ , Ewa Leś, CCB Eutrophication Working Area Leader & founder of River University.

The Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 07:42:49 GMT

The new CCB Report “The Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region” is now available.

10th August 2023 - The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is one of the most important legislations in place in Europe to protect the aquatic environment and secure water quality for human needs through a holistic and adaptive freshwater governance system.

In our newly published report “ The Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region ” , we present an assessment of the current water management situation in 8 Baltic countries where the data were available. We describe the status of natural retention, how efficient water management planning is and what actions are particularly needed. We address the essence of restoration of natural retention as remedy for current water management problems.

“ This new report is an interesting look at the possible challenges and threats to the Baltic Sea from the perspective of Baltic countries that are struggling with various investment and organizational problems, affecting the quality of Baltic waters and ecosystems dependent on surface and ground waters ”, commented Prof. dr hab. inż. Tomasz Walczykiewicz, Vice-Chairman of the IMGW-PIB Scientific Council in his opinion (1).

It is known already that the Good Ecological Status (GES) of waters will not be achieved by most countries by 2027, which is the deadline set by the WFD. Our research confirms that the existing model of water resources management does not fully provide a solution to water problems and more - it needs stronger cross-sectoral and transboundary cooperation. It is crucial to remember about our WHY- making and our national efforts. We must also remember that a Good Ecological Status in the Baltic is strongly dependent on the Good Ecolog‍ical Status of the rivers in the catchment.

Therefore, further steps to improve the condition of the Baltic Sea must be pursued in every possible way, such us:

Nutrient reduction and implementation of buffer zones as a standard in the BSR
Progress in dam removal and re naturalisation of rivers
Massive and immediate cessation of drainage of wetlands and reduction of maintenance activities on rivers
Improvements in wastewater management
Recovery plan for Ukraine's war damages related to water and sanitation

“ In order to take action on such a wide scale of needs, investment funds for the cohesion policy and regional development are necessary. It is also necessary to improve water management and to adapt the EU Common Agricultural Policy. Not one river, not one country counts on it” , says Ewa Leś , editor & one of the authors of the Report and CCB Working Area Leader on Eutrophication.

This report is aiming to support and foster positive changes in integrated sustainable water management in the Baltic Sea region countries, through a source to sea approach.

Furthermore, an extended analysis about major challenges for water management in Poland will be available soon.

***

NOTES

(1) The full opinion is available in the Report´s preface (page 5).

Bringing life to the Oder River, from the source to the sea

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 06:40:55 GMT

In the coming days, July 31st-August 4th, 2023, various river stakeholders (academic staff, water-related institutions, municipalities and government representatives, locals, NGOs, business owners, individuals) from 11 European countries will visit the Oder Delta during the 4th edition of the international River University (1), organised by Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) in collaboration with Rewilding Oder Delta (ROD).

Taking the Oder River as an example and focusing on water pollution and risk management, they will explore the impact of the river's condition on the Baltic Sea, as well as climate change's consequences on the waters in the region.

The need for recovery

In 2022, the Oder, the transboundary river of Poland, Germany and Czech Republic, having one of the extraordinary European deltas, experienced the worst scenario of environmental catastrophe on Europe's scale, caused by anthropogenic pollution (2). To this day, the Oder River still registers a high level of salinity and conductivity. Saline discharges are an ongoing threat, and the toxic “golden algae” Prymnesium parvum are still present in the waters, with fish kills at specific points observed. These issues represent significant challenges for a smooth recovery.

"The Oder River recovery should be addressed holistically rather than in silos. We need a source-to-sea approach and awareness of the role that healthy rivers play in achieving a Good Environmental Status in the Baltic Sea. Sustainable use and protection are the only long-term, wise approaches to such riverine areas. It is a well-known fact that natural rivers have a greater self-cleaning capacity, offering many benefits to their users, " - says Peter Torkler, Managing Director at Rewilding Oder Delta, and co-organiser of this year's River University edition.

Protection Plans for the Lower Oder River

The concept of a cross-border protected area of the Lower Oder River and its valley was made decades ago. Today, this initiative is still considered, needed and wanted, as it will benefit the river's health and the region's economy. Polish citizens of the Oder basin renewed these efforts with the initiative of Lower Odra Valley National Park (3). Already in the 1990s, a national park was established in the German part of this area. The need to create a coherent transboundary area of a protected Oder River valley should go from the old visionary papers to the bright new reality. The reality in which people not only use the rivers but also protect them, taking care of water security.

During the River University, participants will go on a canoe trip in the vicinity of an existing German national park and a planned Polish national park, in order to experience the ecological state of the river and discuss the topics of sustainable use and protection of natural resources and water safety.

Between rivers and the sea

On Thursday, the participants together with the staff of ZERUM educational centre in Ueckermünde will conduct water quality studies on the Szczecin Lagoon and Uecker River. Water samples and aquatic organisms will be examined from a boat and analysed directly on-site. The lagoon with its direct connection to the Oder River and Baltic Sea is sensitive habitat; fluctuations in salinity and high water temperatures have always made the lagoon susceptible to algal blooms. The expertise on the condition of the lagoon is crucial for preventing such events from happening as well as awareness raising on the importance of healthy and clean waters.

Connecting stakeholders and river practitioners

Initially founded in 2018 by Ewa Leś, this year's edition of the CCB River University is co-organised by Rewilding Oder Delta . The course will bring together various river stakeholders for five days of engaging indoor and outdoor workshops. The program includes presentations and hands-on activities led by top European academic staff and professionals. Among other sessions, the updated "International Warning and Alarm Plan for Oder Basin " (4) will be analysed due to its significance for the Oder Basin community regarding alarming procedures and communication. Can people feel safe and well-informed in case a similar disaster happens again?

The release and presentation of the new CCB research analysis, "The Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region" (5) is planned, aiming to support and foster positive changes in integrated sustainable water management in the Baltic Sea region countries.

" There is a great need for up-to-date applied knowledge of river ecosystems and sustainable integrated water management practices. The River University delivers it in a practical and multi-sectoral manner while still being in contact with the river and its valley, " - says Ewa Leś, River University founder and CCB Eutrophication Working Area Leader.

***

Press note in Polish available here .

Further information:

(1) River University is an international and multidisciplinary course for participants from the Baltic Sea Region and Europe, established officially in 2018 under the wings of Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB): https://www.ccb.se/river-university

(2) CCB´s statement (August 2022): https://www.ccb.se/ccb-concerns-regarding-contamination-of-river-odra

ROD´s joint press release (August 2022): https://rewilding-oder-delta.com/en/news/oder-catastrophe-completely-clarify-causes-and-ensure-restoration-of-the-oder-restoration-and-renaturation-of-the-oder-must-now-have-top-priority/

(3) National Park Lower Odra Valley: https://pnddo.pl/en/home/

(4) The update of the “International Warning and Alarm Plan for Oder Basins”: https://www.mkoo.pl/index.php?lang=EN

(5) CCB publication “The Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region” (2023): https://www.ccb.se/publication/greatest-water-management-challenges-baltic-sea-region

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) - Is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 27 NGOs, with over 1 500 000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea Environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. More info at: https://www.ccb.se

Rewilding Oder Delta (ROD) - is part of Rewilding Europe’s network founded in 2011 in the Netherlands, which aims to implement the concept of rewilding across the continent. Oder Delta became the eighth rewilding land in 2015. More info at: https://rewilding-oder-delta.com /

Contact :

Press inquiries for the on-site visits (31.07-04.08, Germany, Oder delta, different locations):

Ewa Leś, River University the founder and CCB Eutrophication Working Area Leader (Polish) - ewa.les@ccb.se +48 572822065
Peter Torkler, Managing Director at Rewilding Oder Delta (German) - peter.torkler@rewilding-oder-delta.com +49 1590 6409325

Job vacancy: Project Manager / Legal Expert for the Horizon Europe PROTECT BALTIC project

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 14:05:42 GMT

Background

The International Secretariat of the Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), a grass-root environmental NGO network for the Baltic Sea Region, is now seeking for a new colleague to join the team Project Manager / Legal Expert, to work as part of our CCB team for the Horizon Europe PROTECT BALTIC project within its Legislation Work Package, dealing with legal challenges linked to a network of multinational marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea.

The position will manage and apply legal expertise to improve understanding of, and propose solutions to address, barriers in the legislative framework affecting marine protection in the Baltic Sea. Moreover, the selected applicant will contribute with the identification of potential legal obstacles to achieving the protected area targets of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) and EU Biodiversity Strategy in international and EU legal frameworks, and to identify best practices and solutions to overcome legal barriers in the field.

Moreover, the Project Manager / Legal Expert will make sure CCB's responsibilities within the PROTECT BALTIC project run smoothly and deliverables are achieved on time.

Information about the PROTECT BALTIC project

The PROTECT-BALTIC project is a large-scale pan-Baltic project focused on marine protection. The overall aim of the work in PROTECT BALTIC is to enable sufficient spatial protection and restoration of the marine environment to secure positive biodiversity outcomes, ensuring that the function of the ecosystem is maintained, thus securing production of ecosystems services and enabling sustainable use both short and long term. The project is managed by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission ( HELCOM ).

Who are we?

CCB is a politically independent, non-profit association and unites Member and Observer organizations, as well as partners and individual experts in all countries of the Baltic Sea Region (Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine). Combined, the CCB member organizations have almost 1 500 000 members in all countries surrounding the Baltic Sea.

The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region for present and future generations.

More information is available at: https://www.ccb.se/

Job description

Key responsibilities:

Legal expertise and comparative analysis (see the scope above) in the field of EU environmental legislation, preferably with a focus on Birds and Habitats Directives and EU marine legislation
Management, monitoring and evaluation, including reporting on CCB's activities in the project for goals, progress and results.
Analyse project progress and ensure deadlines are met
Assign tasks and control schedules
Initiating, supporting and being responsible for arrangements for meetings and events linked to the PROTECT BALTIC project
Support communication activities related
Support to other CCB's tasks related to biodiversity protection and nature conservation

Qualification requirements:

In order to qualify for the position, the applicant should have at least a Master's degree and, preferably, experience in environmental law and policy, marine environment, nature conservation.

Core competences/skills:

Legal expertise in the field of environmental legislation, preferably with a focus on EU marine environment law
Knowledge of Baltic Sea policy instruments and programmes of measures (e.g. BSAP)
Ability to write reports
Excellent communication and organisational skills
Excellent oral and written knowledge of English is required for the position
Computer proficiency in MS Word, Power Point and Excel.
Team work

Desired competences/skills:

Project management skills
Ocean governance and marine protection (EU and Baltic Sea level)
Knowledge of the EU Common Fisheries Policy
Other language skills, e.g. other Baltic Sea languages, are seen as an advantage

Duration: 3-year position with possibility of extension

Location: CCB’s office is located in Uppsala, Sweden.

The applicant is preferably based in Sweden or within the Baltic Sea Region and should have a right to work in Sweden.

Availability to travel is required.

Modality: Hybrid. Both work in CCB office in central Uppsala and remotely is possible.

Contract terms: part-time (75%)

A successful candidate is expected to start as soon as possible, given necessary notification time to her/his/their current employer.

Application

Kindly send your CV and a motivation letter (max. 2 pages) application to secretariat@ccb.se .

Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English and we expect you to submit your application accordingly.

It is responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application complies with the documents required in the job advertisement and that these are submitted before the specified deadline.

Closing date: 1 September 2023.

Applicants are encouraged to send their application at the earliest possibility since interviews with suitable candidates can be scheduled already during the application period.

Salary: Salary comparable to NGO staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective Unions. Subject to adjustment depending on experience and annual increase.

Contact:
For further information please contact CCB secretariat: secretariat@ccb.se and/or Andrea Cervantes, CCB Biodiversity officer: andrea.cervantes@ccb.se

In the application and hiring process, CCB will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property, disability, age, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic and social situation.

Coalition Clean Baltic took part in the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a Plastics Treaty

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 07:53:00 GMT

Credit: IPEN

June 2023 - The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment (INC-2), took place in Paris on 29 May - 3 June 2023. The INC Chair, with the support of the Secretariat, received a mandate to prepare a "zero draft" of the agreement ahead of the next session, due to take place in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2023.

Representatives of Coalition Clean Baltic, and some of its Member Organizations, such as the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation attended the INC-2. In total, more than 1,700 participants - over 700 Member State delegates from 169 Member States and over 900 observers from civil society groups, including environmental NGOs and scientists – took part in the session, hosted by France at the headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris. This second session follows the INC-1, which was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in November 2022.

As the Plastic Treaty INC-2 negotiations come to a close, it was observed that many delegates’ views are evolving, as the talks have advanced from a focus on plastic as a waste and pollution problem, to the current movement toward a Treaty that addresses the threats to health and biodiversity from chemicals throughout the plastics life cycle. Despite roadblocks at the beginning of the week from a small group of countries, progress during the INC-2, including a decision to develop an initial draft text of a Treaty, has set the stage for the upcoming work and the next INC meeting in Kenya later this year toward a Treaty that addresses chemicals and health [1] .

Credit: IISD - 29 May 2023

Initially, progress at INC-2 was slowed by a small group of countries reliant on their major fossil fuel, plastics, and chemical industries. However, despite these expected delays, the vast majority of Parties have expressed views showing the urgency of a Treaty centered on eliminating hazardous chemicals that threaten human health and the environment and on a lifecycle approach. For example, the High Ambition Coalition , a group of nearly 60 countries, including all Baltic Sea countries, except of Russia, allied for a meaningful treaty, stating:

(We) underline the scientific evidence of adverse health impacts related to plastics throughout the lifecycle, especially for women, infants and young children; workers and residents of frontline communities exposed to toxic chemicals used in or generated as a byproduct from the manufacturing of plastics; and those exposed to toxic chemicals further down the lifecycle of plastics, through use of plastic products and in the management of plastic waste, including waste pickers and waste recyclers [2] [3] .

The issue of toxic chemicals in plastics is becoming more and more important during the negotiations, and around. Thus, the new Greenpeace/IPEN report, " Forever Toxic: The science of health threats from plastic recycling ," [4] notes that, according to UNEP, plastics contain more than 13,000 chemicals, with more than 3,200 of them[5] known to be hazardous to human health. Moreover, many of the other chemicals in plastics have never been assessed and may also be toxic. Recycled plastics often contain higher levels of chemicals that can poison people and contaminate communities, including toxic flame retardants, benzene and other carcinogens, environmental pollutants like brominated and chlorinated dioxins, and numerous endocrine disruptors that can cause changes to the body’s natural hormone levels.

" The situation with constantly increasing plastic production, and associated pollution of the environment and impact on public health, and climate is extremely worrying. We at CCB together with our colleagues all around the world support the idea of a global control for chemicals in plastics, and limits for plastic production as important elements of the future treaty ", commented Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader, and participant of the INC-2.

CCB will continue its participation and its contribution to the development of such an important Plastics Treaty for present and future generations.

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

EXTRA RESOURCES

- IISD Summary report on INC-2 , Earth Negotiating Bulletin, 2023

- UNEP resource page for INC-2 , UNEP 2023

- IPEN resources on Plastic , IPEN 2023

- CCB Report "Keep Fibers Zipped. Holistic approach to reduction of microfiber pollution from textile" , 2023

- CCB Keep FIbers Zipped campaign , 2023

NOTES
[1] https://stoppoisonplastic.org/blog/chemical-threats-to-health-and-biodiversity-taking-center-stage-in-plastics-treaty-talks/

[2] Landrigan PJ, Raps H, Cropper M, Bald C, Brunner M, Canonizado EM, et al.. The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Annals of Global Health. 2023;89(1):23. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4056

[3] Symeonides, C, Brunner M, Mulders Y, et al. Buy-now-pay-later: Hazards to human and planetary health from plastics production, use and waste.Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2021, vol 57. DOI: 10.1111/jpc.15777

[4] https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/reports/forever-toxic/

[5] https://www.unep.org/resources/report/chemicals-plastics-technical-report

Keep Fibers Zipped - New CCB report and campaign on the reduction of microplastic pollution from textile

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 10:36:28 GMT

26 June 2023 - Everyone knows about the microplastic pollution, but how to tackle it? Is it possible in a plastic-dependent world to reduce the separation of synthetic microfibres? We decided to answer this question and collected the available solutions in a new report: Keep fibers zipped. Holistic approach to reduction of microfiber pollution from textile. Report and case study of available solutions in the Baltic Sea region and worldwide

T he textile sector is one of the causes responsible for plastic pollution. The washing of synthetic textiles is responsible for 35% of global emissions of primary microplastics into the ocean. The microplastics problem is widespread and seriously affects human health and the environment.

The separability of particles from textiles and their release into the environment is influenced by various indicators and factors: the quality and technology of fabric production, the washing machines, the practice of wearing and washing clothes, consumer choices and habits, the presence and the internal structure of sewage treatment plants in the area. There are already available methods and solutions to prevent and reduce this microplastic contamination.

Our new report presents 19 working examples and implemented solutions, as well as recommendations for various stakeholders throughout the textile lifecycle. In the landing page

https://www.ccb.se/keep-fibers-zipped we also made available the Summary Report (EN, BY, DE, LT, RU) and separate chapters with solutions for people, business, cities and countries.

The work may contribute to the implementation of the updated HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan , as well as it will be useful to everyone working on tackling microplastic pollution in the Baltic Sea region.

The social media campaign #KeepFibersZipped will be running from 26 June to 10 July 2023.

You can follow and support on CCB Facebook and Instagram pages:

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 08:24:05 GMT

June 2023 - The Baltic Sea ecosystem is in severe distress and the major commercial fish stocks have never been in worse condition. Both cod stocks are on the verge of collapse, all herring stocks are facing severe difficulties except the well managed Gulf of Riga herring, salmon is in decline and sprat has had low recruitment for two years in a row. Only the plaice spawning stock biomass is high, however alarming signals show a high number of small and skinny fish. In ICES’ own press release, the situation was summarised accordingly: “ For a number of large commercial stocks, the advice does not make for positive reading.” and “The Baltic Sea faces many challenges, and conditions here have been deteriorating over the past decade. Overfishing and habitat destruction have impacted the biodiversity and ecological balance of the sea. [1]”

It is clear the current management system is not working.

We must have a management system in the Baltic Sea accounting not only for fisheries, but
acknowledging and protecting ecosystem functions. As of today, the Baltic Sea does not even have
mixed fishery advice. Considering the dire state of the Baltic and its fish, all sectors with an impact on the ecosystem must contribute to bringing the Baltic back to a healthy and productive state. In the case of the fisheries sector, this means adjusting fishing pressure to respect the limits of the system and minimising other impacts of fishing on the marine environment.

In October 2023, EU fisheries ministers will agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2024. As the deadline to end overfishing by 2020 at the latest as legally prescribed by Article 2(2) of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)2 has passed, all fishing limits must be in line with sustainable exploitation rates.

Summary of NGO recommendations

The following text outlines the joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024 in the context of environmental regulations, EU fisheries legislation, scientific advice on catch limits, and the sharing of stocks with third countries.

Overall, we urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to adopt, fishing opportunities in accordance with the following recommendations:

Set TACs not exceeding the best available scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), both for stocks with advice based on the ICES MSY approach (where MSY-based reference points are available) and for stocks with advice based on the ICES precautionary approach for data-limited stocks.
In light of the dire situation of the Baltic Sea ecosystem including many of its fish stocks, set
TACs sufficiently below the relevant ICES headline advice presented at the top of the respective ICES single-stock advice document, and ensure that these limits are respected, in order to prioritise the protection and recovery of depleted stocks and to factor in additional anthropogenic pressures and ecosystem dynamics.

Additionally, we call for improved transparency of negotiations and decisions as follows:

Provide transparent calculations for TACs based on the ICES advice on fishing opportunities;
Improve transparency by making publicly available any proposals subsequent to the official
Commission proposal, including Commission non-papers as well as Council Working Party,
AGRIFISH Council, and BALTFISH documents and minutes.

Finally, the European Parliament, as a co-legislator of the CFP basic regulation and of the Baltic Sea
MAP, should be vigilant that no infringements of the rules for which it is responsible occur, and that the overarching objective of rebuilding EU fish stocks to healthy levels is fully achieved.

Download the full joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024 here .

NOTES

[1] https://www.ices.dk/news-and-events/news-archive/news/Pages/baltic_advice.aspx

CONTACT

Nils Höglund, CCB Fisheries Policy Officer: nils.hoglund (at) ccb.se

CCB´s statement on the demolition of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 11:56:55 GMT

A satellite image shows damaged Nova Kakhovka Dam, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson region, Ukraine, June 6, 2023. PLANET LABS PBC/ Handout via REUTERS

9 June 2023 - Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB, the international network of environmental NGOs from the Baltic Sea Region, has condemned the unprecedented violence and aggression of Russia against Ukraine since the first day of this brutal war. It was obvious from its very beginning that, besides millions of human lives, nature will be severely damaged in any environmental compartment – land, water and air. Evidences of impacts were piling up and ranged from destruction of environmental infrastructure and contamination of soil to devastation of nature protected areas and extermination of flora and fauna.

On 6 June 2023, the dam of Kakhovka hydropower plant that was under control of Russian troops, was demolished, causing an immediate, uncontrolled and massive discharge of water from its reservoir, the biggest in Ukraine in terms of water volume. It has led to a large-scale man-made disaster across middle and lower Dnipro River catchment, the consequences of which will be felt for decades.

Besides catastrophic flooding of numerous settlements downstream with total population of tens of thousands of people, this accident will inevitably have severe environmental impacts affecting the area of over 5000 km ² both down- and upstream the destroyed dam. These foreseen impacts will include contamination of drinking water, flushing large volumes of polluted water and sediments into the Black Sea, death of large numbers of fish, waterfowls and benthic fauna, destruction of coastal habitats and numerous protected areas, changes in overall climate regime of the region. The lack of water supply upstream will have significant socio-economic consequences causing dehydration of the irrigation system of the agricultural sector in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, shutdown of industrial enterprises, creating risks for cooling reactors of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, largest in Europe.

It will have long-term and potentially even irreversible impacts for both Ukraine and for the European environment in general.

In support of our Ukrainian friends, members and partners, CCB urges the international community:

to appeal to your governments to condemn the actions of the Russian Federation causing yet another stage of a humanitarian catastrophe and act of ecocide;

to unite the efforts, capacities and competences in thorough investigation and evaluation of impacts of the Kakhovka dam demolition, as well as minimizing those;

to take active steps in engaging international organizations (e.g. Bucharest Convention , Helsinki Convention and UNECE Water Convention ) and mobilizing resources to immediately address this disaster, plan recovery actions and prevent similar accidents in the future.

Together, we have the power to change the course of events and make those responsible for this disaster liable. Let our voices be heard and our actions be an example of solidarity and responsibility towards nature and humanity.

World Environment Day 2023: Solutions to Plastic Pollution

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 08:00:01 GMT

5 June 2023 - Today the world is celebrating the World Environment Day , a special day focusing on human efforts to protect, and conserve the global environment. This year the special theme of the Day is #BeatPlasticPollution .

Global cumulative production of plastics since 1950 is forecast to grow from 9.2 billion tons in 2017 to 34 billion tons by 2050 (Geyer, 2020). Therefore, plastic pollution definitely represents a highly important environmental, economic, and social topic globally, and for the Baltic Sea region in particular.

Credit & original image: GRID-Arendal

It is estimated that 75 to 199 million tonnes of plastic is currently found in our oceans. Unless we implement drastical changes in our approach to plastic production, usage and disposal, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14 million tonnes per year in 2016 to a projected 23-37 million tonnes per year by 2040. How does it get there? A lot of it comes from the world's rivers, which serve as direct conduits of trash into lakes, seas, and the ocean.

Plastic and impacts on marine ecosystems

Ingestion, physical entanglement, smothering, and the transport of pathogens in biofilms are causing a range of lethal and non-lethal effects in marine organisms, including physiological disturbances, disease, changes in gene expression, alterations of behaviour, and shifts in species assemblages and biodiversity. These in turn, have impacts on ecosystems, leading to a wide range of social and economic consequences such as loss of revenue from natural resources and damage to maritime industries and coastal infrastructure.

Credit & original image: GRID-Arendal

Marine microplastics: example of plastic impact on marine environment

Plastic pollution has led (among other things) to microplastic contamination of the whole marine environment, from the shore to the deepest ocean sediments (e.g. Ryan et al. 2009; Woodall et al. 2014). These microplastic particles can adsorb and transport contaminants from the surrounding environment, adding to the many chemical additives that are incorporated during the production of the plastic. Marine organisms can ingest this plastic directly, or by consuming other organisms that contain plastic.

Credit & original image: GRID-Arendal/Studio Atlantis

How CCB is working on plastic?

CCB and its member organizations have been working for many years to address the issue of plastic pollution in the Baltic Sea region in frame of it Hazardous Substances and Marine Litter Working area . Examples of our activities include the projects Plastic Free Baltic , Plastic Free Ocean , and the “#NonHazPlasticDiet” campaign.

Our current thematic plastic engagements include CCB participation in the EU Interreg project “ Baltic Approaches to Handling Plastic Pollution under a Circular Economy Context ” - BALTIPLAST (2023-2025). The project aims at the prevention and reduction of plastic waste in the Baltic Sea Region, focusing on single use plastic reduction, improvements in plastic packaging and innovative collection and treatment systems at the municipality level.

Soon this year, CCB will release the new report "Keep Fibers Zipped" , which will cover available solutions to tackle microfiber pollution from textile in the Baltic Sea region, and globally.

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

EXTRA RESOURCES

For the World Environment Day, the UNEP has prepared an interactive multi-language visual guide under the title: Our planet is choking on plastic . aims at the prevention and reduction of plastic waste in the Baltic Sea Region, focusing on single use plastic reduction, improvements in plastic packaging and innovative collection and treatment systems at the municipality level. Also, a UNEP-developed Practical Guide “Beat Plastic Pollution” is available for everyone.
Forever Toxic: The science on health threats from plastic recycling . May, 2023. The report has been prepared by Greenpeace, USA in collaboration with International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and The Last Beach Cleanup.
UNEP report: From Pollution to Solution: a global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution and associated Interactive Story: From Pollution to Solution .
Break Free From Plastic – the global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution.

Scientific Advice states that Baltic Sea herring stocks are below safe levels. NGOs: "stop while there is still time"

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 09:15:01 GMT

Yesterday the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice [1]. Adding to an already dire situation for cod, ICES now advises that drastic cuts in fishing for Baltic herring are also needed. NGOs and small scale fishermen alike react with calls for urgent actions taken by decision makers immediately.

1 June 2023 - The alarms went off along the Swedish eastern coast several years ago: there is no longer any larger herring to be caught, a herring used for traditional human consumption. In fact some coastal fishermen do not find any herring at all. At the same time, larger off shore vessels claim that fishing for herring is fine. It’s a patterns seen several times before and not only in the Baltic Sea. The fish starts to disappear along the coast and after a few years the catches in the open sea start to decrease also. In the case of the Baltic cod, that meant a total fish stock collapse and after several years, no improvement can be seen at all despite a fishing closure.

The scientific advice from ICES released on 31 ^st May note that the herring stocks that aggregate in the southern main basin of the Baltic Sea as well as the more northern stocks in Bothnian Sea are at very low levels and even with no fishing at all, the stocks will likely not bounce back in 2025. ICES advises to cut the herring quotas with about 50% compared to 2023, they also advise on reduced sprat catches and continued zero catch for cod in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea.

“ It is simply catastrophic and we feel that emergency measures should be taken already now in 2023. The Council will meet in October to set fishing quotas for next year but with the numbers at hand today, it is irresponsible not to act swiftly already now ”, says Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB). He concludes: " The Commission has the option to initiate emergency measures and we think the time has come to seriously consider this option. "

ICES data and modelling shows that even with no fishing at all, there is still likely a 10-20% chance that the stocks can't grow even above the lowest level set in the scientific advice, the so called biomass limit value. For the herring stocks below Åland Islands, there is a 88% chance that stocks will not reach safe levels with zero fishing. ICES notes that misreporting of catches undermines the quality of the data and that this only increases the level of uncertainty of the given advice. In this context, ICES says that they have not quantified what effects misreporting and data quality has.

" Considering the scientific data, the continous alarming reports from coastal fishermen and the strong negative trend in the herring stocks north and south, it is clear that the previous management has failed. We see the same pattern now for herring that we saw with cod before it collapsed, this is not ecosystem based management, this is fishing down the food web " says Sara Söderström, Policy Officer at Fish Sec.

“ For decades, we have fished down wild fish stocks in the Baltic Sea. According to ICES' latest advice, historically large populations are at levels where there is a high probability that they will not recover. It is clear that the management model (MSY) is not working, that the monitoring and reporting of catches is not working, and that biological data is either wrong or insufficient. The responsibility now lies heavy on the Commission and the Council of Ministers - this might be the last chance to save the wild Baltic Sea fish ”, says Konrad Stralka, CEO at BalticWaters.

For both cod stocks in the Baltic, the situation is critical and with no sign of improvement. ICES indicates that the western cod stock around the German, Danish and Swedish coasts needs a cut in catches and advices a maximum of only 24 tonnes in total, covering both commercial and recreational fishing. This is a steep decrease from last year's advice which was a maximum of 943 tonnes. Even though ICES does note that the plaice stocks seems to be the only fish stock growing, fishing for plaice is problematic since when caught with bottom trawling gear, as this also catches cod as bycatch. Better gears are available but those are not mandatory nor legal to use yet.

" Despite the closure of the cod fishery, cod is still being caught as by-catch by bottom trawlers fishing after flatfish like plaice. We must reduce cod by-catch by introducing bottom trawl free zones in key cod areas as well as electronic monitoring on trawl boats to stop illegal discarding of cod ", says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Chief Advisor at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.

There is still one area and herring stock that differs from the rest and that is the Gulf of Riga. The herring that spawn in this area is doing better, yet ICES does advise to reduce the catches with 17% compared to its advice last year. Still, the recruitment and amount of herring is at safe levels here.

" The Gulf of Riga indicates that industrial fishing with huge vessels on a mix of fish stocks is the problem in the Baltic. A limited fishery for human consumption is possible even in the current conditions but industrial trawling in the Gulf of Bothnia needs to be stopped along with vessels that mix large volumes sprat and herring in their catches, if we are to reverse the decline in herring stocks ", says Christian Tsangarides, Low Impact Fishers of Europe, LIFE.

NOTES

[1] ICES advice for fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea in 2024.

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) - Is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 27 NGOs, with over 1 500 000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. More info at: www.ccb.se

FishSec - Is a politically independent non-profit organisation. We are dedicated to the protection and restoration of marine ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries. More at: www.fishsec.org

Danish Society for Nature Conservation - It is a membership based environmental organisation that works to conserve nature and the environment in Denmark through local work, conservation, lobbying and specific projects. More at: https://www.dn.dk/

BalticWaters - Is an independent foundation engaged in efforts to improve the Baltic Sea environment. The foundation conducts large-scale environmental projects with focus on action-oriented measures and applied research to show which measures can contribute to a healthier sea and viable fish stocks. More about BalticWaters at: https://balticwaters.org/

The Low Impact Fisheries of Europe (LIFE Platform) - Is an EU-wide platform of associations of small-scale fishers committed to fishing in a low impact manner while maximising their socio-economic impact. Small-scale fishing is part of the solution, and LIFE's mission is to unite small-scale fishers to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities. More about LIFE at: https://lifeplatform.eu

CONTACT

Nils Höglund
nils.hoglund@ccb.se

Sara Söderström
sara.soderstrom@fishsec.org

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer
cathrine@dn.dk

Konrad Stralka
konrad.stralka@balticwaters.org

Christian Tsangarides
bans@lifeplatform.eu

CCB Health Risk Guidelines

Tue, 23 May 2023 13:21:00 GMT

The guidelines apply to all CCB events and will be reviewed and revised as needed. If you have any questions, please contact the Secretariat at: secretariat@ccb.se

General advice

Please keep checking EU and national governments’ advice and follow official instructions.
Anyone should observe the following commonsense precautions :
Frequently wash your hands;
Avoid unnecessary physical contact, e.g. by refraining from customary forms of greeting such as kissing or shaking hands;
If you need to cough or sneeze and don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow;
For all future CCB meetings, please follow these commonsense precautions.

Meetings organized by CCB

We are encouraging CCB Members, Observers and partners to explore and share any new remote meeting and conferencing tools and promote the use of online outreach, e.g. webinars, streaming, etc.

To read the CCB Covid Guidelines (March 2020)

Baltic ministers endorse closer collaboration to ramp up offshore energy - where does nature fit?

Wed, 10 May 2023 08:42:47 GMT

Yesterday, foreign affairs ministers from 8 EU Baltic Sea States* signed a declaration [1] emphasizing the need to tackle energy security challenges together, through practical cooperation but WWF and the Coalition Clean Baltic underline that nature must still be considered.

The declaration, adopted during the CBSS Baltic Offshore Wind Forum, builds upon previous commitments for a cooperative, regional approach to strengthen energy security and rapidly expand offshore renewable energy in the Baltic Sea. The ambition is to have at least 19.6 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 - an ambitious sevenfold increase compared to the previous 2.8 GW.[2][3] The European Commission estimates that in the Baltic Sea alone, the potential for offshore wind power is 93 GW.[4] On one hand, this is an important step forward toward an energy-resilient and climate-neutral Europe. On the other hand, countries have also committed to meet global and EU biodiversity targets including protecting 30% of seas by 2030. Energy and biodiversity targets may come into conflict, if offshore renewable energy developments are not carefully planned.

All infrastructure, even renewable infrastructure, has an environmental impact which must be considered. However, there are opportunities for offshore wind to go beyond emissions reduction and apply measures that can not only minimise environmental risks but potentially contribute to the enhancement of ecosystems. To make sure nature stays a priority in the face of rapid development – clear guidance for offshore renewables planning is needed.

A set of new guidelines [5] has been proposed by WWF and the Coalition Clean Baltic which includes a roadmap for effectively incorporating nature into the planning and identification of areas for developing offshore renewable energy in the Baltic Sea.

“ Increasing offshore renewable energy is a very important step towards decarbonisaton, energy independence and security. However, reaching climate and energy ambitions cannot come at the expense of nature. We need joint actions and proper planning to allow protection and restoration of our marine ecosystems, which are much needed actions in the Baltic Sea ," says Andrea Cervantes, CCB Biodiversity Officer.

“ There is no doubt we need more offshore renewable energy in the Baltic Sea, and we welcome closer transnational collaboration to help achieve this, but nature must be included in the careful planning of this expansion. This is the only way to ensure we meet both energy and environmental targets, " explains Johanna Fox, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

*Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden (plus Iceland and Norway).

-- end

NOTES:

[1] Berlin Declaration on Baltic Offshore Wind by CBSS Foreign Ministers - 9 May 2023
adopted at the CBSS Baltic Offshore Wind Forum .

[2] Press release - Baltic Ministers endorse commitment for closer cooperation on offshore energy - 30 September 2020

[3] Baltic Sea countries strengthen cooperation on energy security and expansion of renewables

[4] Study on Baltic offshore wind energy cooperation under BEMIP

[5] WWF and Coalition Clean Baltic guidelines for planning offshore renewable energy in the Baltic Sea

WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme - Is an ambitious and highly influential force working to conserve and restore the health of the Baltic Sea. The programme is comprised of WWF and NGO partners in each of the nine coastal Baltic Sea countries. Representing the region’s largest membership network, the programme’s approach has been to work with public and private sector partners toward ensuring a healthy, productive Baltic Sea through sustainable, ecosystem-based management. More info at: www.wwfbaltic.org

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) - Is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 27 NGOs, with over 1 500 000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources for present and future generations. More info at: www.ccb.se

CONTACT:

Hannah Griffiths Berggren

Communications officer, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme

hannah.griffiths.berggren@wwf.se

+46851511483

Federica Pastore

Communication Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic

federica.pastore@ccb.se

The Supreme Administrative Court of Poland suspended the canalization works on the Odra river

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:59:34 GMT

Is the State Water Holding Polish Waters above the law?

Abstract:
● There is evidence that despite the verdict of the Supreme Administrative Court of Poland (NSA) , Wody Polskie and their subcontractors are continuing regulatory work on the Oder.
[Watch the video available below]
● The verdict of the NSA is a great success for the natural diversity of the Oder landscape, as well as for the people living along the river.
● The decision of the NSA is a victory for Polish and German NGOs (Naturalists Club, Eko-Unia Association, SOT, N., Deutscher Naturschutzring, BUND, NABU), demanding that the works be stopped as harmful to the ecosystem of the river, which is particularly weakened after the ecological disaster that hit the Oder in July and August 2022 .

A brief history of lawlessness

The NSA's order of the 7th of March this year leaves no doubt. Wody Polskie should stop the regulatory works on the Oder. The justification states, among other things: " However, in the light of the case at hand, the Supreme Administrative Court considered that the suspension of the execution of the environmental decision, in the case of the ongoing implementation of this project, implies a real obligation to suspend the works in progress as part of its implementation. In the opinion of the Supreme Administrative Court, the adoption of a different position would not only be contrary to the principles of environmental law, but would also mean depriving the parties of their right to a court, which, having regard to the principle of a democratic state of law, cannot constitute a façade institution. "

Thus, the NSA dismissed the complaint of the State Water Holding Company Wody Polskie (PGW WP) against the decision of the Voivodship Administrative Court (WSA) on 9 December 2022, which had already ordered the suspension of the works.

" This is a success, but this is what normality should look like, given the law " comments Ewa Leś, an expert for Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security from the Save the Rivers Coalition and Coalition Clean Baltic, - " Let's remember that the Oder is a transboundary river of three countries that should work on its best condition, not devastation. There is also a need for coordinated efforts between HELCOM [1] and the International Commission for the Protection of the Oder River against Pollution [2] in the future, especially considering the source-to-sea approach and the role of healthy rivers in achieving good environmental status in the Baltic Sea " she continues.

Here it is worth mentioning that the WSA's decision in December to stop the works should have been enforced when it was issued. In spite of this, Wody Polskie continued to regulate, citing the final Permits for the Realisation of the Investment. At the same time, WP filed a complaint and decided to wait for the settlement of the NSA. This ruling has just been announced. The NSA upheld the decision of the lower instance, which means an immediate injunction to stop the works. Despite this, the materials attached to this information clearly show that Wody Polskie is breaking the law and disregarding the verdict of the NSA, which is no longer subject to appeal. This is outrageous, especially in the context of what the Oder River went through in August 2022 and in view of the still high salinity levels in the river and the presence of 'golden algae' in it.

Credit: Jacek Engel, Greenmind Foundation

" The works must be stopped immediately. Especially after the ecological catastrophe on the Oder in 2022, more attention must be paid to the transboundary effects of construction activities on protected species and habitats. The ecological processes and resilience of the river must be prioritised " - says Krzysztof Smolnicki, from the Coalition "Time for the Oder" and the Foundation for Eco-development.

Radosław Gawlik, from the Eko-Unia Association (Poland), is not optimistic: " It is likely that the current Polish government and water administration will disregard the decisions to stop the works to channel the Border Odra. The prosecutor's office subordinated to the government will not do anything in this case either. There will be a chance for a decision of the European Court of Justice. This worked for the Polish government in the case of deforestation in the Białowieża Forest and the Czech government's complaint about the environmental impact of the Turów open pit. "

***

NOTES

The Save the Rivers Coalition and the Coalition "Time for the Oder" are monitoring this issue and are available for any information and materials.

The above Press note comes from Save the Rivers and Coalition "Time for Oder", written by Rafał Rykowski.

[1] The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – also known as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) – is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) and a regional sea convention in the Baltic Sea area. More info here .

[2] ICPO - International Commission for the Protection of the Oder River against Pollution is one of thirteen international commissions for the protection of rivers, lakes and seas whose catchment areas lie within the territory of more than one country. More info here .

#RestoreNature joint statement

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 10:21:49 GMT

We, the undersigned 207 [*] civil society organisations, call upon all EU Member States, Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission to urgently adopt a strong Nature Restoration Law that is fit for purpose to tackle the twin biodiversity and climate crises.

We are heading towards a mass biodiversity extinction and climate breakdown, threatening the very basis of life as we know it. The science is very clear on this. Efforts so far have been largely inadequate to address these crises and to restore our relationship with nature. Unsurprisingly, increasingly frequent droughts, floods and forest fires are making the effects of the crises ever-more obvious all across Europe.

The EU Nature Restoration Regulation is the unique opportunity of this decade to change the pathway from continuous deterioration to regeneration , where we steer towards a safe and resilient future of living in harmony with nature. Restoring nature means restoring our greatest ally in tackling the climate crisis and its severe impact, restoring our own health and well-being, and restoring our livelihoods and economies. Nature restoration is one of the best investments our society can make. Yet, time is running out.

We therefore call upon national governments, Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission to:

● Adopt the Nature Restoration Regulation by the end of 2023.
● Ensure that by 2030, nature restoration is happening on EU land and seas on a large scale . We therefore support the proposal of the rapporteur of the European Parliament to ensure that by 2030, at least 30% of the EU’s land and at least 30% of the EU’s sea area are covered by effective area-based restoration measures, with fair and proportionate contributions by all Member States.
● Ensure strong nature restoration targets for all ecosystems covered by the legal proposal (terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine natural habitats, urban ecosystems, rivers, pollinator habitats, agricultural ecosystems, peatlands and forest ecosystems). The targets need to match the extent and urgency of the biodiversity and climate crises.
● Ensure that all targets are fully met by 2040 at the latest . Delaying action until 2050 undermines the EU’s climate neutrality obligations and risks crossing irreversible tipping points.

● Adopt fully implementable targets , with clear safeguards to ensure that the Common Fisheries Policy does not block the implementation of marine restoration.
● Ensure the long-term non-deterioration of restored ecosystems . Allowing habitats to degrade right after restoring them not only fails to address the crises in the long-term, but is also inherently inefficient and a waste of public funding.
● Support a strong accountability framework to ensure all Member States contribute fairly to the law and can be held accountable.
● Call for dedicated nature restoration funding as part of the next EU budget.
● Withstand and counter vested interests , who are continuously trying to undermine the Nature Restoration Law.

Delaying action, watering down the ambition or limiting the scope of the law will only make it more difficult, more costly and more time-consuming to deal with the consequences. It would put our life and that of all other beings at stake. So let's make it work now.

***

The joint statement with the list of all signatories is available here [*] .
[*] List of signatories updated on 21 March 2023.

For more information visit here .

Let’s stop a new disaster in the Oder River!

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 12:53:05 GMT

International coalition criticizes sluggish government action

On 8 February 2023, organizations from the international coalition “Time for the Oder” and from the coalition “Save the Rivers” concerned about the situation of the Oder river met in Wrocław to exchange information and agree on joint initiatives. We want governments to take real action to reduce salinity, microplastics and other pollutants in the Oder.

Several months have passed since the environmental disaster, caused by the poisoning of the Oder River, took place. Unfortunately, the situation on the river has not improved significantly. The only thing saving us from another tragedy is the cold season. Higher water levels in the river and lower temperatures inhibit the bloom of golden algae still present in the waters of the Oder and Gliwice Canal. We are anxiously waiting for spring, because the salinity of the Oder is still very high. Golden algae are still abundant and as temperatures rise, the risk of them multiplying again and releasing prymnesin – a deadly poison for fish and mollusks – increases. Unfortunately, there is no clear and effective plan on the horizon to remedy the situation, and sewage and mine tailings water continue to be discharged into the river. Despite the fact that the Oder is a transnational river, flowing through the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, there is no intergovernmental constructive cooperation on the issue. This is all the more astonishing since we are talking about a river important to three countries which are all members of the European Union.

Ewa Leś, CCB´s expert on governance for transboundary freshwater security says: " Among the primary objectives of intergovernmental bodies such as the International Commission on the Protection of the Oder against Pollution (ICPO) is the prevention of pollution of the Oder and Baltic waters; trilateral governmental cooperation and actions to reduce this pollution are essential. "

In contrast to the governments, civil organizations from Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic are working closely together for the benefit of the Oder River.

On 8 February 2023, organizations from the international coalition “Time for the Oder” and from the coalition “Save the Rivers” concerned about the situation of the Oder met in Wrocław to exchange information and agree on joint initiatives. We want governments to take real action to reduce salinity, microplastics and other pollutants in the Oder finally. Plans for further regulation of the river and hydrotechnical works, pushed especially hard by the Polish side, will certainly not help the river’s ecological situation.

– " Further regulation will not only negatively affect the rate at which the Oder river recovers its biodiversity, but will also weaken the river’s ability to clean itself. This carries the risk of even bigger disasters than the one in August last year. " – says Dorota Chmielowiec-Tyszko of the Time for the Oder Coalition – " We will do everything to counteract this. We are working on our own plan to heal the river, and we are inviting the governments of all the countries along the Oder to cooperate: Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. "

NOTES

More detailed information can be found on:

Coalition “Time for the Oder”, www.saveoder.org
Save the Rivers Coalition, www.ratujmyrzeki.pl

CCB is an international member of Time for Oder coalition. For more info contact our representative: ewa.les@ccb.se

100+ NGOs write to EU negotiators asking them to protect Europe’s rivers from new hydropower deployment in the revised Renewable Energy directive.

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 08:15:00 GMT

Open letter: Counting on new hydropower to accelerate Renewable Energy deployment in Europe is irresponsible.

Ahead of the political trilogue on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive on 7 February, more than 100 NGOs are sending an open letter to co-legislators from the European Parliament, European Commission and Council Presidency, asking them to exclude new hydropower from go-to areas as well as to include sustainability criteria recognizing that hydropower has direct impacts on freshwater ecosystems which must be mitigated.

Because hydropower potential has been so exploited already in Europe, new hydropower would only make a small contribution to the energy transition, while causing immense damage to our waterways. According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 , freshwater species populations have seen the greatest overall global decline (83%), and within this species group, on average, monitored migratory fish populations have declined by 93% in Europe, making our continent the most affected.

AGRIFISH agreement: EU member states ignore facts and science - active fishing for critically endangered eel is not banned

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 11:14:59 GMT

With no support in facts or science [1], the EU fisheries ministers have decided to continue chasing the critically endangered eel. The EU Member States actively opposed to sensible proposals to further the survival of European eel and the same Member States must now go to the Montreal COP15 and declare that “we should create a shared future for all life on earth – except for eel”.

Today the Fisheries Council decided [2] to continue targeting the critically endangered eel. The EU Commission proposed a consecutive six-month ban of fishing but this was aggressively opposed by countries led by France, Sweden, Denmark and Spain. The Commissioner called out the Member States as being dishonest in their approach, considering that they have during the past year written and spoken about further measures to protect the eel multiple times. Now, when a proposal to actually safeguard migration of adult eels as well as recently born eels was on the table, they shoot it down.

The original proposal was watered down to be a three plus three-month ban but with options for derogation and opening up the chance for Member States to place the closure period when it has little or no impact. The Member States acted with no support in science and instead, against facts and figures presented over 20 years, pushed forward another massive loophole to continue active fishing on this critically endangered species.

“ It is as if they intentionally wants to kill off the last eels by both allowing fishing to continue and at the same time not doing anything to improve eel habitats and migration routes. Most member states cannot even close their own internal waters for recreational fishing, a fishing for fun on an endangered species, even though anglers support such a ban !” says Nils Höglund, CCB Fisheries Policy Officer. He continues: “ It is now difficult to take these countries statements and words seriously in anything related to biodiversity protection. We must applaud the Commission for trying and for pressuring the Member States, knowing that even the proposal for a 6-month ban was not enough but at least something .”

FURTHER INFORMATION:

[1]
ICES Advice on European eel (3 November 2022).

[2] The full outcome of the Agrifish council is available here:

TAC decided: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/60787/2023-tacs-table-final.pdf
Council website with press materials: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/agrifish/2022/12/11-12/

The first steps have been taken towards a new UN plastic treaty

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 13:03:02 GMT

Bernardo Roca-Rey, Peru; INC Chair Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, Peru; Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary, INC Secretariat; and Yesica Fonseca, Peru.
Photo credit: Earth Negotiations Bulletin .

The first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-1) have concluded on 2 December in Punta del Este, Uruguay after a week-long negotiations - with representatives of more than 150 countries, including countries of the Baltic Sea region, as well as many NGOs, science groups, and industries took part in the negotiations. The new instrument is expected to be the biggest environmental treaty since the Paris agreement on climate with the aim to end plastic pollution of the environment, including sea life, and human health.

Meeting for the first time, the INC was prepared to address organizational as well as substantive matters. However, from the very start, delegates delved into the form and substance of the future treaty. While these substantive discussions occupied most of the week’s agenda, a few significant and contentious procedural and organizational matters, including the election of the bureau and voting procedures, were also in the foreground.

There is already a division among the governments on how to approach the plastic problem. Some countries, including the EU are in favor of global bans on certain plastics, while other countries are advocating for a model, when countries shall act based on their national plans.

At its conclusion, the Committee requested the INC Secretariat to prepare a document, ahead of INC-2, which would outline options for elements of the instrument, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics , including the objective, substantive provisions including core obligations, control measures, and voluntary approaches, implementation measures, and means of implementation, and including both legally binding and voluntary measures.

Photo credit: IISD (Earth Negotiating Bulletin) .

“ One of the clear outcomes after the first session is that many countries see a strong linkage between plastic pollution and health issues. The health topic was referred by more than 60 countries in their interventions, which hopefully, will make this treaty to focus not only on environment, but also on health - commented Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader, and participant of INC 1 in Uruguay - It is also important that the topic of toxic substances in plastics has got a high profile during the negotiations, which is definitely one of the key issues, which is needed to be addressed to solve the plastic crisis ”.

Coalition Clean Baltic is committed to contribute to further preparations of the new plastics treaty, and will continue to work along with its members and partners to make the Baltic sea region free from plastic pollution.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

IISD summary report on INC 1 , Earth Negotiations Bulletin
UNEP online resource page for INC 1 , UNEP 2022
Resources on Marine litter , HELCOM

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

CCB River University joined the new global initiative “Nature Positive Universities Alliance”

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 13:16:04 GMT

Higher education sector commits to reverse biodiversity decline through worldwide Nature Positive Universities Alliance, a new global initiative launched by the University of Oxford and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) during the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference – COP15.

OXFORD, MONTREAL, WORLDWIDE - December 8th, 2022 – Today, at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, the University of Oxford and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced the launch of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance [1] – a global network of universities that have made an official pledge to work towards a global Nature Positive goal in order to halt, prevent and reverse nature loss through addressing their own impacts and restoring ecosystems harmed by their activities. This push is part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration [2], a movement to avert climate catastrophe and mass extinction.

Full video available here .

One of the most precious ecosystems for a healthy environment and for our society are free-flowing rivers and other freshwater bodies. Nowadays, our water security is facing different threats, and the environmental catastrophe on the transboundary Odra River along the border of Poland and Germany is one of the tragic examples. “ Through CCB River University [3], we contribute to and support rivers restoration in the Baltic Sea catchment and all over Europe, endorsing the EU Commission´s proposal for a Nature Restoration Law [4] – to which we also made an input to ” – said Ewa Leś, founder of the CCB River University, co-founder of the Polish Save Rivers Coalition and CCB Eutrophication Working Area Leader.

Video message from Ewa Leś, CCB

The Nature Positive Universities Alliance, with 111 universities from 44 countries , brings higher education institutions together to use their unique power and influence as drivers of positive change. Universities already carry out environmental and conservation research to help inform government and company action, but by publicly tackling their own supply chains and operational impacts on nature, universities can help guide the wider community on a path to address the twin climate and ecological crises.

The initiative is part of the UN's Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and builds on the University of Oxford's experience in setting an ambitious target for biodiversity net gain by 2035 alongside net zero commitments. Oxford's Environmental Sustainability Strategy is founded on a study which quantified its environmental footprint and established a framework to address them.

E.J. Milner-Gulland, Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity at the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, and co-founder of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance, said: " As universities, we occupy a unique position in educating future leaders, researching solutions to environmental challenges, and influencing our communities and governments. By addressing our own institutions' environmental impacts, we can be powerful thought leaders while also directly contributing to restoring nature. "

All the founding universities announced today have pledged to assess their impacts to determine the most impactful initiatives to introduce, and to report on their progress. Examples of initiatives so far have included:

Establishment of nature-friendly infrastructure such as ecological corridors at University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and University of Campinas, Brazil and new green walls at the UK’s University of Lincoln to support pollinators.
Contributing to afforestation and restoration through the development of institutional forests at Government Dungar College in Bikaner, India, and the University of Aveiro, Portugal.
Supporting and contributing to rivers restoration and freshwater ecosystems protection at CCB River University across the Baltic Sea Region, as well as the sustainability of the initiative itself.
Completing university-wide surveys and audits of biodiversity at the University of Turku, Finland, and targets to increase biodiversity for all University of Melbourne campuses.
Improving their supply chain through sustainable catering , such as reducing food waste and more sustainable menus at the University of Oxford and producing high quality farmed produce on its land to supply university canteens at Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.
Commitments to improve operational footprints , such as achieving Green Lab accreditation across all University of Exeter laboratories.
Establishment of regional hubs of universities collaborating towards a nature positive goal in Algeria, Nigeria, India and Canada.

The network also includes a Student Ambassador Programme , which totals over 100 students from across 35 countries who are taking action toward nature positive awareness and approaches on their campuses. They are encouraging their universities to make an official pledge, through advocacy, organization of nature-positive activities such as volunteering for nature restoration, establishment of sapling nurseries and using their studies to further advance their institutions’ sustainability.

The Nature Positive Universities Alliance is calling on other Universities worldwide to join its collaborative network and to make an institutional Nature Positive pledge. Information on different ways for universities and their members to engage, or how to ask your university to consider making a pledge, can be found at www.naturepositiveuniversities.net .

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the University of Oxford

Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the seventh year running, and number 2 in the QS World Rankings 2022. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.

Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. The Department of Biology is a University of Oxford department within the Maths, Physical and Life Sciences Division. It utilises academic strength in a broad range of bioscience disciplines to tackle global challenges such as food security, biodiversity loss, climate change and global pandemics. It also helps to train and equip the biologists of the future through holistic undergraduate and graduate courses. For more information visit www.biology.ox.ac.uk .

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

***

[1] Official Press Release .

About Nature Positive Universities

Nature Positive Universities began in 2022 as a partnership between UNEP and the University of Oxford, established off the back of research by the Department of Biology into the University’s biodiversity footprint. The aim is to engage Universities in the prioritisation of nature restoration within the higher education sector, which will form a major contribution to the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and the Sustainable Development Goals. Universities have a substantial role to play in moving urgently from degrading nature to restoring it: our students are our future leaders, we create knowledge and nurture thinkers, and we directly impact the planet as land owners and consumers. Uniting universities for ecosystem restoration therefore has wider impact into our local communities and beyond.

More information can be found at www.naturepositiveuniversities.net

[2] About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 , led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. A global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration .

[3] CCB River University is based on an annual international gathering to create a strong center of modern knowledge, linking experts, inviting river stakeholders and giving the opportunity to participants to learn about peculiarities of different rivers in the Baltic Sea Region and Europe. More info: https://www.ccb.se/river-university

[4] EU Nature Restoration Law : https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/nature-restoration-law_en

End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 10:37:37 GMT

News from the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

Credit: IISD (Earth Negotiating Bulletin)

30 November 2022, Punta del Este, Uruguay - Representatives of governments, civil society, business, academia and other stakeholders have gathered this week in Punta del Este, Uruguay, for the First meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-1) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment .

Coalition Clean Baltic, and some of its Member Organizations, including the Swedish Society for the Nature Conservation, Ecoproject Partnership, and Ecoidea joined the negotiations along with many other civil society groups and movements around the world: IPEN, Break Free from Plastic, and Zero Waste Europe among the others.

Credit: IPEN

CCB believes that the Plastics Treaty process is an important opportunity to protect marine environment and public health from the harms of plastic, and ensure that global, and national control are in place to address the toxic impacts of chemicals and plastic, throughout their lifecycle.

At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the global ocean every year. Plastic pollution threatens food safety and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change . Marine litter is a clearly visible problem for the Baltic Sea, and its coastline, and around 70% of the marine litter in the Baltic Sea is plastic .

“ The current situation with plastics represents an example of unsustainable consumption and production model with harmful impacts on human health and the environment, especially on the marine environment ”, comments Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances and Marine Litter Working Area Leader, and participant of INC 1 in Uruguay. He continues: " We advocate for a strong Plastic Treaty, which will address plastic pollution throughout the full lifecycle of plastics. We think that the future Treaty shall address the whole lifecycle of plastic as a material in general rather than addressing specific plastic products or waste. It is also important that the treaty shall address the harmful health effects from chemicals in plastics, and recognize that toxic chemicals make plastic incompatible with a circular economy approach. ”

RESOURCES:

UNEP online resource page for INC 1 , UNEP 2022
ISSD Daily Coverage of INC 1 , IISD
Resources on Marine litter , HELCOM
An introduction to Plastics and Toxic Chemicals , IPEN, 2022
Plastic & Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet , CIEL et al., 2019
IPEN INC 1 Quick views: A Plastic Treaty to End Plastic Pollution , IPEN, 2022

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader.

+119,000 signatures to save the critically endangered Baltic harbour porpoise

Thu, 24 Nov 2022 08:41:53 GMT

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) will hand over the petition to the EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius calling for concrete and urgent conservation measures to protect the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise – the only whale in the Baltic Sea

Credit: Anthony Pierce / Alamy Stock Photo

Helsinki, 24 November 2022 – Today, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) will meet Virginijus Sinkevičius, the EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, in Helsinki to handover the petition #SaveTheBalticPorpoise, which collected 119,247 signatures [1] from the citizens of all the countries around the Baltic Sea and many others in Europe and globally.

The petition, started in April this year, calls for the EU Commissioner and all Baltic Ministers to follow scientific advice and work together to:

Fully protect the harbour porpoise in designated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs);
Stop harbour porpoise bycatch in the entire Baltic Sea;
Investigate the possible coexistence of harbour porpoise nature conservation and military underwater activities;
Increase efforts to develop and implement alternative fishing gear that does not cause harbour porpoise bycatch.

The first measures to mitigate bycatch of Baltic harbour porpoise - with closures of static net fisheries in harbour porpoise MPAs - were put in place in February 2022 [2] thanks also to the efforts of the Baltic Sea Member States and the European Commission, but much more needs to be done for a full protection of this critically endangered cetacean species.

Baltic EU Member States are slow to act and the ambitions set are too low. Scientific advice [3] and legal requirements are available to generate effective conservation and properly address threats affecting the only whale resident in the Baltic Sea.

With only a few hundred individual left, we – along with 119,247 citizens - urge the EU Commission and the Environment, Fisheries and Defense Ministers around the Baltic Sea to pursue dialogue and implement additional measures to save the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise from extinction.

__ END

***

- Read the PR in Swedish .

- Read the PR in Finnish .

Notes

CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 26 Member Organizations and 1 Observer, with over 1,000,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at www.ccb.se .

[1] CCB Petition #SaveTheBalticPorpoise: https://you.wemove.eu/campaigns/save-the-baltic-harbour-porpoise

[2]
- CCB PR “One step in the right direction to protect the only whale in the Baltic Sea”
- CCB Brief on EU Delegated Act 2022
- EU Delegated Act 2022

[3] ICES Advice on bycatch (2020)

Contact

Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic:
nils@ccb.se , +46 708 679249 (SE, EN)

Ida Carlén, Senior Policy Advisor Oceans, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation: ida.carlen@naturskyddsforeningen.se , +46 (0) 70 313 30 67 (SE, EN)

Tapani Veistola, Executive Director, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation: tapani.veistola@sll.fi , +358 400 615 530 (FI, EN)

Background

The harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) is a small toothed whale that lives in coastal waters all around the northern hemisphere. In the Baltic region there are three separate populations: the North Sea population in the North Sea, Skagerrak and northern Kattegat, the Belt Sea population in southern Kattegat, the Belt Sea and southwestern Baltic Sea, and the Baltic Proper population in the inner Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population is classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN. It is genetically and morphometrically different from its closest neighbours in the Belt Sea, showing that the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is a separate population and should be treated as its own management unit.

There are many threats to harbour porpoises:

They can get caught and drown in fishing nets, and bycatch is one of the primary reasons there are so few porpoises left in the Baltic Sea today.
Loud underwater noise from explosions and offshore constructions of, for example windfarms, can make a porpoise deaf, which will eventually lead to its death because a porpoise depends on its echolocation to find food.
Noise from heavy shipping traffic and fast leisure boats can cause disturbance, altering important behaviours such as feeding, mating or nursing of calves.
Environmental contaminants and pollutants such as PCB can cause decreased fertility in harbour porpoise females, as well as increased susceptibility to disease and parasites.
Overfishing and ecosystem changes can make it more difficult for harbour porpoises to find enough prey.

In December 2020, BALTFISH sent this Joint Recommendation to the European Commission, to prevent bycatch of Baltic Proper harbour porpoise in the Baltic Sea fisheries. In September 2021, this Joint Recommendation was also submitted to the European Commission. Both Joint recommendations includes measures only within Natura 2000 areas. The JRs have been transposed into a delegated act which was implemented in February 2022.

The flood is coming: Water security issues at COP27

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 14:38:41 GMT

Credit: Photograph by Joseph Eid / AFP / Getty & Pexels-2886921 from pixabay

21 November 2022, Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) - Although water is not included in the architecture of the Paris Agreement , it's a key topic in the climate agenda as more and more countries and regions are facing the negative consequences of climate change related to water resources. The water crisis is global : droughts, floods, and lack of fresh and clean water are among the negative effects caused by the imbalance of the climate system, already leading to huge infrastructural, financial, and social losses and issues.

Therefore, COP27 paid much attention to water security , such as sustainable access to clean water to maintain human health, well-being and socio-economic development, protection from water-borne pollution and water-related disasters. There was a Water Pavilion and Ocean Pavilion at the COP venue, and November 14th was declared Water Day as the daily theme of the Conference. But how do these formal acts of attracting attention lead to results and to help solving problems related to water security?

Loss and damage

For the first time in 30 years of UN climate negotiations, thanks to persistent demands from vulnerable countries and the civil society, the discussion on loss and damage took center stage at COP27 , and negotiations were focused on agreeing on the creation of a financing mechanism. As a result, they reached a milestone agreement and a Loss and Damage Fund was established for vulnerable countries.

Civil society activists have been constantly drawing attention to the consequences of climate change and the need for urgent assistance to those who suffer the most from them . On 11 November, a civil society actions -- #FloodTheCop - directly symbolized the floods that many regions are facing. 7 women wearing blue dresses with the slogans “The flood is coming” and “Pay now” carried a simple and understandable message: the G7 and other rich nations have a moral and legal responsibility to tax and wind-down fossil fuel companies based in their territories, and to redirect those finances to people in countries who are suffering the most losses and damages due to climate change.

Credit: Bianka Csenki (Artivist Network), Instagram @8iank4 (@artivistnet)

Water in the 6th IPCC Assessment Report

Not only the countries of the global south are facing water issues. Water safety is relevant for everyone and the evidence for this is given in the 6th IPCC Assessment Report . During the side the event “IPCC AR6 water security conclusions & launch of the Expanded Water Tracker for National Climate Plans" held on 12 November, Richard Betts, from the University of Exeter and the Met Office and a Lead Author on the IPCC Water chapter, presented the conclusions of the chapter 4 of the report:

4 billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month per year;
The total mass of ice is decreasing in all glacial areas;
Hundreds of millions of people face changing precipitation patterns: 163 million people face drier conditions, 498 million face wetter conditions.
Cases of heavy precipitation are increasing all over the world, which leads to floods
Changes in river flows are also observed in many regions (for example, a reduction in hydro energy generation in Northeastern Brazil caused by a 30% reduction in the flow in Sobradinho Dam)
The number of droughts is increasing in many regions. And extreme droughts are projected to become more likely with increasing climate change in many regions.

From global changes to real local consequences

Examples of frightening trends are happening all over the world today and directly affect the health and well-being of people, as well as the economic stability of countries. For example, droughts lead to huge damage on food safety . The drought in May-June 2019 in the southwestern of China led to the drying up of more than 100 rivers, and more than 640,100 hectares of crops were destroyed. Direct economic losses amounted to 2.8 billion yuan ($400 million).

This proves that until now we cannot predict the local consequences of climate change and its risks. There is a huge gap between scientific data on the global situation and the local adaptation measures of cities, regions and countries. Rosalind Conforth, from the Walker Institute, shared the approach of the My Climate Risk initiative, which aims to develop and implement a bottom-up approach to regional climate risks. It helps to narrow the gap between massive climate models and apply locally the decision-making practices.

AWARe: Action on Water, Adaptation and Resilience

The new initiative for Water Adaptation and Resilience (AWARe) has been presented at COP27, reflecting the importance of water as both a key climate change problem and a potential solution. The AWARe initiative , which was drafted by the COP27 Presidency with the support of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) , was launched on the Water Day held on 14 November. It is a collective effort, with inputs from many stakeholders and UN agencies.

The AWARe initiative has three main aims:

Decrease water losses worldwide and improve water supply;
Propose and support implementing mutually agreed policy and methods for cooperative water-related adaptation action and its co-benefits;
Promote cooperation and interlinkages between water and climate action in order to achieve Agenda 2030, in particular SDG 6.

It seeks to support promotion of sustainable waste-water management, sanitation policies and strategies, and water-wise energy pathways besides working on improving early warning systems for extreme weather events. It will also work towards linking water resources policies with national climate action to reflect climate change long-term impacts on water resources and demand, and to support preparedness and adaptation measures.

As stated by Dr Elena Manaenkova, WMO Deputy Secretary-General: “ [...] WMO supports AWARe as an initiative complementary to the Early Warning for All and the Water and Climate Coalition. AWARe can be a practical vehicle to implement Early Warnings for All , and the Water and Climate Leaders Call to improve water data and information for a climate ready world ”.

Consideration of water issues in national climate plans

Another “bottom-up'' approach tool for developing practical measures is the Water Tracker . It helps countries to independently assess and improve water security through the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) . They usually ignore the strategic role of water in solving climate problems, although water is necessary both for efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and for adaptation to climate change.

The tool should also help with the distribution of funding among the most vulnerable countries . Dr Amgad Elmadi from the Green Climate Fund (a fund established under the UNFCCC as an operational body of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation to counter climate change) believes that the Water Tracker can affect the quality of climate finance and play a big role in its distribution.

Today, 10 countries around the world are already involved in the Water Tracker project: Costa Rica, Egypt, Malawi, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Nepal, Palestine, Panama and Uruguay. Ms Nicole Franciso,from the Ministry of the Environment of Panama, said that they are already using this tool to understand how their NDCs will lead to their planned goals. Panama has not yet developed a National Adaptation Plan and claims that with the experience of using the Water Tracker, the development will definitely become more successful. Already now they have realized that data and indicators on water should be included in different sectors of the NDCs, including the energy sector.

Hydropower continues to be the main focus of interest

Rivers play a vital role in carbon sinks and increasing resilience to climate change, but hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) do not allow rivers to perform these essential functions . Despite the proven harm, large-scale hydropower is still considered by some decision-makers as an effective and just solution that helps reduce the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). At the same time, dams and reservoirs can be a major source of methane : in the case of flooding of areas with rich vegetation (which happens extremely often), the rotting of the biomass trapped under water begins. The larger the water surface formed is, as a result of flooding, the greater methane emissions are released.

Credit: Elizaveta Merinova, Friends of the Baltic, Friends of the Earth Russia

Ahead COP26 in Glasgow, 300 organizations from 69 countries issued the Global Declaration "Rivers for Climate" , calling on governments and leaders participating in the UN climate negotiations to protect river ecosystems and stop using scarce climate funds to finance false climate solutions such as hydropower. At COP27, the organizations that signed the declaration, as part of the “Centering the protection of Rivers and rights in Achieving Climate Justice” event , spoke about ongoing projects in the field of large hydropower and shared cases of destruction of local ecosystems by HEPPs. Indigenous peoples are being displaced from the territories where their ancestors have lived for many centuries, biodiversity is declining, and flora and fauna are being lost. One of these projects is the Grand Inga , the world's largest hydropower scheme on the Congo River, in Africa. Erick Kassongo, Director of Centre Congolais pour le Développement Durable (CODED), who is working against this project, was right on point saying: “ A clean energy source cannot harm the environment and the indigenous peoples of the territory! ".

In conclusion

It is difficult to say unequivocally how much the world community is moving forward in solving problems related to water resources and water related disasters. On the one hand, the struggle continues dealing with the consequences of the problem and not with the cause, the promotion of false solutions (such as large hydroelectric power plants), the infringement of indigenous peoples, the degradation of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. On the other hand, there is progress in identifying tools and measures that will lead to ensuring water security. The key components are the analysis and study of the consequences of climate change related to water; improvement of water management; conservation of aquatic ecosystems, including measures to reduce anthropogenic impacts on the climate and on the purity of natural waters. The most important thing is that these measures must lead to a fair solution to problems and be primarily aimed at supporting people and their communities who suffer most from water problems.

The COP27´s final decision is definitely a step forward for the vulnerable countries with the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund. It also further acknowledges the role of ocean and “ the critical role of protecting, conserving and restoring water systems and water-related ecosystems in delivering climate adaptation benefits and co-benefits, while ensuring social and environmental safeguards ”, but it's still not enough for other actions needed to keep the 1.5C goal and fight the global climate crisis.

***

Article written by Elizaveta Merinova and Anna Ushakova, Friends of the Baltic, Friends of the Earth Russia

Joint Statement on the revision of lists of surface and groundwater pollutants

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:47:02 GMT

19 October 2022 - As a joint alliance of EU health and environmental civil society organisations we hereby share our main policy recommendations on the update of the lists of surface and groundwater pollutants under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC – WFD), the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (2013/39/EU – EQSD) and the Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC – GWD).

Despite some improvements, water pollution remains a key environmental challenge across the EU and globally . Twenty years after the adoption of the Water Framework Directive, less than 40% of Europe’s rivers, lakes, coastal and transitional waters are in good chemical status. While the number for groundwater bodies in good chemical status is higher (74%), there are some large regional differences and it is also an effect of the fact that fewer pollutants are monitored in groundwater.

Yet, this does not reveal the full scale of EU water pollution as chemical status is only assessed against a small fraction of the substances present in the environment and does not consider mixture effects meaning that the full picture of chemical pollution in aquatic environments is underestimated and under-reported. It must also be acknowledged that fresh water and ocean pollution are one: and the protection of Europe’s blue spaces depends on decisions adopted upstream .

The ongoing revision of lists of pollutants presents an opportunity to better tackle the chemical water pollution as identified in the fitness check evaluation of the water legislation, in particular related to mixture effects, uptake of scientific advances and transparency. We would like to set out key policy recommendations for these important legislative revisions:

Expand the list of water pollutants to reflect the real scale of pollution
Improve monitoring practices
EU water legislation must respond faster to scientific knowledge
Strengthen the responsibility of manufacturers, importers and users
Use the most cost-efficient measures to address water pollution at source

Read the full statement here .

Co-signing organizations:

Some good news for overfished stocks in the Baltic Sea but could be too little too late

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 12:32:46 GMT

Baltic Sea EU member states choose to set some quotas at precautionary levels to safeguard depleted fish populations but fail to proactively protect declining herring and cod stocks in the Baltic ecosystem.

Press release from: The Fisheries Secretariat, Seas at Risk, Our Fish, Oceana, Coalition Clean Baltic, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme and the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.

Luxembourg, 17 October 2022 : Today, after an unprecedentedly short Fisheries Council meeting in Luxembourg, EU fisheries ministers have reached an agreement on the Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2023. With many populations on a downward trend and an ever increasing risk of ecosystem collapse, these negotiations presented a missed opportunity to set the Baltic Sea on a path to recovery and a sustainable fishery in the long term.

” This is the third year the Commission really made an effort to take wider ecosystem considerations and set more cautious catch levels, and once again the Ministers counteract those ambitions. We are still far away from a management that understands that the ecosystem needs cannot be negotiated ”, says Nils Höglund from Coalition Clean Baltic.

“While, it is encouraging that the European Commission and Member States have been more transparent about their positions on fishing limits ahead of the Council meeting, as they have been evasive and opaque in the past, they now need to extend this transparency to an honest and public discussion about the importance of fish as carbon engineers of the ocean,” says Rebecca Hubbard from Our Fish. “There is an urgent need to restore fish populations so that they can continue to help sequester carbon and be more resilient to the worsening impacts of climate change.”

In the run up to the Council meeting, the European Commission proposed setting catch limits for some species lower than the scientifically calculated maximum. This was done in the spirit of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management with the aim of protecting the severely depleted cod stocks in the Baltic. While the Member States chose to follow the progressive Commission's proposal for plaice, a fishery with substantial cod bycatch, they opted to set quotas for sprat and Central Baltic herring higher than the Commission proposed.

“ Sprat and herring are an essential food source for Eastern Baltic cod and we know cod struggle to find food now. It was great to see the Commission acknowledge this in the proposal ” says Jan Isakson of the Fisheries Secretariat “ It is very disappointing that Member States again choose short-term gains instead of helping the recovery of cod in the Baltic. ”

Fisheries Ministers upheld the Commission’s proposal to not permit targeted fishing of eastern and western Baltic cod as well as western Baltic herring and only allow some bycatch to be landed. NGOs had recommended that in accordance with scientific advice zero catches should be allowed, not even as ‘unintentional’ bycatch in other fisheries.

“ Although we understand a 100% bycatch-free fishery does not exist, we had hoped that decision makers would make any bycatch allowance conditional on the implementation of adequate catch recording using Remote Electronic Monitoring techniques ” says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer from the Danish Society for Nature Conservation DN. ” Denmark has recently implemented this method successfully in the Kattegat. ”

“There is a great deal of evidence that the ecological state of the Baltic Sea is dire, but we should not forget that it is overfishing that is the main reason for the collapse of cod and western Baltic herring,” says fisheries campaign director at Oceana in Europe, Javier López. “To help recover Baltic Fish stocks and marine ecosystems, decision makers should need to do more to factor in interspecies relations and stressors like eutrophication and warming water when setting catch limits. ”

“Time is running out for the Baltic Sea. While Ministers today took good steps in the right direction by considering ecosystem interactions for most stocks, these steps are too small and don’t match the crisis state we are in”, said Christine Adams from Seas At Risk. “We need to rethink how we fish and how we can manage Baltic fisheries in an environmentally friendly and socially just way.”

On salmon catches the Council also accepted the Commission’s proposal as well as additional management considerations to safeguard weak salmon stocks. This result is perhaps the most encouraging of this Council’s meeting since it is in line with scientific advice and includes a shift in management that is needed, taking account of spatial and temporal measures strongly suggested by experts for more than 15 years.

“ It is encouraging that every year we see a little more progress towards sustainability and taking some ecosystem elements into account when setting fishing quotas ,” Says Johanna Fox, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme Director. “ But we need to accelerate the pace if the Baltic ecosystem is to recover. More protective measures are called for, including Remote Electronic Monitoring to secure effective fisheries control, the mandatory use of selective gears and better implementation of the Landing Obligation, as well as to allocate fishing quotas to fisheries with the least environmental impact. “

ENDS

Notes:

- Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2023 (June 2022)

- Baltic Sea: Council agrees catch limits for 2023 (17 October 2022)

Contacts:

Jan Isakson, Director, FishSec, +46 70 608 74 83, jan.isakson@fishsec.org
Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, +34 691 826 764 press@fish.eu
Sara Tironi, Seas At Risk Communication officer +32 483 457 483 stironi@seas-at-risk.org
Emily Fairless, Oceana Communication officer,+32 478 038 490, efairless@oceana.org
Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic +46 707 679 249, nils@ccb.se
Hannah Griffiths Berggren, Communications officer, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, hannah.griffiths.berggren@wwf.se , +46851511483
Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Chief adviser, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening/ Danish Society for Natur Conservation, Cathrine@dn.dk , +4531193226

CCB position on gas leaks from Nord Stream 1 and 2

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 11:11:10 GMT

The gas leak at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm. Photo: Danish Defence

Coalition Clean Baltic expresses serious concerns regarding factual massive release of greenhouse gas and other possible environmental consequences of the natural gas leakages that were detected by Danish and Swedish authorities from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on 27-28 September 2022.

With the information available at this point and risk assessment from EIA Reports of both pipelines, presented under the Espoo Convention consultations, the full volume of gas, being contained in the damaged pipelines may be released into marine environment and atmosphere.

In the worst case scenario, given pipeline dimensions in the project description (internal diameter 1,153 mm, length 1,220 km) the volume of one pipeline can be calculated as 1.27 million m3 . At the settle out pressure of 165 bar, there will be the equivalent of 210 million m3 (at atmospheric pressure) or around 148,000 tons of gas in one enclosed pipeline. According to the EIA, the consequent environmental impacts can occur following the release of gas:

Emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere :
Methane, equivalent to the release of 3.7 million tons of CO2 in terms of climate change potential
Impacts on water quality :
Natural gas exhibits negligible solubility in water, and thus has little effect on water quality in the event of an underwater leak. The gas will rise to the water surface, from where it will be released into the atmosphere; the extent to which it dissipates depends on meteorological conditions and the weight of the gas in relation to the surrounding air. A short thermal impact (temperature drop to negative value caused by gas expansion, or Joule Thomson effect) may occur in the surrounding water. Another possible impact on water quality from an accidental pipeline rupture and gas release is a possible updraft of bottom water. This could cause bottom water to be mixed with surface water, with an impact on salinity, temperature and oxygen conditions.
Impacts on fish, marine mammals and birds :
All marine organisms (benthic fauna, fish, marine mammals and birds) within the gas plume or the subsequent gas cloud will die or flee from the influenced area, which subsequently could impact the designation basis of protected areas (including Natura 2000 sites). The impact will be of limited time and space.

Besides the expert assessment of higher than estimated in EIA climate impacts (up to 14.3 million tons of CO2-equivalent over a 100-year timeframe), the identified leaks are located in or near the only cod spawning area we have in the Eastern Baltic Sea. Hence the event can cause considerable harm/mortality to the young fish recently born in the area, as well as physical and physiological damage (incl. gas bubble disease), spatial disturbance, etc. To monitor the environmental consequences of this unprecedented situation, all EU Member States being HELCOM Contracting Parties in the area should swiftly deploy instruments to measure the status in relation to e.g. salinity, oxygen and pH. Such equipment could be placed around the perimeter of the incident areas to measure if methane leak has further away effects.

Model prepared by Sabine Eckhardt, NILU.

We also herewith inquire that a transparent information process should be established by respective EU Member States being HELCOM Contracting Parties to keep the public aware of environmental impacts of the accident and their implications for future environmental efforts as well as their consequences on climate and health of the Baltic Sea. Respective HELCOM subsidiary bodies, i.e. STATE & CONSERVATION, RESPONSE and PRESSURE should be involved.

NOTES

- Full letter sent to HELCOM on 29 September 2022

- Media release: ICOS measurements show huge methane peaks in the atmosphere after Nord Stream leak (30 September 2022)

- Danish Energystyrelsen PR (28 September 2022)

- Reuters' article (26 September 2022)

- CCB Save Kurgalskiy campaign: https://www.ccb.se/save-kurgalskiy

- Espoo Report on Nord Stream 2 ( April 2017)

- Environmental Study: Pipeline System on the Swedish Continental Shelf Nord Stream AG – (October 2008)

A seed for reblooming - Crowdfunding campaign to renew Nina Radchenko's sustainable farm in Ukraine

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 14:37:48 GMT

The goal of this new crowdfunding campaign is to rebuild Nina's greenhouse and renew the sustainable production of flowers & vegetables destroyed by the war in Ukraine.

28 September 2022 - Today we launch the "A Seed for Reblooming" crowdfunding campaign on behalf of Nina Radchenko, a sustainable Ukrainian farmer and landscape designer from Gorlivka, Donetsk Oblast.

After the Russian invasion started on February 24th, 2022, the military shelling destroyed not only Nina's house but also her greenhouses and sustainable production of flowers and vegetables. Nina and her husband, Ihor, were forced to move from Donetsk Oblast to a safer place in the Western Ukrainian town of Rivne, where they are planning to renew the activity and rebuild the greenhouse.

The project aims at the organization of an all-year-round vegetable production. Setting up greenhouse production will allow a wide range of high-quality and ecological products to grow. It will also enable to decrease in the price of the products for buyers and eliminate the factor of seasonality, enabling new workplaces.

Nature is our shared value and always will be. A seed for reblooming because we have always been working to promote organic and sustainable agricultural practices and stand for the right to exist in peace. The crowdfunding campaign is currently running on Go Fund Me and the goal is to reach 19.629 Euro (1) for:

- 1 Greenhouse from polycarbonate
- 25 Frame construction for additional ventilation
- Materials for building a basement
- Greenhouse heating

" You build, you work, you want to have someone to pass on to. When you start your own business, you must be ready for difficulties and not give up. The main thing is to remember that you want it and feel optimistic. It happens that people try, fail and immediately give up. But if you work, luck will find you ", says Nina Radchenko.

ADD YOUR SEED: DONATE NOW

To donate and support Nina's project, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/a-seed-for-reblooming
To learn more about the A seed for reblooming crowdfunding campaign, visit: https://www.ccb.se/seed-for-reblooming

NOTES

(1) Installation, commissioning works and structure of the watering and lighting system will be carried out at Nina's own expense. Read more on the business plan.

CCB concerns regarding contamination of River Odra

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 14:17:56 GMT

17 August 2022 - Yesterday CCB sent a letter to the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Odra River against Pollution (ICPO) expressing the concerns raised by our members in Poland and Germany about the dramatic pollution incident that is currently ongoing along the Odra River.

"We have regretfully learnt that starting from the end of July a devastating contamination of Odra has caused death of tons of fish, mammals and waterfowl birds along hundreds of kilometres up- and down-stream the third biggest by catchment area river in the Baltic Sea basin. This pollution incident has al-ready affected two out of three countries in the Odra catchment, causing adverse environmental, economic and social impacts.

Evidences collected so far, according to the national and international media, vary in terms of potential cause of the incident (mesitylene, mercury), its origin (middle or upper stream) and consequences. It is of the priority to cope with those, as well as to find and prosecute the polluter.

However, CCB would wish to raise also our concerns both to the fact that such a major pollution incident has not been timely reported between the neighbouring states, following the procedures of recently revised ICPO’s Emergency plan for the Odra River, nor properly communicated to both ICPO and HELCOM. The latter is equally important as Odra discharges to the Baltic Sea, being already significantly contaminated by hazardous substances.

CCB calls on both ICPO and HELCOM, in coordination with national authorities of Poland and Germany, to support all necessary efforts for the clean-up and restoration of the contaminated river, as well as for thorough investigation of this pollution incident.

Such a joint action may also strengthen in practice the cooperation with river basin management authorities and transboundary river commissions, as envisaged in the revised HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to reach of the good environmental and ecological status of the sea and its catchment.

Environmental NGOs are also eager to support the investigation and recovery actions with our capacities and competencies, both in the field and desktop activities."

Ewa Leś,

CCB Working Area Leader Eutrophication,

Koalicja Ratujmy Rzeki Observer at ICPO

Mikhail Durkin,

CCB Executive Secretary

NOTES

- Full letter sent to HELCOM and ICPO on 16 August 2022.

Major coalition complains to the EU about Lynetteholm blocking water flow

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 09:25:06 GMT

17 organisations from the Baltic Sea countries with more than 1.5 million members are now going to the EU to stop the Lynetteholm blockage of the water flow to the Baltic Sea.

Photo: Excavator removes sludge in connection with the establishment of Lynetteholm. Photo: Ariel Storm / the Climate Movement in Denmark.

The construction of Lynetteholm in Copenhagen could literally be a plug in the Øresund, blocking the flow of water to the Baltic Sea. An independent assessment by the Dutch company Deltares shows that it may block water flow by up to 0.5%, which can have significant negative consequences for the marine environment. Therefore, 17 organisations from the Baltic Sea countries, counting more than 1.5 million members, are now joining forces to petition the EU to stop the project:

" Blocking the water flow into the Sound could have major consequences for the ecosystems of the Baltic Sea. Therefore, it is imperative that the government consults the countries concerned before proceeding with the project. Time is against us because work on phase 1 of the project is continuing, and if the project is not put on hold, it may soon be too late. ", says Frederik Sandby, head of the secretariat of the Climate Movement in Denmark and initiator of the coalition together with the Danish Society for Nature Conservation and the Coalition Clean Baltic.

As even minimal changes in the water flow into the Baltic Sea can affect the entire Baltic Sea and thus the marine environment of all the countries around the Baltic Sea, a long-standing practice in Denmark and understanding among the Baltic Sea countries has ensured that no large construction projects can restrict water flow into the Baltic Sea - an understanding also referred to as a 'zero solution'.

Major negative impacts on the marine environment
In the petition, the signatory organisations call for the project to be modified to ensure a zero solution for saltwater flow into the Baltic Sea, that a new consultation is carried out among all the Baltic Sea countries and that the project is put on hold until such consultation has taken place. It is hoped that through this request, the matter will be advanced and raised in the relevant international fora and with the Danish government.

" After pressure from the Swedish authorities, in particular, the Danish Minister of Transport thankfully decided to stop dumping contaminated sludge in the Køge Bay - but the environmental impact of contaminated sludge on the Baltic Sea is 'peanuts' compared to the environmental impact of reduced saltwater flow. That is why we hope that the Danish government will again listen to its neighbours and safeguard the Baltic Sea for the future ", says Michael Løvendal Kruse, chairman of the Danish Society for Nature Conservation's Stevns branch.

Breaking with previous practices
With the approval of the Lynetteholm project, the Danish state has deviated from previous practice in relation to a zero solution, as the project could block the water flow into the Baltic Sea by up to 0.5%.

Under the UN Espoo Convention and the EU's SEA/EIA Directives, the authorities of a country are obliged to consult all countries that may be environmentally affected by a construction project unless " significant transboundary impact can be excluded with certainty ". The coalition behind the letter believes that this cannot be ruled out with certainty and therefore demands that the Lynetteholm project be put on hold until a consultation of all Baltic Sea countries has been carried out, and the Danish state has secured a zero solution for the project. The coalition, therefore, believes that it is imperative that the project is suspended immediately while all relevant countries and organisations are consulted.

" Unilateral Danish adoption of the Lynetteholm project breaks with decades of good cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries on the Baltic Sea environment. This is why the project will have to be stopped until all relevant countries are consulted, " says Mikhail Durkin, head of the S ecretariat of the organisation Coalition Clean Baltic.

The project was adopted despite Swedish criticism
So far, only Sweden is being consulted under the Espoo Convention. But although the then Swedish Minister for the Environment and Climate Per Bolund, on 6 May 2021, in a direct letter to the Danish Minister of the Environment, very clearly requested that Denmark not adopt the construction law until the environmental impacts of the project had been sufficiently studied and Espoo negotiations concluded, this was ignored, and the construction law was adopted by a majority in the Danish Parliament on 4 June 2021.

With this initiative, the coalition is trying to gather political support in the Baltic Sea countries to slow down the project. After intense debate, the Danish government stated in May 2022 that the possibility of technically making a zero solution for the Lynetteholm project will be investigated. To ensure that this happens, the coalition believes that public awareness and political pressure must be maintained.

Margrete Auken pulls the EU into the case
EU MEP Margrete Auken, who has already helped the case in the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions, is now trying to mobilise the Commission by questioning the legality of the way the Lynetteholm project was done.

In an email to her green EU colleagues from the other Baltic countries, she also urges them to put pressure on the Danish government to ensure that all rules are respected.

" At the time of writing, Denmark is undertaking a construction project that will most likely reduce the water flow into the Baltic Sea and seriously damage its delicate marine ecosystems! " writes Margrete Auken and adds, " The Baltic Sea countries have a long tradition of working together to protect the Baltic Sea's fragile marine environment, and we believe that with a united, coordinated approach we can make an impression on the Danish government. "

***

Read the full letter here .

***

Results of an independent review on Lynetteholm's blocking effect published in 2023 (article translated from the Danish magazine Ingeniøren).

The coalition consists of:
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Karin Lexén, Secretary General
The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. Tapani Veistola, Executive Director
BUND Schleswig Holstein. Ole Eggers, Director
Green Foundation GAIA, Poland. Jakub Skorupski, dr. inz.
The Lithuanian Fund for Nature. Edmundas Greimas, Director
WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. Johanna Fox, Director
Greenpeace Nordic. Mads Flarup Christensen, Executive Director
Deutscher Angelfischerverband. Florian Stein, Fachreichleiter
The Swedish Anglers Association. Sten Frohm, Secretary General
Danmarks Sportsfiskerforbund. Lars Rasmussen, CEO
Dansk Ornitologisk Forening / BirdLife Denmark. Egon Østergaard, Chairman
Dansk Sejlunion. Christian Lerche, Director
Dansk Jægerforbund/Danish Hunters Association. Claus Lind Christensen, Chairman
Byen for Borgerne – Stop Lynetteholm. Lone Johnsen.

As well as the initiators:
The Danish Society for Nature Conservation. Maria Reumert Gjerding, President
The Climate Movement in Denmark. Frederik Sandby, Head of Secretariat
Coalition Clean Baltic. Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary.

For further information, please contact :
Michael Løvendal Kruse The Danish Society for Nature Conservation
michael@dn.dk (+45) 3154 0601

Frederik Roland Sandby The Climate Movement in Denmark
sandby@klimabev.dk (+45) 2295 4047

Keynote statement of CCB Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 15:45:06 GMT

Keynote statement of CCB Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin
at the side event “Delivering global commitments in the Baltic Sea Region” - UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, 30 June 2022

On the occasion of the side event “Delivering global commitments in the Baltic Sea Region” held at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon today, Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary, made a keynote statement:

Dear friends of the ocean,

Needless to repeat that we are in the midst of a biodiversity and climate crisis. Healthy marine and
coastal life and habitats are essential to our resilience to ecological and climate breakdown. We are dependent on marine and coastal ecosystems to be healthy and rich so that they can perform their natural functions.

Since its creation in 1990, CCB as a network of 27 environmental NGOs from all 11 countries of the Baltic Sea catchment represents over 1.5 million of environmentally concerned citizens. Our vision is similar and supportive to HELCOM’s - to reach good ecological conditions of the Baltic Sea, ensuring its marine and terrestrial ecosystems are able to maintain and sustain biodiversity while also supporting sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region.

We have repeatedly and clearly stated the demands of our members towards the state of the sea we wish to achieve and lately those were formulated in the Baltic Shadow Plan, developed in collaboration with WWF. It calls for THE BALTIC WE WANT to have enough pristine and wild marine and coastal areas to act as safe havens for animals and plants and to be removed from harmful human activities. With this vision the Baltic NGOs have proposed and contributed to almost one third of 119 actions in HELCOM BSAP.

And in our today’s discussion, our starting point is not about approaches, terms and definitions, that we already have plenty around and that can be quite confusing, if not misleading. Our starting point is with the concrete nature conservation goals and obligations set in the Helsinki Convention and the Baltic Sea Action Plan, in response to global commitments.

[...]

Read the full statement here .

RESOURCES

- The updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP):
https://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-action-plan /

- The Baltic Shadow Plan: For the future of the Baltic Sea –
http://ccb.se/the-baltic-shadow-plan-for-the-future-of-the-baltic-sea /

- Letter to HELCOM Ministers, NGOs and scientists –
http://ccb.se/letter-from-ngos-and-scientists-calls-to-take-action-for-the-baltic-se a

- Videos about BSAP Update & Baltic Shadow Plan: YouTube Playlist 1 ; YouTube Playlist 2

Try to have a conversation in a noisy bar – that‘s the situation a whale is constantly living in

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 09:18:08 GMT

Underwater noise – an issue that is more dangerous for marine animals that we might think

30 June 2022 - At the United Nations Ocean Conference 2022, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), altogether with Ocean Care and BUND – Friends of the Earth Germany organized the side event “Reduce Ocean Noise & Save Our Ocean” , which was the only event focused on such topic and brought a hall full of listeners. The event started by listening the recordings of the harbor porpoise sounds and the noise of only one bigger ship passing by – the audience could evaluate how loud it sounds and how it spreads under the water.

Marine animals “cannot shut the window”

The Representative from the German Environmental Agency and Former Chair of HELCOM, Lilian Busse, made the opening speech drawing the attention to the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) , which has more than 200 actions set to achieve a ‘good environmental status’ in the Baltic Sea and 9 of them are meant to minimize the issue of underwater noise.

“ This is the easy problem, because when you end noise pollution – it stops immediately. As you know, it is not the same with hazardous substances or plastic pollution ”- stressed Lilian Busse.

Bettina Taylor, from the organization BUND - Friends of the Earth Germany, explained why we need to reduce underwater noise.

“ We know very well, how noise affects us. We cannot concentrate or sleep when there is noise. Underwater noise comes either from shipping, or from big underwater explosions, seismic surveys that are made to explore ocean floor in the search of oil and gas - then it’s called impulsive noise. In the 1990s, a researcher did an experiment by putting a loud acoustic device in the Southern Indian Ocean: the sound spread around the world to the East coasts of South and North America so as to the coasts of Australia ,” – said Bettina Taylor.

She noted that marine animals cannot shut the window when it is noisy – they simply cannot escape that. The noise can disturb an animal – but it also poses a risk of dying if or, for example, an animal is so stressed out that it stops hunting. Moreover, noise underwater accumulates, different sounds strengthens the effect of one another.

Bettina Taylor urged to act to reduce underwater noise, as there is already enough scientific data to prove that is a threat to marine animals. She proposed to ban seismic surveys completely because – “ when we phase out coal, there is no need to explore for new deposits of gas and oil “.

150 species are affected by underwater noise

Afterwards, Sharon Livermore, Program Officer at IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) talked about how dangerous for marine animals is noise caused by shipping.

The propeller of the ship and the water movement (air bubbles) usually causes noise. In recent years, global underwater noise has risen by 20 decibels. “ The noise spreads easily, especially through cold water environments and at the moment it dominates the background noise ” – said S. Livermore.

This noise is stronger and dominates the sounds that marine animals receive and spread by themselves: to locate, to find a mate, to hunt, to feed their calves. That is why underwater noise poses a threat not only to individual animals, but to entire populations.

“ A study showed that between 1992 and 2012 the number of ships travelling across the oceans grew by 60% ” – noted S. Livermore. – If we count only the Indian Ocean, it’s a 300 % increase in ship traffic. The reason why shipping has increased in this way, it’s the growth of international trade. But we must understand that with increased shipping traffic, air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution rise altogether. ”

Approximately, 150 marine species are affected by underwater noise, causing increased stress and behavioural changes. The most acoustically sensitive species are whales, dolphins and porpoises. Underwater noise can affect feeding behaviour, as well as their movements and the level of stress in these animals.

„ Remember trying to have a conversation in a noisy bar. We all know how difficult it is. We have to raise our voice to be heard and we can barely hear ourselves. This is the constant life of a whale. Sound is their primary sense – if they cannot detect a mate, it has a negative impact for the population “ – noted S. Livermore.

The easiest solution – to reduce the speed of large ships

Whales have the so called ‚acoustic bubble‘ around them. It‘s the area from which they can receive their sounds or be heard themselves. Some studies in the North Atlantic Ocean have shown that the acoustic bubble of the whales had shrunk exponentially after the industrialization of the Ocean.

Another example was the researches made after the 9/11 events in the United States of America, when all the shippings near the coast of New York coast stopped after the terrorist attack for security reasons. Marine scientists used this opportunity and found out that the amount of stress related to hormones in whales decreased sharply during this period.

„ This cannot be explained by anything else: shipping causes biological response (stress hormones) in whales “ – noted S. Livermore. As underwater noise can spread long distances, an international law is needed to address this problem.

„ There are immediate solutions that could be approved very quickly – such as reducing the speed of ships by 10%. If we can reduce the speed of the ships – we could reach a 40% reduction of their noise ” – said S. Livermore. She added that this measure could also help to reduce ship collisions with whales and greenhouse gas emissions – so it’s three benefits for the environment from just one solution. More complex solutions can be changing the technical features and the design of the new ships to make them more silent.

First area where changes can be adopted – corridor for migration in the Mediterranean Sea

Another speaker at the event, the representative from the OceanCare organization, Carlos Bravo, talked about the area-based noise reduction measures, which were already implemented in one of the coasts in Spain, in the Medittereanean Sea.

“ In recent years there were many oil and gas projects started in the Spanish Mediterranean waters. But after the opposition of the private sector, the civil society and non-governmental organizations, stressing the harm to the environment and the negative impact for climate change, the Spanish government banned the search of any new oil and gas fields ” – said C. Bravo.

After this success, migration corridor, meant for penguins and other species, was created near the coast of Catalonia, called a cetacean migration corridor. The area covers 46 000 square kilometres.

Ocean Care communicates with government to limit the speed of ships in this area would no more than 10 knots. C. Bravo hopes that Italy, France, Monaco, and other countries that are situated around the corridor would also adopt this ship speed limitation. Although the threat of impulsive noise by search of oil and gas fields was removed, intense shipping continues, with 24 passenger ferries, travelling from Catalonia and Valencia to the Balearic Islands, plus a great number of cargo ships reaching big ports, such as Barcelona and Valencia.

“ Shipping is an important way of transportation, but it absolutely rely on fossil fuels. The report issued by the European Maritime Safety Agency and the European Environmental Agency in September last year showed that underwater noise has doubled in the period from 2014 to 2019. It is an increasing problem. There are, of course, technical measures that can be implemented, but we are promoting the most cost-effective and immediate solution: speed reduction ” – explained C. Bravo.

What can be changed? The design of the ship, but not the propeller

The event included also a panel discussion, with Frederik Haag, (IMO), Bev Mackenzie, (BIMCO), Mattias Rust (Swedish Ministry of Infrastructure) and Carlos Bravo (OceanCare).

Bev Mackenzie said that they try to measure the noise, because noise is a form of energy, and ships do not want to lose it. BIMCO is collaborating with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is willing to implement the guidelines this organization will set. BIMCO is also looking forward to implement the new design of the newly built ships in order to reduce the noise they make. „ But it‘s really hard to change propellers or other technical parts of the existing old ships, so I think we should search for a combination of design changes for new ships and operational measures for the old ones “ – said Bev Mackenzie.

Frederic Haag, representative of International Maritime organization (IMO), said that the measures for noise reduction are not yet implemented in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), but they could be implemented, when the stakeholders will agree and decide which of the measures would work best. „ We rely on shipping to receive our medicines and goods, so we need a measure which is appropriate “ – added Frederic Haag.

Mattias Rust, from the Swedish Ministry of Infrastructure was honest: the underwater noise issue is on the agenda of HELCOM and the European Commission, but for the Ministers of EU countries it still has to reach a higher level of urgency, there is a need for more data provided, showing the severe harms for marine animals.

„ Our members are willing to support such measures, applied internationally. National regulations are challenging for shipping: ships don‘t necessarily keep the same routes, don‘t always have the same crew. We unite 60% of the cargo ships, but if the rest of the ships will not follow the new rules because it’s cheaper, the problem will not be solved ”, - said Bev Mackenzie from BIMCO.

Underwater noise – measures are almost ready, but we also need awareness raising

So why the measure of reduction of the speed cannot be approved immediately?

Frederic Hag explained that when they are trying to make a new rule globally, it takes longer than one could expect. But as IMO is now reviewing the guidelines for ships, it’s easy to take this “one step further”, although that it is beneficial both for environment and economically.

„ Shipping industry is a commercial activity. And in my last meetings I‘ve learned that even when they want to adopt various green initiatives and they offer them for their clients, clients do not buy it. That‘s why I think we must invest more in awareness raising “ – added M. Rust.

***

Article written by Inga Labutytė-Atkočaitienė , Lithuanian Fund for Nature and CCB Communication Group Coordinator

Extra resources

CCB´s dedicated webpage: The Baltic proper harbour porpoise
CCB´s petition #SaveTheBalticPorpoise (2022-23)
Research Business implications in underwater noise pollution in the Baltic Sea & noise reduction (2022)
Paper Underwater noise - The neglected threat to marine life (2020)
BUND´s campaign on underwater noise (2021)
CCB & BUND Online workshop "Why we should make more noise about underwater noise" (2021)

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2023

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 14:14:43 GMT

In October 2022, EU fisheries ministers will agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2023. As the deadline to end overfishing by 2020 at the latest as legally prescribed by Article 2(2) of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has passed, all fishing limits must be in line with sustainable exploitation rates.

Last year, the EU AGRIFISH Council set four out of ten Total Allowable Catches (TACs) in the Baltic Sea exceeding the best available scientific advice for 2022, thereby contravening the CFP deadline. The European Commission proposals exceeded scientific advice for the four TACs - eastern Baltic cod, western Baltic herring, salmon in the main Baltic basin and the Gulf of Finland salmon. Fisheries ministers further increased some catch limits above what was proposed by the European Commission.

However, behind all of the numbers, the real problem is that scientific advice and the models underpinning it are not delivering ecosystem-based management options. Setting TAC based on single species advice omits the need to consider sub-populations at risk and misses consideration of size and age distribution. ICES can produce more comprehensive advice but the decision-makers must request this and until they do, they must set TACs with much greater caution.

The Commission and Ministers must reconsider the current approach by requesting new and different scientific advice that, for example, adequately reflects ecosystem considerations, safeguards vulnerable sub-populations and prioritises a healthy size and age distribution, or we will face more stocks faltering. The solution here and now is to take a more precautionary approach by staying in the lower bounds of the TAC advice ranges.

The following text outlines the joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2023 in the context of environmental regulations, EU fisheries legislation, scientific advice on catch limits, and the sharing of stocks with third countries.

Overall, we urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to agree on, fishing opportunities in accordance with the following recommendations:
● Set TACs not exceeding scientifically advised levels based on the MSY Approach for all stocks for which MSY-based reference points are available;
● Where MSY-based reference points are not available, set TACs not exceeding the Precautionary Approach catch limits advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES);
● Set TACs not exceeding the FMSY point value specified in the Baltic Sea Multi-Annual Plan (MAP).

To read the full joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2023 click here .

Scientific Advice: No improvement for collapsed fish stocks - time for a reboot in the Baltic Sea

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 07:21:36 GMT

Brussels, 1 June 2022 : Responding to today’s publication of annual scientific advice for 2023 fishing limits in the Baltic Sea by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), a group of non-governmental organisations said that the Baltic Sea remains in a dire condition, despite tightening of fishing limits in recent years, and that governments in the region must urgently implement precautionary, ecosystem-based fisheries management and boost control and enforcement.

The ICES scientific advice [1] shows no improvements of the Baltic fish populations previously considered as depleted, such as Eastern Baltic cod. Although the two Baltic plaice stocks are abundant, the scientists have given a warning signal that the current management of plaice with just one fishing limit for two populations “could lead to the overexploitation of either stock”. The situation of pelagic species is diverse, with the Gulf of Riga herring population growing, while central Baltic herring remains at a worryingly low level.

ICES advises small increases on three stocks (western Baltic cod, plaice and main basin herring), decreases for three stocks (Bothnian sea herring, sprat and Riga herring) zero TAC on one stock (Eastern cod) and a roll over from last years for the two salmon management areas. One stock, western herring, which is severely depleted, is not included in this advice and will be released at a later stage.

“ The scientific advice for fishing limits in the Baltic Sea should teach a tragic lesson to EU fisheries ministers: continued overfishing will have permanent repercussions, that not only destroy the ecosystem’s capacity to function, it will decimate the industry that depends upon it ”, said Rebecca Hubbard, Program Director Of Our Fish. “ Now is the time for the EU Commission to step up and ensure that all fishing in the Baltic Sea has climate and ecosystem impact assessments, and for Member States to allocate the meagre quota available to those fishers with the least environmental impact and delivers the best social and economic benefits, as Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy requires. ”

“ Today’s advice from ICES confirms that the Baltic Sea ecosystem and the fisheries exploiting it are facing the worst crisis ever. Focusing on recovery, measures like cameras onboard to monitor bycatch and use of the best available selective and low impact gear must be made mandatory if any fishing is to happen in this exhausted and fragile ecosystem. Bottom trawling, with all its negative impacts on habitats, species and climate, has no place in the Baltic Sea anymore and must leave room for low impact fishers and angling ”, said Jan Isakson, Director of the Fisheries Secretariat.

“ The ICES advice highlights once again that we fundamentally need to change the way we manage our fisheries in the Baltic. Besides setting fishing limits that stay within the scientific advice, the fishery of tomorrow needs to be as climate neutral as possible and fully electronically monitored. Decision makers need to do more to protect vulnerable fish habitats from bottom trawling and adopt an ecosystem based fishery ,” said Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer from the Danish Society of Nature Conservation.

“ The most positive and concrete approach of the scientific advice and management options presented today is for the Baltic salmon stocks. Closing down harmful fishing on weak and stronger stocks intermixed in the open sea and instead focus fishing closer to rivers of origin and at the same time keep total quota low. This is the most useful advice the ICES released today and other stocks need a similar approach to safeguard subpopulations ”, says Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic.

“ In a context of climate and environmental crises, fishing must go from being part of the problem to being part of the solution. The latest scientific advice shows that some of the main Baltic fish populations, including cod, herring, and eel, are overexploited and in a critical conservation state. There is an urgent need for Baltic states to not only set the fishing mortality to sustainable levels and minimise the impacts of fishing in the ecosystem, but also to progress towards an ecosystem-based management system in which fishing contributes to bringing back the good environmental status of the Baltic Sea ”, said Javier López, Campaign Director for Sustainable Fisheries at Oceana in Europe.

“ The dramatic situation of fish stocks in the Baltic shows clearly that we must adapt our fisheries to the reality of the ecosystem, it doesn’t work the other way around. The focus of the coming years needs to be to rebuild the stocks and to restore the ecosystems ”, said Christine Adams, Fisheries Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, adding: “ Now the European Commission needs to defend that against short-sighted economic interests of fisheries ministers and guide the way into a future where all fishing in the Baltic is low-impact and low-emission. ”

“ The new scientific advice for Baltic fish stocks continues to emphasise that sprat is an important forage species for Baltic cod, and that multispecies interactions should be considered when managing the sprat fishery. We therefore recommend that the European Commission and Baltic fisheries ministers continue to set sprat fishing limit below the maximum threshold advised by scientists, as was the decision for 2022. This is a step towards implementation of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, a clear requirement of the Common Fisheries Policy ,” said Johanna Fox, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

ICES also issues advice on non-quota species of flounder and sea trout. Flounder is concerning as the species is caught predominantly as bycatch, is still legally discarded in large amounts, and health of the multiple stocks are not well known.

[1] ICES ADVICE LINKS

Western Baltic Cod (subdivisions 22-24)

Eastern Baltic Cod (subdivisions 24-32)

Gulf of Bothnia Herring (subdivisions 30 and 31)

Central Baltic Herring (subdivisions 25–29 and 32, excluding the Gulf of Riga)

Gulf of Riga Herring (subdivision 28.1)

Sprat (subdivisions 22–32)

Plaice in Kattegat, Belt Seas, and the Sound (subdivisions 21–23)

Plaice in Baltic Sea (excluding the Sound and Belt Seas, subdivisions 24–32)

The ICES advice for Western Spring Spawning Herring (subdivisions 20–24, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and western Baltic) will be released later, together with the advice for the North East Atlantic stocks.

NOTE: NGOs will produce our recommendations for fishing limits for all Baltic fish stocks for 2022 in the coming weeks.

Contacts:

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Marine Policy Officer, The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Cathrine@dn.dk , +45 31 19 32 26

Christine Adams, Fisheries Policy Officer, Seas At Risk, cadams@seas-at-risk.org , +32 465 52 64 52

Dave Walsh, Communications Advisor, Our Fish, dave@our.fish , +34 691 826 764

Emily Fairless, Communications Officer, Oceana, efairless@oceana.org , +32 (0) 478 038 490

Jan Isakson, Director, FishSec, jan.isakson@fishsec.org , +46 70 608 74 83

Johanna Fox, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, johanna.fox@wwf.se , +46 70 009 05 48

Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic, nils@ccb.se , +46 708 679249

New petition launched to save the Baltic harbour porpoise

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 08:56:08 GMT

With only a few hundred individuals left, the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is critically endangered [1] and needs urgent protection. For this reason, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) launched the petition #SaveTheBalticPorpoise [2], addressing the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius, and the Ministers of Environment, Fisheries and Defense in all countries around the Baltic Sea.

April 2022 – The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise, the only whale resident in the Baltic Sea which many don’t even know exists, is close to extinction. The most endangered whale in Europe needs concrete conservation measures to be implemented for its protection. On paper, the Baltic harbour porpoise and its habitat are “highly protected” under European Union law [3], both within and outside Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), but in practice, this has failed to generate effective conservation.

Underwater noise and bycatch [4], along with pollutants and ecosystem changes caused by overfishing and climate change, are the main threats against this cetacean species. Important steps have been taken recently by the European Commission [5], especially in relation to bycatch, but the work is still far from being completed to protect the population throughout its range and save it from extinction.

Therefore, we urge the Baltic countries to work together to:

Fully protect the harbour porpoise in designated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) - today many lack proper protection against harmful fishing and underwater noise;
Stop harbour porpoise bycatch in the entire Baltic Sea - even a single Baltic porpoise dead in a fishing net could have a devastating impact on population survival;
Investigate the possible coexistence of harbour porpoise nature conservation and military underwater activities - Nature conservation and military defense must work together to protect the Baltic porpoise.

“We have recently seen the first small step towards protecting this critically endangered population, but it is not enough. We need to act strongly in a timely fashion or the population will be reduced to a point of no return ”, says Ida Carlén, CCB Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer.

This petition is essential to raise attention and awareness to these animals and call on decision makers around the Baltic Sea to put in place concrete and urgent conservation measures. Scientific recommendations [6] and legal requirements are at Baltic Minister’s disposal to change course, setting higher ambitions and taking faster actions to save the Baltic porpoise in time.

Only if we act together we will be able to reach the goal and continue to see porpoises swimming in the Baltic Sea in the coming years.

CONTACT

Ida Carlén, CCB Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer:
ida.carlen (at) ccb.se, +46 70 3133067

NOTES

CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 member organizations and 1 observer, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at www.ccb.se .

[1] All about the Baltic harbour porpoise: https://www.ccb.se/baltic-harbour-porpoise

and IUCN Red List, Phocoena phocoena Baltic Sea subpopulation: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17031/98831650

[2] CCB petition to #SaveTheBalticPorpoise: https://you.wemove.eu/campaigns/save-the-baltic-harbour-porpoise and the landing page: https://www.ccb.se/save-the-baltic-porpoise

[3] https://www.ccb.se/bycatch-of-critically-endangered-baltic-sea-harbour-porpoise-must-stop

[4] Bycatch is unintended catch of non-target species, for example marine mammals, in fishing nets. Underwater noise: https://www.ccb.se/publication/underwater-noise-the-neglected-threat-to-marine-life and CCB Baltic Talks .

[5] EU Delegated Act (2022): https://www.ccb.se/one-step-in-the-right-direction-to-protect-the-only-whale-in-the-baltic-sea

[6] ICES Advice (2020): https://www.ices.dk/news-and-events/news-archive/news/Pages/EmergencyBycatchMeasures.aspx and the scientific paper (2021): https://www.ccb.se/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-how-conservation-is-failing-european-porpoises

EU Commission plays into hands of anti-nature lobbies, ignores citizens by delaying Nature Restoration Law

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 16:29:18 GMT

Today, the European Commission postponed its highly anticipated proposal for an EU Nature Restoration Law without setting a new publication date.

Over the weekend, more than 13,000 EU citizens , 166 environmental NGOs - including CCB - and a group of environmental ministers sent letters to the European Commission expressing their support of the law and asking for it not to be delayed, but their voices have been ignored.

Legally binding nature restoration targets are urgently needed to address the drastic decline of biodiversity in the EU, to help us mitigate the climate crisis and to build resilience in the face of climate change.

We call on the Commission to set a new date for the proposal to be launched within a month. This law has the opportunity to become a real game-changer against the climate and biodiversity crises, with tangible benefits for people and nature. It must be timely, ambitious and enforceable .

Sabien Leemans, Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer, WWF European Policy Office , said:

“ We understand the extremely difficult context in which this proposal is being finalised – but not why the College of Commissioners was not even able to pencil in a new date. There is no reason to delay the law by months. This is jeopardising the EU’s response to the climate and biodiversity crises and puts the European Green Deal agenda into further question. It is unacceptable to leave people and nature in limbo. ”

Anna Heslop, Wildlife and Habitats Lawyer, ClientEarth, said:
“ The Commission’s proposal on nature restoration was meant to set a clear path to reach the EU’s biodiversity goals, and provide a strong negotiating position for the Global Biodiversity Framework currently being thrashed out. But those in charge have moved to delay this vital policy and row back on what they promised, risking the future protection of nature both at a global level and at home. The EU is trying to position itself as a global leader, while back at home it is seeking to dismantle the very policies on which that leadership is based. ”

Ariel Brunner, Senior Head of Policy, BirdLife Europe , said :

“ The farm and forestry lobbies will go to unbelievable lengths to protect their profit-making, nature-destructive practices. Stooping lower than ever before, they are now using the Russian war against Ukraine to support their own twisted agenda. The Commission must wake up and listen to science. Without large-scale nature restoration now, Europe will experience more floods, more droughts, and growing threats to the lives of citizens and the ability of farmers to produce food. If the Commission genuinely wants to deliver on their European Green Deal, the time is now. ”

Sergiy Moroz, Policy Manager for Water and Biodiversity, EEB , said:

“ Delaying the Nature Restoration Law proposal to an uncertain future flies in the face of science, the demands of citizens and the EU’s global climate and biodiversity commitments. Ignoring the ticking clock further passes the burden of the ecological crisis to younger generations and threatens the fundamental rights of everyone. The Commission must act now and come out with a solid restoration law proposal within a month at the very latest. “

NOTES
#RestoreNature´s website: https://www.restorenature.eu/en

Statement of the Chairperson and Executive Secretary, Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 15:29:10 GMT

25 February 2022

Environmental NGOs and networks like CCB* are not political. However, a war in our region is unprecedented and not a matter of normal political discourse in choosing how to protect the environment best or how to restore our ecosystems.

CCB as a network of NGOs was created in 1990 to join people from all countries in the Baltic Sea catchment area in a common cause: to improve our shared environment, to learn from each other and to understand each other’s culture and tradition.

Green organizations everywhere stand for peace and respect for all life on Earth. CCB was created with the underlying passion for borderless societies and hope of a new future without walls and distrust.

At this time, we chose to comment on the terrifying situation in Ukraine for the sake of people and of life itself. We must stand together because our friends that share our goals live in all the countries in the region. We make no difference between people regardless of nationality, origin or domicile.

We, civil society organizations, act in an open, transparent and non-violent way. Green NGOs in our region were part of the liberation movements after 1989, not supporting any political path of left or right but only the right for nations and nature to exist.

We must now again stand for the right to exist in peace for both our Ukrainian and Russian friends. Nature will remain our common value and language of dialogue, but we condemn any kind of violence and aggression in any form it occurs.

We are not afraid of each other, we trust each other, and there will never again be a wall between us. Instead, we will strive to protect the most important thing – human life, not to destroy it!

Aija Caune Mikhail Durkin
CCB Chairperson CCB Executive Secretary

This statement is supported by the following individual CCB Members and partners:
– Polish Ecological Club, Main Board
– Estonian Water Association
– Friends of the Baltic
– Green Federation “GAIA”
– Friends of the Rivers of Ina and Gowienica Association – TPRIiG
– Nerush
– Danish Society for Nature Conservation
– Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland

*CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a network of 26 environmental NGOs from 11 Baltic Sea Region countries, striving to protect the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea for present and future generations.

One step in the right direction to protect the only whale in the Baltic Sea

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 15:22:24 GMT

The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is critically endangered, and for decades, scientists and NGOs have been pushing to have effective conservation action taken to protect it and ensure its survival [1]. Today, finally, European Union legislation is put in place [2] to protect this population from bycatch in marine protected areas.

The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise, the only whale in the Baltic Sea, is sometimes called Europe’s vaquita, after the almost extinct population of Vaquita porpoise in the Gulf of California. The Baltic population of harbour porpoise has been declining since the mid 20th century and there are now only a few hundred individuals left. Bycatch in static fishing nets is one of the most acute threats, and with such a small population even one animal caught in a net is a huge loss and a threat to population survival.

In 2019, NGOs submitted a joint request [3] for emergency measures for the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise to the European Commission, and in May 2020 the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, published scientific advice [4] on how to minimise harbour porpoise bycatch in the Baltic Sea. In line with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, this advice was discussed within the Baltic Sea regional fisheries body, BaltFish, and during 2020-2021 BaltFish submitted two joint recommendations [5] to the European Commission on measures to minimise bycatch of the Baltic porpoise. These joint recommendations were transcribed into a so-called delegated act [6] that is now approved by the European Parliament and will be implemented over the next few months.

The delegated act contains regulations on closures of static net fisheries in some important harbour porpoise protected areas, as well as use of pingers, acoustic deterrent devices, on fishing nets in some marine protected areas. While NGOs are very pleased to see these measures being implemented and consider them as a good starting point, it is important to remember that we are not done. The Baltic harbour porpoise must be protected in its entire range, and bycatch must be basically completely eliminated.

NOTES
[1] Scientific paper: “ Out of sight out of mind: How conservation is failing European Porpoises ” (2020).

[2] The EU Delegated Act (see Note n.6) as regards measures to reduce incidental catches of the resident population of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Baltic Sea will officially enter into force after the publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ).

[3] NGOs request for emergency measures (2019) .

[4] ICES scientific advice on bycatch (2020) .

[5] The first BaltFish joint recommendation to the EU (2020) .

[6] EU Delegated Act (2022) .

CCB's briefing on the EU delegated act 2022.

Epilogue – Atlantic row aborted after dangerous and unusual weather conditions

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 14:20:18 GMT

Sören and Måns set out to row the Atlantic ocean from Lagos (Portugal) to Antigua (West Indies) on the 28th of December after having to wait over two weeks for weather conditions to stabilize. When they were just one day from reaching their intermediate destination of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, the wind changed drastically and started pushing them northwest out into the open Northern Atlantic, far away from the needed trade winds towards the Caribbean.

They struggled through difficult wind and waves and finally managed to land on Madeira. By then they were delayed over a month and with all margins of time, budget and resources used up. Waiting for manageable conditions to continue south and towards Antigua, the risk of going into the hurricane season would be unacceptably high. The portuguese trade winds seem to have changed into a much less reliable behaviour, it is unbelievable how a storm from the Atlantic could reach so far south and pull us all the way up to Madeira. Facing these circumstances we have no choice but to terminate the project, and declare Madeira the final destination.

Our involvement in life in the oceans remains unchanged, and we hope that we can still create enough attention for the Baltic harbour porpoise to help save them from extinction. We gave it our best shot, however we are humble towards the immense forces of nature. It has been an extraordinary experience, very different from what we expected, challenging, emotional and extremely tough. The Atlantic will still be there…

” The Baltic Harbour Porpoise is the Baltic’s own whale, but it is urgently close to extinction and red listed with only a few hundred individuals left ” says Sören Kjellkvist.

” Political decisions and specific changes need to happen soon, this should have been done a long time ago. Sweden’s lack of action has been criticized by the EU commission ” says Måns Kämpe.

Ida Carlén, expert at Coalition Clean Baltic, adds: ” We work on demanding the changes required to allow the Baltic Harbour Porpoise to survive and stabilize, and the collaboration with Måns and Sören gives us a chance to bring this issue to a broader audience. A lot of people are not even aware that there is a species of whale in the Baltic, and that it is so close to extinction. ”

NOTES

Read all about the adventure here or in their blog: https://sorenkjellkvist.se/ro-over-atlanten/
For more information about the Baltic Harbour Porpoise

The storm destroyed the observation deck in the Curonian Spit

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:20:26 GMT

The hurricanes Elsa and Gerhard, that roared through the Kaliningrad region in January , destroyed the ramp of the observation deck on the tourist route in the Curonian Spit. The project coordinator of the observation deck, Svetlana Nigmatullina said, the ramp was essential for the deck as it allowed for wheelchair users to come down from the observation point to the seashore.

Such destructive storms are a result of climate change . In the future more storms are expected to happen as the risk of extreme weather is constantly increasing. On 10 February, Coalition Clean Baltic held an ad hoc meeting with Russian and Lithuanian environmental experts to discuss the impact of storms on the coastline of both countries. The participants also suggested ways to restore the observation deck and reinforce the coastline.

Right now, the project team is researching the solutions to restoring the observation deck in a way that would take into account the risk of future storms.

If you have suggestions about the restoration of the deck, please, contact Svetlana Nigmatullina : svnigm@mail.ru .

Article in Russian at NGO “Aura” website: https://anoaura.ru/news_the-ramp-for-the-descent-to-the-sea-was-destroyed_

Row across the Atlantic – ready to start to save the Baltic porpoise

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 09:45:35 GMT

After one and a half years of preparation Sören Kjellkvist and Måns Kämpe are now going to row across The Atlantic , with the start planned for December 14’th 2021 from the small harbour town of Lagos in Portugal.

The Row across The Atlantic is estimated to take about 3 months, the distance is more than 6000 km, which means over 3 million oar strokes, and their goal is to reach the tropical islands of the Caribbean.

Måns and Sören share a deep involvement for the oceans, and with this expedition they want to bring out the big questions about the oceans and the conditions for all life in them . It feels extra important to increase awareness of how dependent we are on life in the oceans, how humans destroy this and what we should be doing to turn this development around to let the oceans heal, recover and prosper again.

“The Baltic Harbour Porpoise is the Baltic’s own whale, but it is urgently close to extinction and red listed with only a few hundred individuals left” says Sören Kjellkvist.

Måns Kämpe adds: “Political decisions and specific changes need to happen soon, this should have been done a long time ago. Sweden’s lack of action has been criticized by the EU commission”.

Ida Carlén, expert at Coalition Clean Baltic, comments: “We work on demanding the changes required to allow the Baltic Harbour Porpoise to survive and stabilize, and the collaboration with Måns and Sören gives us a chance to bring this issue to a broader audience. A lot of people are not even aware that there is a species of whale in the Baltic, and that it is so close to extinction.”

During the expedition Måns and Sören will write daily reports, with updates about the row as well as facts and information about the Baltic Harbour Porpoise. Their goal is to raise awareness and help establish the decisions and actions required to save the only species of whale in the Baltic Sea.

The PR in Swedish is available here .

Read all about the adventure here or in their blog: https://sorenkjellkvist.se/ro-over-atlanten/

For more information about the Baltic Harbour Porpoise.

150 NGOs call for ambitious 2030 targets in upcoming EU nature restoration law

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:59:07 GMT

On 14 December, over 150 environmental NGOs, including Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), sent a letter to the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans and the Environment Commissioner Viginijus Sinkevičius raising concerns about the overall ambition of the EU nature restoration law, which is in the final stages of preparation by the European Commission [1].

NGOs are strongly convinced that clear measurable targets for land area, river length and sea area are the key elements to make this legislation as ambitious, adequate and effective as possible. Just as with the Climate Law, a robust and understandable EU headline target, overarching the individual ecosystems (and species) specific targets, is indispensable for mobilising Member States’ action at the required scale. Additionally, it can facilitate the monitoring of individual Member States’ contributions, thus ensuring the timely achievement of the EU-wide targets.

That’s why we are advocating for a target to restore at least 15% of the EU’s land area, river length and sea area by 2030 , to which all underlying ecosystem specific targets should contribute. That would mean restoration of 650,000 km2 on land, 1,000,000 km2 of marine EU area and 178,000 km of rivers.

Note:
[1] Initially expected at the end of 2021, the Commission’s proposal for the EU nature restoration law has been postponed to 23 March 2022.

Europe’s rivers nowhere near healthy by 2027 deadline – report

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 07:00:03 GMT

90% of river basins studied in various EU countries will still be unhealthy by 2027 , new research reveals . This means those countries will miss the legally binding EU target to return Europe’s dirty freshwaters to health by then.

Member States have only a few weeks left to finalise their river basin management plans for the next six years, as EU law requires. The drafts for 2022-2027 are the third round of national plans before the 2027 target and are Europe’s final opportunity to get things right.

The second edition of this report , published by WWF and the Living Rivers Europe Coalition [1], finds that only two out of the 21 river basins analysed – both in Finland – might see good health by 2027. However, even the plans for those two basins contain gaps, in particular concerning the level of funding. For this edition, WWF assessed eight new draft plans from Poland, Romania and Spain, none of which are classed as “good”.

Draft River Basin Management Plan assessed in this report and their performance scores:

Claire Baffert, Senior Water Policy Officer, WWF European Policy Office, said: “ Instead of focusing their efforts on the final sprint towards healthy rivers in 2027, too many EU countries are dragging their feet. Our rivers deserve good planning; serious measures; credible investments. Unless this is reflected in their final plans, many EU countries are racing straight towards a breach of EU law. ”

Six draft plans rank poorly, including the two assessed Italian plans, two assessed German plans, the Dutch Rhine plan, and the International Odra plan. Most of the river basins suffer from a lack of national budget allocated to water management, insufficient integration of water protection into other policies – in particular energy, agriculture and infrastructure – and the multiple misuses of derogations – all issues that were already flagged in the 2019 Fitness Check conclusions of the Water Framework Directive’s (WFD) evaluation and have been repeatedly highlighted since then .

The performance of the draft RBMPs is ‘poor’ for nearly half of the analysed indicators, including pollution, excessive water extraction, blockages like dams, poor flood and drought management, agriculture, hydropower, coal mining and missing nature-restoring measures. EU countries – which have until the end of this year to publish their final RBMPs according to the Water Framework Directive– must address the shortcomings identified in the draft plans to change the future for our freshwaters and meet the 2027 goal.

Mark Owen, Freshwater Policy Advisor, European Anglers Alliance said: “ Hundreds of thousands of EU citizens came together during the Protect Water campaign to ensure that Member States meet their obligations under the Water Framework Directive. This massive mobilisation was a clear signal for the Commission to hold European governments accountable for delivering on their commitments. Citizens depend on freshwater for their health and well-being, they mustn’t be ignored. ”

WWF and partners are also very concerned that in September 2021, at least nine Member States (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, some river basins in Spain, and the UK [2]) had not yet presented their draft plans for all river basins.

Ewa Leś, CCB Working Group Leader on River Basin and Wastewater Management, and Artur Furdyna, from Friends of Ina and Gowienica rivers Association (CCB Member Organization), contributed to the report.

The report, ‘The final sprint for Europe’s rivers: An NGO analysis of 2022-2027 draft River Basin Management Plans’ is available here , along with a summary .

NOTES

[1] Living Rivers Europe is a coalition of five environmental and angling organisations gathering WWF’s European network , the European Anglers Alliance , European Environmental Bureau , European Rivers Network , The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International .

[2] As the Directive was signed by the UK government prior to the UK’s split with Europe, it has been transposed in to UK law and therefore continues to apply.

Contacts:
Ines Abbas
Communications Officer
iabbas@wwf.eu
+32 488 99 27 65 1

Political ambition and actions fall short in the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 14:40:32 GMT

20 October – Lübeck, Germany – The updated plan to achieve a Good Environmental Status of the Baltic Sea lacks strong commitments to protect one of the world’s most threatened marine ecosystems, say WWF and the Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB).

The updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) [1], intended to ‘drastically reduce pollution to the Baltic Sea and restore a good ecological status by 2030’, was adopted today by Ministers of Environment and Senior Government Officials from all Contracting Parties of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) and the Commissioner for Environment of the European Union in Lübeck, Germany. According to WWF and CCB, the BSAP actions fall short, and a much stronger political ambition is required for the coming 9 years.

“ Originally, the proposed measures did indeed include many of the ambitious actions and tough decisions that are so urgently needed. Over time, however, lack of political will and ongoing political and economic disagreements between sectoral ministries have successively weakened the plan ” says Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary, Coalition Clean Baltic .

Out of all measures included in the original Baltic Sea Action Plan, only 25% of national measures have been implemented by all countries. Whilst the actions that the Contracting Parties will take are outlined in the updated plan, clear political commitments on the implementation of those actions are crucial to ensure that measures are followed through on a national level.

In their Baltic Shadow Plan [2] and letter to the HELCOM Ministers, NGOs and scientists [3], NGOs have outlined what they believed to be some of the major failures [4] of the plan and traced these failures to the lack of political will and leadership of the governments.

In order for the Baltic Sea environment to improve, Contracting Parties need to significantly reduce the cumulative, negative impacts from human activities and support the development of a minimal impact, climate-resilient and zero-carbon world.

Despite the plan’s overall shortcomings, WWF and CCB maintain that the original intention of the BSAP remains valid and urges Heads of States and Heads of Governments around the region to take responsibility to initiate a process to actually deliver what was originally promised by their governments – to take dramatic action to save the Baltic. ” The plan contains important measures like protecting 30 % of the Baltic Sea. To reach this goal, cooperation and commitment on a regional level is of the utmost importance ” says Valerie De Liedekerke, Manager and Interim Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

For further information:

Valerie de Liderkerke, Interim Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, valerie.deliedekerke@wwf.se

Hannah Griffiths Berggren, Communications Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme hannah.griffiths.berggren@wwf.se

Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary, Coalition Clean Baltic mikhail.durkin@ccb.se

Federica Pastore, Communication Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic federica.pastore@ccb.se

Notes to the editors:

WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme – is an ambitious and highly influential force working to conserve and restore the health of the Baltic Sea. The programme is comprised of WWF and NGO partners in each of the nine coastal Baltic Sea countries. Representing the region’s largest membership network, the programme’s approach has been to work with public and private sector partners toward ensuring a healthy, productive Baltic Sea through sustainable, ecosystem-based management. More info at: https://www.wwfbaltic.org/

The update process – HELCOM launched the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) process nearly two years ago and WWF and CCB have been active participants in the ongoing stakeholder process to develop the plan. WWF and CCB participated as official HELCOM Observers to the Ministerial Meeting today, and WWF delivered a joint statement made on behalf of the environmental NGOs, stating the concern that this plan lacks the very tough actions and commitments that are needed to achieve its objectives. For more detail on the background, goals and objectives of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan please visit: http://www.helcom.fi/BSAP/en_GB/About_BSAP/

[1] The updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP):
https://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-action-plan/
[2] The Baltic Shadow Plan: For the future of the Baltic Sea –
http://ccb.se/the-baltic-shadow-plan-for-the-future-of-the-baltic-sea/
[3] Letter to HELCOM Ministers, NGOs and scientists –
http://ccb.se/letter-from-ngos-and-scientists-calls-to-take-action-for-the-baltic-sea
[4] Major failings highlighted to the HELCOM Contracting Parties have included: No concrete measures for how countries will ensure implementation of the BSAP (for example ensuring funding and HELCOM capacity-building).
No concrete measures on how countries will ensure a “green recovery” post-Covid.
Lack of concrete, ambitious and measurable climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. The ministerial declaration should contain clear adaptation and mitigation commitments like for example phasing out oil and gas production in the region.
Weak formulation of commitment to the global environmental goals. The Baltic Sea states should clearly state their commitments to:
reaching the goals of the Agenda 2030, not just by contributing to the implementation
reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement

Finance in focus: NGOs bring together industry and ministers to discuss the future of finance in the Baltic sea

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 06:53:46 GMT

20 October – Lübeck, Germany – In conjunction with the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting to adopt the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) [1], WWF along with Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) have invited high-level ministers, finance representatives and NGOs together to discuss ‘ how regional investments in the seascape can help support and restore the Baltic Sea. ’

A healthy ocean provides blue natural capital which our economy, our societies and our future are dependent upon. The BSAP is lacking robust financial indicators that support a Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) and Good Environmental Status in the Baltic Sea and so there is a real need to find ways to engage the finance industry. Valerie De Liedekerke, Manager and Interim Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme says: “ Investors have a significant role to play in improving the Baltic Sea environment. In fact, they have clear asks for political commitment to provide security, stability and guidance (a roadmap) on how to support achieving the goals of the BSAP to deliver towards a sustainability pathway. WWF and CCB make the case that a sustainable pathway is not only economically beneficial for the finance industry but also allows governments to achieve global targets that ultimately benefit nature and generations to come .”

At the event, findings from recent reports will be presented showing which sectors are exposed to the risk of declining ocean health and the value of assets and revenue in a business-as-usual versus a sustainable development scenario [2]. An upcoming WWF report ‘Financial Flows into the Baltic Seascape’ will highlight the main blue economy sectors in the Baltic as well as future sectoral development in the region along with their environmental and social impacts. It will also highlight the various types of financial mechanisms that would support an SBE in the Baltic region.

“ Initial findings show that despite decades of work to achieve a Good Environmental Status in the Baltic Sea and access to a variety of existing financial mechanisms to support achieving an SBE, there remain significant discrepancies between what sectors the governments are investing in and the environmental targets they are committing to ,” says Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary.

The Baltic Blue Economy is currently some distance from being a Sustainable Blue Economy that would ensure nature thrived and resources are available in perpetuity. However, with political commitment, well-targeted and sustainable finance can accelerate the transition to a Sustainable Blue Economy by flowing into companies and sectors that have overall positive environmental and social impacts on the Baltic Sea region.

For further information:

Valerie de Liderkerke, Interim Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, valerie.deliedekerke@wwf.se

Hannah Griffiths Berggren, Communications Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme hannah.griffiths.berggren@wwf.se

Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary, Coalition Clean Baltic mikhail.durkin@ccb.se

Federica Pastore, Communication Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic federica.pastore@ccb.se

Notes to the editors:

The update process -HELCOM launched the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) process nearly two years ago and WWF and CCB have been active participants in the ongoing stakeholder process to develop the plan. WWF and CCB participated as official HELCOM Observers to the Ministerial Meeting today, and WWF delivered a statement made on behalf of the environmental NGOS, stating the concern that this plan lacks the very tough actions and commitments which are needed to achieve its objectives.

[1] For more detail on the background, goals and objectives of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan please visit: http://www.helcom.fi/BSAP/en_GB/About_BS /
[2] Global value at risk report: https://value-at-risk.panda.org/#intro

AGRIFISH: Some Baltic Fish Still in Crisis as the EU Starts to Consider Ecosystem Impacts

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 14:38:07 GMT

Press release from Coalition Clean Baltic, FishSec, WWF, Oceana, Seas at Risk and Our Fish.

Luxembourg, 12 October 2021 - Following the EU AGRIFISH Council press conference today, NGOs expressed disappointment that Member State fisheries ministers again haggled all night to raise Baltic fishing limits for 2022 above the European Commission’s proposal and against the clear scientific advice aimed at saving Baltic fish populations. However, NGOs also acknowledge that some progress was made towards considering ecosystem impacts of fishing.

The European Commission’s proposal for Baltic fishing limits adopted a cautious approach due to the extremely degraded state of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, and took into account wider ecosystem considerations and interactions between species. Fisheries ministers agreed higher fishing limits for sprat, central Baltic herring, and plaice compared to the Commission’s proposal, however still below the maximum threshold recommended by the scientists, which NGOs recognise is a step in the right direction towards ecosystem-based fisheries management.

The AGRIFISH Council did agree to close targeted fishing on salmon in the south Baltic but still set a bycatch TACs for all countries and allowed recreational fishing to catch and release wild salmon. This is not in line with the scientific advice that called for a complete halt to salmon fishing in the south to protect vulnerable stocks.

Fisheries Ministers accepted the Commission’s proposal supported by scientific advice to halt targeted fishing of eastern and western Baltic cod, and western Baltic herring. Two out of three of these fish populations are in such a bad state that scientists recommend zero catch, not even as ‘unintentional’ bycatch in other fisheries. This was unfortunately not followed by the decision makers.

“ Baltic cod stocks are already gone; one herring stock is gone, while another is close to a collapse. The terrifying situation in the Baltic Sea and the continued setting of TACs according to an old harvest thinking shows how broken the system really is and we need a new one. ” said Nils Höglund of Coalition Clean Baltic . “ Science and the EU law provided the basis for the Commission’s original proposal and the Commissioner clearly stood his ground, and for that he and his team deserves praise and so do the States that supported him. However several Member States have once again chosen short term gains for a few fishermen in big boats, fishing for fishmeal. ”

“ We are satisfied that EU fisheries ministers listened to some extent to the progressive proposal from the European Commission on Baltic sprat, central Baltic herring and plaice fishing limits, which is a clear step towards implementation of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, as required by the Common Fisheries Policy ”, said Justyna Zajchowska, Marine Conservation Senior Specialist in WWF Poland . “ On the other hand WWF is concerned that ministers set four out of the ten Total Allowable Catches (TACs) exceeding scientific recommendations, including for salmon. ”

“ The return of healthy Baltic fish stocks is critical. A key challenge to achieving this will be adopting management measures that go far beyond the single species management ,” said Jan Isakson, FishSec Director . ” Ecosystem based approach to fisheries management is a legal obligation according to the Common Fisheries Policy and today’s decision adheres to this in some ways, but we were hoping for more substantial outcomes and we are concerned about the short sighted perspective given the severe circumstances we are facing in the Baltic Sea. ”

“ In recent years there has been a trend to narrow the gap between the scientific advice and the catch limits adopted by the Council for the Baltic Sea, but this gap still persists. Thus, overexploitation continues to be of great concern for certain stocks of for example cod, herring or salmon “ said Javier López, Oceana´s Campaign Director for Sustainable Fisheries in Europe. “ We need to see greater ambition in the management of Baltic fish stocks. Fishing activity must stop exacerbating the ecological crisis and become part of the long-term health solution for the Baltic Sea. However, we will have to wait at least another year for that to happen. ”

“ The fisheries Council today made some steps in the right direction by closing fisheries of collapsed fish stocks like cod and herring. However, this decision may come too late, especially since bycatch of these fish is still allowed ”, said Andrea Ripol, Fisheries Policy Officer of Seas At Risk. “ This will not prevent the looming collapse of the Baltic ecosystem, with iconic fish populations vanishing right in front of our eyes. ”

“ We thank the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, for playing hardball to get Baltic fisheries management back on track. Some key fish populations remain chronically overfished so the tragedy of the collapsing Baltic Sea ecosystem and its devastating impacts on the fishing community will continue ”, said Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish Program Director. “ Baltic fisheries ministers must continue to listen to the ocean and the science, and now prioritise access to the small amount of fishing that remains for low-impact and low-carbon fishing vessels, so that we can try to salvage a future that involves a living Baltic Sea and the benefits from climate protection it can offer. ”

ENDS

Contacts:

Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic +46 707 679 249, nils.hoglund@ccb.se

Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, +34 691 826 764 press@fish.eu

Emily Fairless, Oceana Communication officer,+32 478 038 490, efairless@oceana.org

Sara Tironi, Seas At Risk Communication officer +32 483 457 483 stironi@seas-at-risk.org

Justyna Zajchowska, Marine Conservation Senior Specialist, WWF Poland, +48 600 37 44 36, jzajchowska@wwf.pl

Jan Isakson, Director, FishSec, +46 70 608 74 83, jan.isakson@fishsec.org

Notes:

October 2021, Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022

October 2020, Setting of 2021 Baltic quotas: NGOs Welcome EU Fisheries Ministers Setting More Baltic Fishing Limits In Line with Science – But Ecological Crisis Not Averted

REGULATION (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R1380&from=EN

May 2021, EU Must Respond to Baltic Sea Ecosystem and Fisheries Crash with Urgent, Radical Measures

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 14:29:52 GMT

In October 2021, EU fisheries ministers will agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2022. As the deadline to end overfishing by 2020 at the latest as legally prescribed by Article 2(2) of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)1 has passed, all fishing limits must be in line with sustainable exploitation rates.

Last year, fisheries ministers set 2 out of 10 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) in the Baltic Sea exceeding the best available scientific advice for 2020, thereby contravening the CFP deadline. The European Commission proposal already included these 2 TACs, for eastern Baltic cod and western Baltic herring, exceeding scientific advice, while ministers also further increased catch limits beyond levels proposed by the European Commission for western Baltic cod, Baltic sprat, Baltic plaice and salmon in the Gulf of Finland.

The results of the holistic assessment by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (Helsinki Commission, HELCOM) on the state of the Baltic Sea reflect that several action areas lag behind in implementation, despite the deadline for achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) of the marine environment by 2020 according to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and by 2021 according to the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)2. The European Green Deal3 commits the EU to tackling the impacts of climate change and protecting and restoring biodiversity. Specifically, the EU Biodiversity Strategy4 commits to ecosystem-based management, a transition to more selective and less damaging fishing methods, and to set all fishing limits at or below Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) levels, in order to restore ocean health. The Action Plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems noted as a deliverable in the Biodiversity Strategy must become a crucial strategy to improve implementation of, and fill obvious gaps in, EU policies to put European fisheries management on a path where the full ecosystem and climate impacts of fishing are properly measured and mitigated. We are running against the clock to stop the collapse of the Baltic Sea ecosystem and deliver on political promises to halt the climate and nature crises.

The setting of fishing opportunities at sustainable levels is an essential precondition to deliver on these promises. The European Ombudsman has confirmed that fishing opportunities documents contain ‘environmental information’ within the meaning of the Aarhus Convention, and made recommendations to improve the transparency of the Council when setting fishing opportunities. The Ombudsman further confirmed a finding of maladministration in April 20205, expressing disappointment that Council decision-making contravened key democratic and transparency standards.

The October AGRIFISH Council provides the Commission and fisheries ministers with a clear and attainable opportunity to deliver on their commitments in the updated HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and the Our Baltic Declaration from 2020, as well as on their legal obligations according to the CFP to end overfishing. It is also an opportunity to begin to realise the ambition of the Biodiversity Strategy.

The following text outlines the joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022 in the context of environmental regulations, EU fisheries legislation, scientific advice on catch limits, and the sharing of stocks with third countries.

Download the full joint NGOs recommendations (PDF) .

Letter from NGOs and scientists calls for Baltic Sea Ministers political commitment to take action for the Baltic Sea

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:26:47 GMT

Over the last year, HELCOM Contracting Parties have intensively revised the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) set to be adopted by all Baltic Sea countries and the European Union on 20 October 2021 with the goal to reach a healthy Baltic Sea. Despite this revision, NGOs and scientists note a worrying lack of ambition and commitment of the HELCOM Contracting Parties as actions fall short and target years are pushed back. The message from scientists is clear; with accelerated climate change and loss of biodiversity, we are at an environmental tipping point which will have social and economic repercussions for generations to come.

The conclusions of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report show that we need to intensify our efforts to minimize human-induced eutrophication, protect and restore Baltic Sea habitats, and adapt the future climate scenarios which will heavily influence the state of the Baltic Sea in the future. In order for the Baltic Sea environment to improve, concrete political targets need to be set that significantly reduce the cumulative, negative impacts from human activities and support the development of a minimal impact, climate-resilient and zero-carbon world.

Ahead of the next HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting in September, Coalition Clean Baltic along with WWF BEP and 30 scientists have sent a letter asking the Contracting Parties to agree on a 2021 HELCOM BSAP and Ministerial Statement that sets the political ambition required for the coming 9 years.

Read the letter here .

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 14:23:15 GMT

We are running against the clock to stop the collapse of the Baltic Sea ecosystem and deliver on political promises to halt the climate and nature crises.

While also taking the following factors into consideration:
● Set TACs at more precautionary levels and in line with an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management (along with additional spatial and temporal measures) to accommodate stock-specific uncertainties (catch misreporting, discards, assessment bias etc.), interspecies stock dynamics (e.g. sprat-cod) and low recruitment trends of individual stocks, whilst also considering other pressures (pollution, eutrophication, climate change) on the Baltic ecosystem that are likely to affect the abundance of fish stock biomass;
● Fully utilise the precautionary approach in relation to mixed fisheries, protecting the most vulnerable stock either by closing areas with high mixing or dramatically reducing quotas to safeguard sub-populations;
● Take into account the lack of implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO) when setting TACs, and either require remote electronic monitoring (such as cameras) or onboard observers for all vessels above 12m and for medium and high risk vessels below 12m, or set TACs below ICES catch advice to ensure illegal, unreported discarding does not lead to actual catches exceeding ICES catch advice;
● Take into account that control with onboard observers was significantly reduced in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and discard rates may therefore be higher than observed.

Additionally, we call for improved transparency of negotiations and decisions as follows:
● Provide transparent calculations for TACs based on the ICES advice on fishing opportunities;
● Improve transparency by making publicly available any proposals subsequent to the official Commission proposal, including Commission non-papers, Council Working Party, and AGRIFISH Council documents and minutes.

Finally, the European Parliament, as a co-legislator of the CFP basic regulation and of the Baltic Sea MAP, should be vigilant that no infringements of the rules for which it is responsible occur, and that the overarching objective of ending overfishing in the EU is fully achieved. We therefore recommend that members of the European Parliament ensure effective scrutiny of the TACs set by the Council, as well as any technical measures adopted when agreeing annual fishing opportunities.

Read and download the full NGO TAC 2022 recommendations here .

Most of Europe’s river basins will still be unhealthy by 2027

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:07:49 GMT

11 out of 13 river basins studied in various EU countries will still be unhealthy by 2027, new research reveals. The Baltic Sea Region isn’t an exception, especially with the Odra river [1]. Those countries will miss the legally binding EU target to return Europe’s dirty freshwaters to health by then.

Member States have only six months left to finalise their river basin management plans for the next six years, as required by EU law. The drafts for 2022-2027 are the third round of national plans before the 2027 target, and are Europe’s final opportunity to get things right.

CCB [2] contributed to the report ,[3] published by WWF and the Living Rivers Europe Coalition [4], that finds that only two out of the 13 analysed river basins – both in Finland – might see good health by 2027. Most of the river basins suffer from a lack of national budget allocated to water management, insufficient integration of water protection into other policies – in particular energy, agriculture and infrastructure – and the multiple misuse of derogations – all issues that were already flagged in the 2019 Fitness Check conclusions of the Water Framework Directive’s (WFD) evaluation.

The performance of the draft RBMPs is ‘poor’ for nearly half of the analysed indicators including pollution, excessive water extraction, blockages like dams, poor flood and drought management, agriculture, hydropower, coal mining and missing nature-restoring measures. EU countries – which have until the end of this year to publish their final RBMPs – must address the shortcomings identified in the draft plans to change the future for our freshwaters and meet the 2027 goal.

Draft River Basin Management Plan scores:

Notes to editors:

Contact person:
[2] Ewa Lés
CCB Working Area Leader River Basin and Wastewater Management
evvales@gmail.com

[1] National reports from countries in the Baltic Sea Region
– Germany available here
– Finland available here
– International Odra River Bassin District (Germany, Poland,
Czech Republic) available here

[3] Documents related to “The final sprint for Europe’s rivers report”
– Full report “The final sprint for Europe’s rivers” available here.
– Summary report available here.

[4] Living Rivers Europe is a coalition of five environmental and angling organisations gathering WWF’s European network , the European Anglers Alliance , European Environmental Bureau , European Rivers Network , The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International .

Restoring Baltic Sea can’t be delayed for another decade – political ambition must be raised by Baltic countries

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 10:13:00 GMT

June 7, 2021 –This year marks a milestone for the protection of the Baltic Sea. The updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) – which will be adopted in October 2021 – is HELCOM’s strategic programme of measures and a key tool for restoring the Baltic Sea by 2030. However, Baltic countries at the HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting last week showed a lack of bold commitment and high ambitions. Coalition Clean Baltic and WWF are calling for concrete political targets to reach a good environmental status in the Baltic Sea. Investing in nature is a prerequisite to supporting economic activities which depend on the sea’s natural resources while building resilience of vulnerable coastal communities.

Coalition Clean Baltic and WWF have been active in the update process and presented a joint Shadow Plan [1] with recommended actions across not only the main themes addressed by the current Action Plan (biodiversity, eutrophication, hazardous substances and litter, sea-based activities), but also emerging issues such as climate change, underwater noise and seabed disturbance.

says Ottilia Thoreson, Programme Director at WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

says Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary at Coalition Clean Baltic.

The updated BSAP has an impressive 200 actions set to be rolled out over the course of the next nine years to prevent further deterioration of the Baltic Sea. Certain measurable targets are particularly positive: allocating 30% Marine Protected Areas across the Baltic Sea by no later than 2030, including ⅓ to be strictly protected and for countries to adopt legally binding management measures. Eutrophication is a major land-based threat to the overall state of the Baltic Sea environment and food web. The national nutrient input ceilings set clear thresholds for pollution reduction measures to be achieved by individual countries by no later than 2027.

Nevertheless, the overall actions fall short and lack the force and sense of urgency that is now essential. Concrete political targets are the only way to shift away from the current trajectory of cumulative, negative impacts from human activities towards actions to improve the Baltic Sea environment. It is not enough to keep updating BSAP measures to establish and develop guidelines, road maps, evaluate existing programmes and conduct baseline surveys. While these are vital in addressing pressures, they are not in themselves going to help achieve good environmental status by 2030. Even the ambition set for the desired state of the Baltic Sea is underwhelming – calling for ‘minimal’ harm and disturbance to biodiversity, ecosystem and marine life – instead of committing to achieve zero pollution and impact.

Between now and October 2021, all Baltic countries must raise their political ambitions and implement an updated BSAP that includes:

The coming decade will be decisive. Action must be taken now to support communities on land and in coastal areas, to increase resilience to climate change, and to prevent the deepening crisis of collapsing fish stocks, nature loss and dead zones in our sea.

NGOs call on all Baltic countries to take the necessary steps in the last stretch until October to ensure a robust, future-proof BSAP that will lead to change in the condition of the sea.

Notes to editors:

CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 member organizations and 1 observer, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at www.ccb.se

WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme – is an ambitious and highly influential force working to conserve and restore the health of the Balitc Sea. The programme is comprised of WWF and NGO partners in each of the nine coastal Baltic Sea countries. Representing the region’s largest membership network, the programme’s approach has been to work with public and private sector partners toward ensuring a healthy, productive Baltic Sea through sustainable, ecosystem-based management. More info at: https://www.wwfbaltic.org/

The HELCOM State of the Baltic Sea Report – shows that despite a few promising trends in the last 12 years, the objectives of the current BSAP have not been reached and countries have missed the 2020 deadline – outlined in the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive – to achieve and maintain a ‘Good Environmental Status’ in the sea.

The update process – An updated plan is currently being developed and negotiated by the ten HELCOM members – the nine Baltic Sea countries plus the European Union – and is due to be adopted at a Ministerial Meeting 2021. Its focus will be on the same areas as the current plan with some adaptation to include additional pressures from human activities including: climate change, eutrophication, hazardous substances and litter, sea-based activities and achieve a healthy and resilient ecosystem. It will also address emerging issues to be tackled on a regional scale such as, marine litter, underwater noise and seabed disturbance.

The Baltic Shadow Plan: for the future of the Baltic Sea

CCB calls to postpone the adoption of the Lynetteholm project

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 12:16:00 GMT

CCB as an environmental NGO network, was approached by our Danish and German members with an information about ongoing discussions on the Lynetteholm project and its expected adoption by the Danish Parliament in early June. It appeared rather alerting as despite of the scale of the project and potential magnitude of its impacts on the Baltic marine environment, no information about any wider international consultations was available. The impacts for the whole Baltic Sea are primarily connected with obstruction of salt water inflow to the Baltic from the North Sea, which is vital for oxygenation of oxygen-depleted bottom layers and serves important role in Baltic biogeochemical cycle .

CCB as an active Observer to the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (Helsinki Commission) has filed a request HELCOM for such information to be provided to other Baltic countries (along with similar requests for 2 other large-scale infrastructure projects in Russia and Poland). It will be raised at the 60 ^th Meeting of HELCOM Heads of Delegation that happens today and tomorrow.

At the same time our members have approached national contact points for Espoo Convention on environmental impact assessment in transboundary context, asking whether any notification about Lynetteholm was given to other neighbouring countries. None of those, but Sweden, were informed about the project and Swedish response from various authorities to the proposed project was strongly negative. Based on inquiries to relevant authorities, now Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Finland, have asked Denmark for further information on the project.

Finally, given the short deadline before the hearings in the Danish Parliament, CCB submitted an open letter prior to it, referring to the contradictions of the project approval without proper consultations with the Baltic Sea countries. The letter has been also shared with the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries , as well as with Directors General of respective DG of the European Commission and the Chair of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference . In a letter, CCB calls for a postponement of the adoption of the project before necessary transboundary consultations are being held and respective impact mitigation measures are jointly devised.

Read the full letter here.

NGOs call to address the impacts of lignite mining on water in the Oder river basin

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 14:01:00 GMT

On June 8th, the International Commission for the Protection of the Oder River (ICPO) will meet to discuss the updates of the international River Basin Management Plan.

CCB, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and partner NGOs are calling on the ICPO, the Ministries of Water and the Water Directors of the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, to take the necessary measures to protect the river from the disruptive impacts of lignite mining, with a joint letter .

Key messages and facts

EU Must Respond to Baltic Sea Ecosystem and Fisheries Crash With Urgent, Radical Measures

Fri, 28 May 2021 12:01:00 GMT

Brussels, 28 May 2021: – Responding to today’s publication of annual scientific advice for 2022 EU fishing limits for the Baltic Sea by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) [1], a group of non-governmental organizations is demanding that the European Commission follow the scientific advice and calls for an immediate transition to ecosystem-based, climate-smart, low-impact fishing. This would require, for example, closing the fisheries for eastern Baltic cod and western herring and effectively protecting cod spawning grounds from all fishing.

The scientific advice shows that the Baltic Sea is going through an ecosystem shift, with western herring and eastern cod stocks depleted to such low levels that ICES advises that they can not support any commercial fishing at all in 2022, and that the herring fishery in the central Baltic must be greatly reduced. ICES will not deliver advice on two key fish stocks, the western Baltic cod and the salmon populations; both release dates are postponed to September.

“ The trend is clear: because we are losing the ability to manage our Baltic fish populations with fishing quotas, we must transition to an ecosystem based management system with low impact fishing only. Considering the overall ecosystem health, we really must also consider the option not to fish at all on a larger scale, on any fish stock in the Baltic Sea, ” said Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic.

“ Fisheries management in the fragile Baltic Sea ecosystem requires more caution. We call on theEuropean Commission to not only propose Baltic fishing limits for 2022 that do not exceed scientific advice, but also to implement an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management in line with Common Fisheries Policy objective, and consider setting Baltic Total Allowable Catches at lower levels ”, said Ottilia Thoreson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

“ The latest scientific advice clearly confirms the failure in the management of Baltic fish populations. Consistently exceeding scientific advice has depleted fish populations such as eastern Baltic cod or western Baltic herring to the extent that scientists recommend the closure of these fisheries”, said Javier López, Campaign Director for Sustainable Fisheries at Oceana in Europe. “There is an urgent need to recover these fish populations and incorporate wider ecosystem considerations into their management. Only in this way can fishing activity be part of the solution to the environmental crisis in the Baltic Sea ”.

“ The collapse of eastern Baltic cod shows that when too many vessels chase too few fish, overfishing, illegal discards and damage to the ecosystem occur ”, said Jan Isakson, Director at FishSec. “ To reverse the negative trends for Baltic Sea fish populations the EU Commission and coastal state governments must implement all aspects of EU fisheries and environmental law, including reducing the number of fishers and vessels operating there, and giving preferential access to quota and fishing areas for low impact passive gear fishers. Fishers should be supported to transition into new jobs with retraining, paid for by the EU fisheries fund ”.

“ The Baltic Sea is going into cardiac arrest – after years of fisheries ministers approving continued overfishing, allowing illegal discarding and turning a blind eye to misreporting of catches, scientists are now recommending radical halts to fishing due to population crashes. The European Commission must introduce full ecosystem and climate impact assessments for all fishing fleets through the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s Action Plan, and Baltic Member States must only allow access to low-impact fishing ”, said Rebecca Hubbard, Program Director with Our Fish.

SUMMARY OF ICES ADVICE FOR SELECTED FISH POPULATIONS

Eastern Baltic Cod (Subdivisions 24-32)

The status of the eastern Baltic cod population remains very poor, with declining reproduction and growth. The current biomass (population) is among the lowest in 70 years. This all points to a population in distress and ICES again notes that the population will not recover in the medium term even with no fishing. All fishing in area 24 must be limited to help manage the risk of the Eastern Baltic cod, as the most vulnerable fish population. The ICES advice for eastern Baltic cod catches in 2022 is zero tonnes, for the third year in a row.

Western Spring Spawning Herring (Subdivisions 20–24, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and western Baltic)

The western Baltic spring spawning herring is in very bad shape. The biomass is crashing and recruitment and catches are very low. The stock is divided into three different management areas (Division 4a., SD 20-21 and SD 22-24), which means that reduced fishing pressure needs to be applied in all areas in order to allow the stock to recover. The Brexit agreement has added additional uncertainties to the population projections, as catches of western Baltic herring also occur in the eastern part of the North Sea. ICES advises a fishing limit of zero tonnes in 2022, for the fourth year in a row. This advice has been ignored every year.

Atlantic salmon in the Baltic Sea (in subdivisions 22–32, excluding the Gulf of Finland)

Catches of salmon have declined since the 1990s but the commercial landings have been rather stable in recent years. ICES is not releasing any advice on salmon at this stage and note that this as well as advice on western Baltic cod is postponed to September.

Western Baltic Cod (subdivisions 22-24)

The advice for the western Baltic cod will be postponed until September due to high uncertainty in the assessment. However, the stock is not in a good condition and significantly reduced catches will probably be needed, according to interim information.

Gulf of Bothnia Herring (subdivisions 30 and 31)

Central Baltic Herring (subdivisions 25–29 and 32, excluding the Gulf of Riga)

Gulf of Riga Herring (in Subdivision 28.1)

Sprat (in subdivisions 22–32)

Plaice in Kattegat, Belt Seas, and the Sound (subdivisions 21–23)

Plaice in Baltic Sea (excluding the Sound and Belt Seas, subdivisions 24–32)

NOTE: NGOs will produce our recommendations for fishing limits for all Baltic fish stocks for 2022 in the coming weeks.

END

Contacts:

Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic, nils.hoglund@ccb.se , +46 708 679249

Dave Walsh, Communications Advisor, Our Fish, dave@our.fish , +34 691 826 764

Emily Fairless, Communications Officer Oceana, efairless@oceana.org

Jan Isakson, Director, FishSec, jan.isakson@fishsec.org , +46 70 608 74 83

Ottilia Thoreson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se , +46 8 624 74 15

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Marine Policy Officer, The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Cathrine@dn.dk , +45 31 19 32 26

Row over the Atlantic: a new collaboration to save the Baltic harbour porpoise

Tue, 25 May 2021 10:38:00 GMT

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and the Swedish adventurers Måns Kämpe and Sören Kjellkvist [1] are pleased to announce the launch of a collaboration to save the endangered Baltic whale, the harbour porpoise . Måns and Sören will during the winter of 2021-22 row over the Atlantic from Portugal to the Caribbean, a journey of about 6000 kilometers which will take around 3 months.

Throughout the rowing, Måns and Sören will write a daily report (both in English and Swedish) by publishing updates on the journey and facts & figures on the harbour porpoise [2]. The aim is to raise awareness about the Baltic harbour porpoise, which currently has less than 500 animals left and is near extinction [3], due to bycatch [4], contaminants and underwater noise.

As a preparation for the big adventure Sören and Måns will row from Stockholm to Visby during the Almedalen Week [5] in the beginning of July and there, together with Coalition Clean Baltic, will share information, create opinion and collect signatures to raise awareness and put pressure for the implementation of emergency measures to protect this cetacean population.

said Måns Kämpe.

Ida Carlén, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, added:

We want to preserve the Baltic biodiversity and urgent action can still prevent the extinction and save the Baltic porpoise.

NOTES

https://sorenkjellkvist.se/start_slider/aventyrsbeskrivning-ro-over-atlanten/

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/17031/0

CCB's harbour porpoise page

News: Bycatch of critically endangered Baltic harbour porpoise must stop

https://almedalsveckan.info/english

Bycatch of critically endangered Baltic Sea harbour porpoise must stop

Sun, 16 May 2021 08:21:00 GMT

May 2021 – The Baltic Sea harbour porpoise is facing extinction. Only a few hundred animals are left, and under continued threat from bycatch, environmental contaminants, prey depletion and disturbance from underwater noise. Today, on the International Day of the Baltic harbour porpoise, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and WWF urge Baltic Member States to uphold their legal obligation to protect the Baltic porpoises, in particular from bycatch, which is recognized as the greatest cause of their mortality in the Baltic Sea.

Even a single death could have a devastating impact on the ability of the population to recover, or even stabilize. Therefore, in order to prevent this critically endangered population from going extinct, bycatch must be reduced – ideally to zero.

Mitigation measures can be put in place and the legal requirements to implement them exist through EU legislation. The Natura 2000 network of the Birds and Habitats Directives is the cornerstone of the EU’s efforts to protect biodiversity and threatened species, but Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designated for Baltic Sea harbour porpoise must be effectively managed to achieve their objective to truly preserve these animals. Moreover, the EU Technical Measures Regulation should be implemented to protect the species from getting caught in fishing nets within the species range. Why are Member States so slow to act? Why are the ambitions set so low?

The ongoing process on measures to prevent bycatch of the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise, taking place in the Baltic Sea Member States regional group – BALTFISH, is our chance to save this cetacean population. In addition, the current revision of the EU fisheries control regulation is an opportunity for decision makers to address the bycatch of sensitive species, by introducing Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) on vessels, to gather currently lacking data on bycatch instances.

“ A failure to act on the scientific measures that can safeguard the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise and to use the legal frameworks already in place is risking the survival of this population. Effective management measures in the range of this cetacean population is the only opportunity we have for its recovery in the Baltic. ” Ottilia Thoreson, Programme Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

WWF and CCB’s recommendations for Baltic Sea fisheries ministers and BALTFISH are in line with the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) [1] advice, which recommends taking the following actions:

Notes to editors:

CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 member organizations and 1 observer, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea
environment and its natural resources. More info at www.ccb.se .

WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme – is an ambitious and highly influential force working to conserve and restore the health of the Baltic Sea. The programme is comprised of WWF and NGO partners in
each of the nine coastal Baltic Sea countries. Representing the region’s largest membership network, the programme’s approach has been to work with public and private sector partners toward
ensuring a healthy, productive Baltic Sea through sustainable, ecosystem-based management. More info at: https://www.wwfbaltic.org/

Additional information about Baltic Proper harbour porpoise conservation

The harbour porpoise is listed in Annex II and Annex IV of the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC). Annex II stipulates that EU Member States shall designate areas of the harbour porpoise’s habitat as Natura 2000 sites and under Annex IV Member States are required to establish a system of strict protection throughout the natural range of the species. The protection measures shall encompass, for example, a prohibition of all forms of deliberate killing in the wild, deterioration or destruction of breeding sites, and deliberate disturbance, particularly during breeding, rearing and migration.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has defined “deliberate” as acceptance of the possibility of the disturbance, capture or killing of a specimen belonging to a protected animal species. The measures on cetacean bycatch in the ‘Technical Measures’(Regulation 2019/1241) regulation are the minimum expected from Member States to comply with the obligation under the Habitats Directive (Article 12) in relation to cetaceans, however, implementation is lacking here too. The failure of the Member States to adopt a system of strict protection for the Baltic harbour porpoise and lack of compliance with bycatch monitoring obligations is currently risking the survival of this population. Researchers say that bycatch beyond 0.7 animals per year is unsustainable.

We are aware that fishing restrictions with static nets in Natura 2000 areas may be regionally opposed by fishermen. At the same time, we are convinced that none of the fishermen want to contribute to the death of porpoises. In such situations, where large fishing effort using static nets overlaps with harbour porpoise occurrence, we suggest some form of compensation for the fishing restrictions. Moreover, funding has to be provided for programmes and projects aiming at developing and testing alternative gear which potentially can replace gillnets. The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) is a potential funding source for such programmes. For more effective implementation of ADDs in Baltic Proper gillnet fisheries, we suggest the EMFF and other similar funds can provide the funding to equip fishermen with ADDs.

“#NonHazPlasticDiet” campaign

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 09:34:00 GMT

Plastics and the Hidden Threat to your Health

CCB has joined the campaign “NonHaz Plastic Diet” which starts today and will be running for 6 weeks under the project NonHazCity2 .

Plastics and the additives they contain are everywhere in our daily lives. They are in our homes, our workplaces, our clothes and our bodies. Plastics are everywhere because they are convenient and they are cheap. Chemicals are added during manufacturing to give desirable properties such as flexibility, durability and flame resistance. However, this convenience comes at a cost. Chemical additives in plastic items and articles can leach out over time harming you, those around you and the environment.

Some of the substances added to plastic to make it useful are chemically similar to the hormones in our bodies that control hunger, weight gain and most other biological processes. Alarmingly, these chemicals, known as endocrine disrupting chemicals or EDCs, are also similar to the hormones which control development of unborn and young children. We get exposed to EDCs through the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the things we touch. In today’s world, there is no way we can completely avoid EDCs but through some smart life choices, we can reduce our exposure.

Almost all plastic contains one or more additives, but not all additives have EDC properties. Regulators work with industry to phase out additives with known EDC properties but replacements are not necessarily entirely safe. Furthermore, we as consumers do not have easy access to information about which additives are in which items and articles and scientists have not yet studied the EDC properties of all potential additives.

Despite this lack of knowledge, there are a number of ways we can reduce our exposure to the potentially harmful substances in plastics.
In the campaign, the focus will be on five areas:

Textile – The risk on our skin!
Sport utensils & bathing tools – Play safe!
Home accessories and decorations – Surrounded by plastics
Toys – Invisible danger for our little ones
Food contact material – Detox your kitchen!
Bioplastic – Solution or Greenwashing

These areas are potentially significant sources of EDC exposure and there we can take concrete actions to reduce our exposure, for our health and for the environment.

The last topic will be bioplastic. Today, almost all plastic is produced by refining fossil fuels. In some cases, alternatives exist, which are based on plant materials such as bioplastics, or cotton instead of synthetic cloth. These alternatives may be more climate friendly than products made from fossil fuels, but many of them have the same problems as traditional plastics. They can contain EDC additives and may be difficult to recycle.

Change is not always easy but it is possible. The aim of this campaign is to give new ideas and knowledge not only to protect our health, but the health of those around us and the environment.

Learn more:
https://thinkbefore.eu/en/
CCB's plastic free ocean project

EU Scientific body confirms stronger bycatch measures are needed to protect Bay of Biscay common dolphins and Baltic Proper harbour porpoises

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 13:35:00 GMT

NGO concerns over EU countries’ inadequate response to the bycatch of protected species have now been confirmed by the evaluation of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) [1].

With respect to the measures proposed by France, Spain and Portugal to reduce bycatch of common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay, it concludes that measures are insufficient to prevent the many thousands of incidental killings recorded every year. Regarding measures for the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise brought forward by Baltic Member States, STECF highlights that these proposals have the potential to reduce incidental catches in marine protected areas but they leave out crucial measures recommended by scientists to minimise bycatch of this critically endangered species in the wider region.

Now the ball is in the European Commission’s court to decide on the proposed measures. NGOs call on the European Commission to reject these inadequate measures and require Member States to urgently revise their proposals according to the entirety of the scientific advice and uphold their legal obligations to prevent bycatch.

STECF has warned that the number of bycaught dolphins stranded on the French coast has doubled in January 2021 compared to January 2020 [2]. In the Bay of Biscay, between 1 December 2020 and 6 April 2021, around 750 dolphins were found stranded on the French Atlantic coast [3], which could imply that around 7500 died in the fishing nets of the Bay of Biscay this winter [4]. If this keeps going, common dolphins could disappear in the Bay of Biscay within 40 years [5].

The increase in dolphin mortality due to bycatch, and the negative evaluation from STECF of the currently proposed measures by France, Spain and Portugal should be taken very seriously by governments of France and Spain, which are under legal pressure due to their innaction, following infringement action taken by the Commission [6].

On the other hand, measures proposed by Baltic Member States to prevent bycatch of the critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise follow parts of the scientific advice more closely. STECF’s scientists have now concluded that, if effectively implemented, these measures will ‘contribute to reducing incidental catches of the harbour porpoise in the Baltic’ [7], however, they are unlikely to eliminate the threat entirely. Given that every single bycaught porpoise threatens the future of this small population [8], marine NGOs have expressed concern that the proposal only covers measures in Marine Protected Areas, neglecting the wider Baltic Sea area, where bycatches are as likely to occur. Furthermore, Baltic Member States are under legal obligation to protect the harbour porpoise throughout its habitat range, not only in Marine Protected Areas. This concern is also highlighted in the STECF’s evaluation.

There is no time to waste for the Baltic porpoise and while Baltic Member States aim to submit a second set of proposals by June 2021, NGOs are calling on them to urgently include measures covering the entire Baltic Sea region as well as measures for recreational fishers, in line with scientific advice. Until such measures are implemented, the European Commission must promptly adopt emergency measures to protect the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise.

Andrea Ripol, Fisheries Policy Officer, Seas At Risk said: “ The message is clear – the measures proposed by France and Spain fall short of any ambition and are clearly not enough to prevent the deaths of thousands of dolphins, which is a growing concern for the public. Over 300,000 people have signed a petition demanding urgent action. Science and public opinion are aligned. Why shouldn’t then decision makers act accordingly? We count on the European Commission to reject this proposal and on Commissioner Sinkevičiust to keep his word and to step in. ”

Sarah Dolman, Bycatch programme lead at Whale and Dolphin Conservation said: “ More dolphins were bycaught in the Bay of Biscay last winter than have been recorded for more than a decade. Member States wasted time proposing inadequate measures which do not meet the scientific requirements presented twice now by regional experts, ICES and STECF. The Commission must act urgently to enforce EU law and require robust measures that will prevent further deaths of dolphins and porpoises. ”

Cecilia del Castillo, fisheries campaigner at Ecologistas en Acción said: “Uneffective measures have resulted in hundreds of dead dolphins for another consecutive winter in the Bay of Biscay. Commissioner Sinkevičiust, it is time to demand the French and Spanish governments to stop procrastinating. The scientific advice is clear: temporary closures of fisheries are required to cease with this disaster at once”.

Ida Carlén, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic and Chair of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group , said: “ The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population is critically endangered and even one animal bycaught poses a serious threat to the survival of the population. Member States must act to save the only whale in the Baltic, and they must act now.”

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, senior marine policy officer at The Danish Society for Nature Conservation said: “ The Baltic member states are undermining the implementation of effective measures throughout the entire distribution range of the baltic harbour porpoise by cherry picking measures recommended by ICES regarding marine protected areas, while stalling the implementation of measures throughout the Baltic Proper. This delayment tactic is very regrettable, as harbour porpoises don’t self contain themselves to marine protected areas, but have a broad distribution range in which they need to be protected against incidental bycatch. We therefore call on the Baltic member states to agree on bycatch measures that follow the entirety of the ICES advice without further delays ”.

Sophie Mjati, Oceans, Seas and Coastline coordinator at France Nature Environnement , said: “ More than 65 000 dolphins have died in the fishing nets of the Bay of Biscay since 2000. The refusal of governments to act is deafening and may lead to a disappearance of the population ”.

______________________________________________________________________________

CONTACTS
For more information or an interview please contact:

Seas At Risk is an umbrella organisation of environmental NGOs from across Europe that promotes ambitious policies at European and international level for the protection and restoration of the marine environment.

WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation is the leading charity dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises. We work globally through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation projects, field research, rescue, education and advocacy to advance our vision of a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 member organizations and 1 observer, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at: www.ccb.se

Ecologistas en Acción is a non-governmental umbrella organisation of over 300 environmentalist groups throughout Spain that was founded in December 1998 and is one of the top five environmental groups active in Spain today. The organisation’s guiding principles are built around the core concept of social ecology, which views environmental problems and the global ecological crisis as rooted in an increasingly unsustainable and globalized model of economic production and consumption.

The Danish Society for Nature Conservation (DN) is a non-profit, non-governmental membership based organisation that works to conserve nature and the environment in Denmark through local work, conservation, lobbying and specific projects. DN is the largest green NGO in Denmark with 130.000 members and over 1.500 active volunteers.

France Nature Environnement was created in 1968 and gathers more than 3500 local NGOs from all France including overseas territories, working on a range of environmental areas (oceans, energies, forests, agriculture, health, education, transports, waste, etc.). Therefore, France Nature Environnement’s objective is to give voice to the civil society and protect the terrestrial and marine environment. France Nature Environnement is involved at a local, regional, national and European level.

NOTES

Observatoire PELAGIS

Peltier H et al. 2020. ‘Can modelling the drift of bycaught dolphin stranded carcasses help identify involved fisheries? An exploratory study’. Global Ecology and Conservation. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/des-dauphins-retrouves-echoues-par-dizaines-sur-les-plages-aquitaines-1999444.html

Groups call on the European Commission to take action over huge number of cetacean deaths.

Additional information on the lack of effective action from France and Spain and the need for emergency measures is available here .

EU will propose new law to make nature restoration legally binding in the EU

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 14:32:00 GMT

Nature as we know it is heading towards extinction. And it’s because of human activity. Logging, intensive agriculture and overfishing have pushed one million animal and plant species to the point where they’re hanging by a thread. The European Commission will propose a new law to make nature restoration legally binding for EU countries. But as it stands, there is no definition of what this will actually mean.

Right now, the Commission is asking the public to give their opinion on what nature restoration across the EU should look like, which is open for feedback until the 5th of April 2021.

BirdLife Europe, the European Environmental Bureau and WWF European Policy Office, have now launched #RestoreNature – a campaign demanding to restore nature across Europe now. [1] The message to the European Commission is simple: Only through meaningful, transformative change at land and sea can we bring back the biodiversity we desperately need. It will help us to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, and prevent the future spread of diseases.

Through the #RestoreNature campaign citizens from both within and outside the EU can demand that the EU develops a good law that can help reverse the fate of nature in Europe, and beyond and start giving land, sea and water back to nature.

This EU law can be a real game-changer for people and nature, but only if it is grounded in science. Failing that, it risks ending up an empty green-washing tool.

This is about the survival of our precious wetlands, peatlands, grasslands, forests, floodplains, rivers, and oceans. But it is also about our climate, our health, and the survival of humankind. Protecting what is left is needed but won’t cut it. We also need to bring nature back. We must #RestoreNature now. Our survival depends on it.

CCB joined the campaign [2] on its social media pages: “We are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction with species disappearing at more than 100 times the natural rate, right before our own eyes, with disastrous consequences for our climate, our health, and our wellbeing”.

______________________________________________________________________________

www.restorenature.eu

Restoring Europe’s nature – NGO position paper

Towards a green Europe to protect European Deltas

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:05:00 GMT

Manifesto for the protection of European Deltas.

There are around 10,000 deltas in the world, and some 339 million people live in them. Many of these deltas are extremely vulnerable to flooding, especially due to the effects of climate change and poor river basin management. Deltas are coastal systems formed by the contribution of water and sediments from rivers, which makes them vulnerable in double measure to climate change and other factors of global change in the territory. Its physical, ecological and socioeconomic integrity is threatened both by changes in the marine system (rise in sea level, increase in the frequency and intensity of sea storms, etc.) and by land uses and the management of their hydrographic basins (such as decrease in the river flows, reservoir sediments trapping, etc.).

In Europe there are deltas of high socio-economic and ecological relevance, such as those of the Danube, the Vistula, the Rhine, the Po, the Rhone or the Ebro, many of which are suffering increasing risks of erosion, subsidence, flooding and salinization. The effects that the Ebro Delta suffered after the storm Gloria are a clear example of this. In this context, it is urgent that their effective conservation throughout Europe becomes a political priority for the European institutions if their survival is to be guaranteed , in accordance with article 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, according to which, the Union policy on the environment should contribute to the conservation, protection and improvement of ecosystems quality, the prudent and rational use of natural resources, and the promotion of measures at international level to deal with regional or global environmental problems, and in particular to combat climate change.

Within the European legal framework, there are several regulatory texts that, directly or indirectly, affect the conservation and management of deltas. However, the regulatory framework established by the European Union Directives is not sufficient to guarantee the physical protection of the deltas .

That is why we call on the European Commission to increase efforts to conserve and restore European deltas, especially within the framework of the Water Framework Directive and its implementation in the Member States. We ask for:

The deltas and their future show us the true vulnerability derived from the lack of balance between human activity and nature. Improving its management and ensuring its future will involve betting on a true balance that favours nature, delta ecosystems and their biodiversity, in order to protect the health and well being of the people who live in them.

Read the full Manifesto here.

______________________________________________________________________________

85 MEPs and 59 associations, academic and research centres from across Europe have signed a manifesto in support of the protection of Europe’s deltas. CCB is one of the signatories.

Ambition, concrete actions and commitment: key elements to save the Baltic Sea

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 08:02:00 GMT

NGOs recommendations towards the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan

17 March 2021 – This year will mark a milestone for the protection of the Baltic Sea since the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) [1] will be adopted by HELCOM and its members, with the aim to achieve good environmental status by 2030. Throughout the updated process, Coalition Clean Baltic and WWF have stressed the importance of rigorous action and bold commitment from contracting parties , and presented a joint Shadow Plan [2] with recommended actions across all themes addressed by the current Action Plan.

Today, on the occasion of the 42nd Meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), we call once again on all Baltic countries to focus on raising the ambition for the implementation of the updated BSAP . This Plan must include measures set to reduce all relevant pressures on the Baltic Sea and to fulfil the goal of the original BSAP – which unfortunately has not been met by 2021 [3] – assuring our sea and environment the stability and the protection to heal.

Some trends of the marine environment have shown important progress [4] as a result of the measures implemented by the BSAP in the last years. This indicates that we have a valid platform and tools to adopt a revised and action-oriented plan that must include an ecosystem based approach and cross-cutting issues such as climate change.

says Ottilia Thoreson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

A future-proof plan is fundamental to tackle the environmental issues in the Baltic Sea, but we need all countries to take their responsibilities and be part of the process , with high ambitions, concrete and effective measures, and regular monitoring of the actions taken.

Therefore, we rely on all HELCOM representatives to take into account our recommendations and keep their commitment to protect and save the Baltic Sea, through the implementation of an updated BSAP that benefits both nature and people .

-END

Note to the editors

https://helcom.fi/media/documents/Strategic-plan-for-the-BSAP-update-as-agreed-by-HOD-54-2018_clean-version.pdf

http://ccb.se/2020/03/the-baltic-shadow-plan-for-the-future-of-the-baltic-sea/

HELCOM BSAP

https://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-action-plan/bsap-update-2021/

And http://stateofthebalticsea.helcom.fi/

https://helcom.fi/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Implementation-of-the-BSAP-2018.pdf

Rivers´regulation in Poland: open letter to the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 15:45:31 GMT

Moratorium on rivers’ development is required in the implementation of any project financed by public money.

The reason for calling for a radical intervention by the Polish Prime Minister concerns the ill-adapted water management. The current state of the water management and the challenges of the national wealth: the natural river network in Poland, is a serious problem. Supporting the need to renegotiate the Water Act, quick and radical measures are necessary to prevent further devastation of rivers.

Previous editions of the Infrastructure and Environment Programmes contributed to deteriorate the status of Poland’s water bodies. The entire river network suffered from extensive interventions involving deepening and damming watercourse channels. This has exacerbated the problem of lowering the groundwater table throughout the country and caused extensive damage to natural river channels and bank revetments of regulated rivers. When formulating plans and programs for rivers or related to water beyond rivers, it is essential to consider the values and state of the environment formulated by the scientific community, NGOs, or the European Commission.

The information of the then Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation for the Parliament for 2018-2019 proves that water management is to serve water use and not to preserve publicly available national water resources in river systems and in groundwater reservoirs. In recent years the units responsible for water management in Poland neglected rivers’ condition.

Thus, between 2016 and 2018, the number of rivers in poor condition increased from 90% to 99.4%, which proves that currently the condition of rivers in Poland is the worst in the Baltic Sea basin and in Europe. Moreover, according to the provisions of the National Surface Water Restoration Programme, more than 90% of surface water bodies require restoration measures.

Therefore, we call for:

Water management in Poland should be performed by an institution responsible for the protection of the environment, natural resources, climate and forestry to implement modern descriptions of natural rivers (by care and shaping in the corridor of the development of natural channels). It is important to equip this institution with appropriate funds for the protection and maintenance of rivers, but also with the possibility of constituting an opinion on the methods of interference by all stakeholders in the water resources of river valleys.
Introduce a general moratorium on the development, deepening and damming rivers in Poland. Ban use of obsolete catalogues and guidelines drawn up before 1980, until the introduction of a regulation to define modern rules for river shaping with understanding the river morphology of channels and its environmental requirements.
Arranged a variable river basin management in Poland to restore the natural ecosystem services. Use natural retention potential to counteract the effects of climate change (in the context of drought and floods, while recovering the near-natural self-purification of basin systems to reduce the adverse effects of emissions from basin areas).

In order to spend public money properly and not risk losing funds of the National Reconstruction Plan and the Partnership Agreement, radical steps are needed. That will consist in a ban (moratorium) on regulation, partitioning and deepening of rivers from their source to their mouths, for all investors, up to the effective implementation of modern reference descriptions of natural rivers and standards of conduct for river restoration during their maintenance.

Consequently, we call on the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland to take action in Polish water management.

Read the full Moratorium in Polish

Read the full Moratorium in English

In memoriam of Lennart Gladh

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 11:33:00 GMT

We have lost a very good friend, true nature lover and defender of our shared environment.

Lennart Gladh… “a biologist who likes fly fishing and clean water as well as living in the country-side among cows and cornfields” as he described himself in Twitter… Lennart was very humble person with certainly wider range of interests and real passion to nature around.

During last two years, Lennart was courageously fighting cancer that struck again hard in early 2021…

Lennart Gladh will be strongly missed by many people in CCB’s network and our hearts and souls are with his family and friends during these days…

Rest in peace, friend, and let Mother Nature heal and care about you, as you did to her…

Jointly with WWF and SLU we have created the ‘In memoriam’ board, where anyone can contribute: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/wTW4Z2Qe

Coalition Clean Baltic family

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Conservation Is Failing European Porpoises

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:55:46 GMT

New scientific paper calls for urgent action to protect Europe’s porpoises.

Sweden, February 2021 – In a paper [1] just published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science , three marine mammal experts have stressed the vulnerability of the harbour porpoise in European seas, and call for urgent action, especially in relation to the threat from fisheries.

The experts argue that European cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and their habitats are covered by a number of international and regional conventions and agreements (as detailed in the paper) and, under European Union law, are “highly protected.” However, in practice, these measures have failed to generate effective conservation and the Baltic harbour porpoise population, for example, now only numbers in the low hundreds and is classified as Critically Endangered [2].

The paper’s authors also consider the situation of other porpoise species, reporting that many are threatened elsewhere in the world and they stress that the main threat to them all is incidental capture in fishing nets.

Ida Carlén, one of the authors and a researcher at Stockholm University and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic comments: ‘We have known for decades that the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population is in grave danger, yet until now nothing has been done to protect his tiny population. Now urgent action is needed to ensure its survival.’

These animals are very vulnerable to the adverse effects of growing human impacts in the sea and the situation in the Baltic is especially critical. ´Whilst we have seen many plans on paper to act in the animals’ best interest, this has not translated to real action. Our new paper highlights the need to act in a timely fashion or populations will be reduced to a point of no return´, continues Ida Carlén.

Mark Simmonds OBE, another author and Senior Marine Scientist with the Humane Society International adds: ‘One of the problems that this species faces is relatively poor public recognition. They were once common in coastal waters but now few people would recognise one if they met it. This lack of public appreciation means that people do not know what they are losing and, therefore, do not call on their elected representatives to act.’

However, the researchers also reveal some signs of hope with plans and recommendations coming from the European Union and Laetitia Nunny, an independent wildlife researcher based in Spain, comments: ‘The European Commission has recently shown it is taking this problem seriously and we remain hopeful that if action is taken to adapt fishing practices and to tackle other threats such as chemical and noise pollution then harbour porpoises will be able to swim safely in European waters.’

With the publication of this article, the authors hope to bring the harbour porpoise to the forefront of wildlife conservation in Europe so that populations can recover and thrive.

Contacts

For more information or an interview please contact:

Ida Carlén, researcher at Stockholm University and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic: ida.carlen@ccb.se , +46 70 3133067

Mark Simmonds, Senior Marine Scientist at Humane Society International: msimmonds@hsi.org , +44 7809643000

Background

Harbour porpoises are one of the smallest of marine mammals. They live in small fluid groups of between 1 and 10 individuals and tend to keep away from boats and people. Several distinct populations are recognised within Europe and that in the Baltic Proper is classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered.

Notes

Human Society International is a non-profit organisation and a leading force for animal protection in the European Union, UK and beyond, with active campaigns to protect wildlife across the region. More info at https://www.hsi-europe.org/ .

[1] Paper “Out of sight, out of mind: how conservation is failing European porpoises” – Ida Carlén, Laetitia Nunny and Mark P. Simmonds (2021): available free online at
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.617478/abstrac t
[2] IUCN Red List, Phocoena phocoena Baltic Sea subpopulation: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17031/98831650

Job vacancy: Russian-speaking Programme Manager

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:59:43 GMT

Temporary position for approx.1 year with start in May 2021.

Background

The Programme “Creating and sustaining positive change in key thematic areas related to water – strengthening the role of NGOs and civil society in Belarus and Russia”, supported by Sida, builds on a long-term vision that strong public demand for participation in water resources protection and management will lead to positive policy changes and an improved system of long-term public engagement in decision-making processes. The Programme interventions are based on a strong and active civil society, which plays a key role in creating and sustaining positive changes in the water-related practices and governance. The Programme promotes the work and activities of local NGOs, which are the key part in local civil society through their capacity building and technical support.

Job description

The primary function of a Programme manager is to make sure the Programme runs smoothly. Assistance in coordination of Sida funded environmental Programme in Belarus and Russia, focused on promotion of sustainable water management and capacity building implemented by local environmental NGOs, partners and experts in two countries.

On a day-to-day basis, Programme manager key responsibilities will typically involve maintaining Programme documentation, such as plans and reports; assigning tasks and controlling schedules; communicating the Programme’s goals, progress, results to team members, partners and other stakeholders, managing the Programme’s budget and reporting (to CCB Board and the donor).

These tasks require a flair for time management, excellent communication and organisational skills.

Programme manager responsibilities

Coordination

Handling holistic administration and coordination for the Programme, providing administrative support to management.
Ensuring all parts of an assigned Programme are processed, organized, and progressing according to predetermined timelines and deliverable dates
Assisting and supporting the Programme director.
Designing and controlling the Programme schedule.
Ensuring deadlines are met.
Assisting in assigning tasks to relevant parties and check in for status updates.
Delegating tasks to team members in Belarus and Russia.
Initiating, organising and attending Programme and stakeholder meetings.
Organising Programme meetings and ensuring proper documentation and recording.
Tracking and communicating Programme risks and opportunities.
Analysing Programme progress and, when necessary, adapting scope, timelines, and costs to achieve planned results.
Coordinating internal and external resources, ensuring implementation within scope, schedule, and defined budgets for the overall Programme level and for each individual partner.
Supporting partners and management team with capacity building activities related to planning, reporting and monitoring.

Communication

Initiating and supporting commutation activities to update donor, management, board and other stakeholders on the Programme’s progress and success stories.
Administrating external and internal communication for the Programme.
Liaising with partners to determine the Programme’s objectives.
Facilitating contacts between Programme partners and the CCB Network.
Preparing information for media and social media about the Programme.
Acting as a point of communication between Programme and external actors.

Financial issues

Following up regularly on financial reporting and Audit requirements according to the agreements for both the CCB’s financial officer and for Programme partners who might need assistance
Tracking Programme budget and have a good picture of financial picture of the Programme implementation.
Handling financial queries.
Supporting preparation and approving of budgets for partners’ agreements.
Being able to provide financial overview for the Programme and spending.
Compiling financial report for the Programme.
Controlling and administrating contacts with local auditors

Reporting

Following up on Programme activities with partners related to relevant indicators and fulfilment of Programme goals and objectives.
Reporting Programme outcomes and/or risks to the appropriate management channels as needed—escalating issues as necessary based on work plans.
Developing and improving reporting routines and templates for partners
Collecting partner reports (narrative and financial) and compiling joint reports for the Programme.
Supporting monitoring expert(s) and jointly developing monitoring report for the Programme with clear links to the fulfilment of the Programme objectives.

Logistics

Initiating, supporting and being responsible for arrangements for the meetings and events on the Programme level including accommodation and travels related to Programme implementation

Skills and Qualifications

At least Bachelor’s degree in related field.
3+ years’ project management experience.
Computer proficiency in MS Word, Power Point and Excel.
Russian and English language fluency (reading, writing, speaking).
Strong verbal and presentation skills.
Professional certifications in Project management are of additional merit.

Personality

Diplomatic
Resilient
Tactful

Job place and working conditions:

This full-time, but time limited position will play a critical role in the CCB International Secretariat’s, with a focus on Eastern European work of the Coalition Clean Baltic and its 24 NGO member organizations advocating across the Baltic Sea catchment. You will work closely with the team in Uppsala to ensure effective implementation of CCB’s projects and initiatives.

As soon as current travel restrictions will be lifted, some travel will be necessary in relation to the Programme. You may also need to be able to participate in occasional meetings on weekends, since the network consists partly of volunteers who dedicate their spare time to environmental activism.

Salary comparable to NGO staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective Unions.

Location: CCB’s office is located Uppsala, Sweden, but remote work is possible even after the pandemic restrictions are lifted.

It is expected that you would start from 1 May 2021 at the latest.

How to send us your CV and motivational letter

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send you CV with a motivational letter by 1 March 2021 to secretariat@ccb.se .

Likewise, any inquiries related to this vacancy announcement should be forwarded to the above email or by phone to Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin at +46 739 770 793.

NGOs New Year’s “resolution list” to ensure Ministers deliver a future-proof plan to save the Baltic Sea

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 10:17:14 GMT

December 2020 – Another year has come and gone, and we, the Coalition Clean Baltic and WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme are taking stock of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) presently being revised by all Baltic Sea coastal countries.

We have a special resolution for HELCOM Heads of Delegation after a year of the revision process: to deliver an actionable Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) that is future-proof. The revised plan must go beyond “business as usual” to address the challenges of the coming decade, including seven priority areas for action that are not yet included in the revised BSAP.

The current plan ends in 2021 and has not met its aim to prevent further deterioration of the environment by the agreed timeline [1]. A new 10-year BSAP is being revised [2] for adoption at next year’s HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in October. Today, a first draft of the new BSAP is being presented at the 59 th Meeting of the Heads of Delegation. In our opinion, there are priority areas that still need addressing to fulfil the pre-existing goals and additional pressures we foresee will continue to halt the sea from reaching good environmental status in the coming decade.

To help with this task NGOs across the Baltic Sea region have collectively produced a Shadow plan [3] setting recommended actions across all segments of the BSAP. There are seven of these priority action areas we want to underscore be included to ensure a future-proof action plan:

Actions reducing underwater noise: A recently published paper on the matter clearly states that we know enough to act [4]. It is crucial that underwater noise is measurably and continuously reduced as soon as possible, and several possible actions are readily available.
Actions to protect our endangered species: Eel –Recent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) shows no improvements in eel stocks [5]. The proposal to close recreational fishing is supported by the anglers themselves [6]. Measures such as banning recreational fishing must be included in the update. Harbour porpoise – ICES has published scientific advice on how to minimize bycatch of the Baltic harbour porpoise. This is discussed within Baltfish [7], but not all HELCOM Contracting Partners are EU Members, so it also needs to be discussed within HELCOM . We strongly urge support of this measure.
Actions reducing input of hazardous substances: Both source-reduction measures such as restrictions on over-the-counter pharmaceuticals [8] and end-of-pipe technologies like the promotion of constructed wetlands in wastewater treatment are not supported, despite proof of their effects to reduce inputs of hazardous substances.
Actions addressing nutrient inputs from agriculture: Economic instruments to discourage overuse of mineral fertilizers (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) and limit livestock densities in agriculture have not been endorsed [9], [10], [11]. Instead mostly voluntary measures were supported, which we can see from the current Common Agriculture Policy, does not incentivize the appropriate reduction of fertilizer in the Baltic sea region [12].
Actions addressing lost fishing gear: This is the deadliest form of marine litter. Prevention measures should be prioritized in order to reduce the scale of the problem. It is crucial that the updated BSAP recognizes the importance of fishing gear marking and gear loss reporting proper implementation on national and regional level [13].
Actions addressing climate change: A healthy and thriving Baltic Sea will not be possible without a plan to include climate mitigation and adaptation measures that build long-term resilience to climate change in our marine and coastal ecosystems. We strongly urge including binding climate targets and developing a roadmap to achieve climate neutrality in the Baltic Sea Area by 2040 [3].
Actions addressing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): MPAs are endorsed by the BSAP to cover 30% of the sea by 2030, but it does not go far enough to regulate human activities in those areas. A 10% target for strictly prohibited areas will ensure we meet the 2030 EU Biodiversity strategy goals.

"The NGO community send this resolution list to all Baltic countries to take the lead in propelling the updated BSAP to be ambitious and action oriented. HELCOM has the platform, it’s now time for decisive action to empower change and save our beloved Baltic Sea”

says the Coalition Clean Baltic and the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

We look to the national HELCOM representatives meeting today in the Head of Delegation to assure the revised BSAP contains measures for all relevant pressures on the Baltic Sea – measures which have set timelines for prompt implementation and which will show a measurable reduction of the pressures.

–END—

Notes to editors:

CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 member organizations and 1 observers, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at www.ccb.se.

WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme – is an ambitious and highly influential force working to conserve and restore the health of the Balitc Sea. The programme is comprised of WWF and NGO partners in each of the nine coastal Baltic Sea countries. Representing the region’s largest membership network, the programme’s approach has been to work with public and private sector partners toward ensuring a healthy, productive Baltic Sea through sustainable, ecosystem-based management. More info at: https://www.wwfbaltic.org/

[1] The HELCOM State of the Baltic Sea Report – shows that despite a few promising trends in the last 12 years, the objectives of the current BSAP have not been reached and countries have missed the 2020 deadline – outlined in the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive – to achieve and maintain a ‘Good Environmental Status’ in the sea.

[2] The update process – An updated plan is currently being developed and negotiated by the ten HELCOM members – the nine Baltic Sea countries plus the European Union – and is due to be adopted at a Ministerial Meeting 2021. Its focus will be on the same areas as the current plan with some adaptation to include additional pressures from human activities including: climate change, eutrophication, hazardous substances and litter, sea-based activities and achieve a healthy and resilient ecosystem. It will also address emerging issues to be tackled on a regional scale such as, marine litter, underwater noise and seabed disturbance.

[3] The Baltic Shadow Plan: For the future of the Baltic Sea

[4] CCB paper on underwater noise

[5] ICES 2020 – Advice on fishing opportunities, catch and effort. Ecoregions in the Northeast Atlantic: http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication Reports/Advice/2020/2020/ele.2737.nea.pdf

[6] EEA position on the rebuilding of the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) stock: https://www.eaa-europe.org/positions/eel-2018.htm l

[7] Joint NGO letter to EU Commission on Baltic proper harbour porpoise

[8] HELCOM Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission: proposal for the update of the BSAP – ‘Implement restrictions on over-the-counter pharmaceuticals’: https://portal.helcom.fi/workspaces/BSAP%20UP%20NEW%20ACTIONS-183/Shared%20Documents/Synopses%20-%20proposals%20received/Implement%20restrictions%20on%20over-the-counter%20pharmaceuticals.pdf

[9] HELCOM Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission: proposal for the update of the BSAP – ‘Levy on nitrogen in mineral fertilizer’: https://portal.helcom.fi/workspaces/BSAP%20UP%20NEW%20ACTIONS-183/Shared%20Documents/Synopses%20-%20proposals%20received/Levy%20on%20nitrogen%20in%20mineral%20fertilizer.pdf

[10] HELCOM Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission: proposal for the update of the BSAP – ‘Levy on mineral phosphorus in animal fodder and on mineral fertilizer P’: https://portal.helcom.fi/workspaces/BSAP%20UP%20NEW%20ACTIONS-183/Shared%20Documents/Synopses%20-%20proposals%20received/Levy%20on%20mineral%20phosphorus.pdf

[11] HELCOM Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission: proposal for the update of the BSAP – ‘Reducing livestock densities and coupling livestock to the area of available farmland’: https://portal.helcom.fi/workspaces/BSAP%20UP%20NEW%20ACTIONS-183/Shared%20Documents/Synopses%20-%20proposals%20received/Reducing%20livestock%20densities%20and%20coupling%20livestock%20to%20the%20area%20of%20available%20farmland.pdf

[12] Potentials for circularity in the agrifood system: https://wwwwwfbalticorg.cdn.triggerfish.cloud/uploads/2020/09/metabolic_report_wwfse_potential-for-circularity-in-the-agrifood-system_17032020_hr.pdf

[13] HELCOM Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission: proposal for the update of the BSAP – ‘Development of strategies for preventing fishing gear loss in the Baltic Sea by analyzing the fishing strategic context and available options for fishing gear marking’: https://portal.helcom.fi/workspaces/BSAP%20UP%20NEW%20ACTIONS-183/Shared%20Documents/Synopses%20-%20proposals%20received/Strategies%20for%20preventing%20fishing%20gear%20loss.pdf

Joint NGO letter to EU Commission on Baltic proper harbour porpoise

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 10:12:00 GMT

In September 2020, together with NABU, WWF, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and Danish Society for Nature Conservation, we sent a letter to Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Ocean and Fisheries, on the protection of the Baltic proper harbour porpoise.

The harbour porpoise in the Baltic Proper is critically endangered with only a few hundred animals left. The primary threat to the remaining Baltic porpoises is the incidental bycatch in fishing nets and urgent actions are needed to stop it from going extinct.

In the letter, we expressed our concern about the low level of ambition in the current negotiations within BALTFISH to develop a Joint Recommendation [1]. The current BALTFISH proposal for measures does not meet the legal requirements to protect this population, and is missing key components of the ICES advice [2].

Therefore, we call for more commitment from the relevant Member States within BALTFISH in protecting the last Baltic Proper harbour porpoises, and we look to the European Commission to continue its commitment to this issue by implementing Emergency Measures in line with the ICES recommendations.

In November 2020, we received a letter in reply from Commissioner Sinkevičius. We welcome his position on this matter, confirming that the Commission is pushing Baltfish countries to come up with more ambitious measure to prevent harbour porpoise bycatch, and that they are indeed ready to implement emergency measures.

Read the full NGO letter and Commissioner Sinkevičius´s reply . ______________________________________________________________________________

http://www.bsac.dk/getattachment/Meetings/BSAC-meetings/Ecosystem-based-working-group/harbour-porpoises-JR-draft-rev-BSACPDF.pdf.aspx?lang=en-GB

https://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2020/Special_Requests/eu.2020.04.pdf

Does the European Green Deal in agriculture stop nutrient leaching and limit the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea?

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 12:12:00 GMT

by Maria Staniszewska

The European Commission, taking into account the huge negative impact of current agricultural practices on the environment, has prepared two strategies: the From Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy . The EC proposed: reducing the use of chemical pesticides on crops and antibiotics in farming by half, reducing the use of fertilizers in farming by 20%, allocating at least 25% of agricultural land to organic farming, and separating 10% of the land from the total agricultural area on each farm and leaving it uncultivated, creating areas of high biodiversity, such as mid-field trees or buffer strips. These strategies were to be implemented under the CAP over the next 10 years.

The idea was to direct a significantly larger stream of money to those farmers who would implement specific and significant measures to support and regenerate nature, and to reduce the benefits that go to those whose farming practices are harmful to the environment. This means that direct payments were to be linked to the fulfilment of environmental goals called GAEC – Good agricultural and environmental conditions. EC prepared 10 GAEC and amongst them, the three following were newly added:

Each of these three measures is very important for improving the ecological status of Baltic Sea and for reducing the leakage of nutrients.

Unfortunately, after a series of voting sessions two weeks ago , the European Parliament has actually dismantled this concept. The three main factions in the EP: the European People’s Party, Socialists and Democrats and Renew Europe took a much weakened form of the reform and then voted it as a single package, without the possibility of discussing and voting on individual issues.

The most important issue was “enhanced conditionality” where 60% of direct payments depended on the fulfilment of environmental conditions specified in 10 GAEC. The problem is that during the work in the EP, several of these conditions were relaxed and one was even fully removed.

First of the conditions relaxed was the principle (GAEC 9) which stated that the farmer is to dedicate 10% of his farmland for the protection of the environment by “giving it to the wilderness” and thus not utilizing it for agriculture. The EP limited this area to 5%, with the possibility of using this area for nitrogen-fixing crops or for catch crops. The last 7 years proved that this solution does not help biodiversity.

The other condition affected was GAEC 2 – The provisions reduced the protection of swamps and wetlands, i.e. ecosystems that absorb carbon dioxide as well as nutrients, and the ban on plowing permanent grasslands in Natura 2000 protected areas was lifted.

Finally, GAEC 5, which mandated the use of the practically tool limited nutrient leaching, has been completely removed from the requirements.

Unfortunately, it seems that the last 3 years that numerous institutions and organizations have devoted to preparing the reform have been largely wasted. Furthermore, it seems that under the new CAP there is no chance of stopping the eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.

NGOs call on the EU to end support for new hydropower

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 08:55:00 GMT

Following World Fish Migration Day, 150 NGOs have banded together to call on the EU institutions to end public financing for new hydropower projects in Europe. Building more hydropower flies in the face of the European Green Deal’s biodiversity goals, given the small contribution new plants would bring to the energy transition weighted against the environmental damage they cause [1]. CCB, along with WWF and other signatories such as Climate Action Network Europe and BirdLife ask for public investments to be redirected towards upgrades of existing plants, energy efficiency measures, and lower impact renewable energy alternatives like wind and solar power.

The mobilisation by NGOs comes a few months after new analysis found that 93% of European freshwater migratory fish had been lost since 1970 , partly due to hydropower [2]. While 91% of existing and planned plants in Europe are considered ‘small’ – meaning they have, a capacity below 10MW – and contribute little to the energy mix, their environmental impacts are dramatic. If these plants go ahead, they will destroy Europe’s last free-flowing rivers and further degrade increasingly vulnerable freshwater ecosystems.

Andreas Baumüller, Head of Natural Resources, European Policy Office said: “ The European Commission and the European financial institutions’ continued financing of new hydropower projects completely contradicts the ambitions of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and its goal of restoring 25,000km of free-flowing rivers. Removing financing tools and incentives to new hydropower projects is an increasingly urgent step towards reversing biodiversity loss in the EU, meeting the targets set by the Water Framework Directive, and supporting the European Green Deal. ”

Alex Mason, Senior Policy Officer, Climate & Energy added: “ We urgently need to move to a 100% renewable energy system. But the contribution new hydropower could make is trivial compared to the massive ecological damage it would cause. We should be investing in wind and solar instead, combined with demand flexibility and storage. ”

The manifesto calls for:

See here for the full manifesto and list of signatories

Notes to the editor:

Eurostat

Hydropower pressure on European rivers: The story in numbers

The Living Planet Index (LPI) for migratory freshwater fish

Mapping a faster route to zero emissions Europe

#DrillingIsKilling: a citizen mobilization platform

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:32:00 GMT

Following the publication of the Manifesto “ Toward an EU offshore drilling ban ” on April 20nd 2020, CCB joins the second phase of Surfrider Foundation Europe ´s #DrillingIsKilling campaign with the launch of a new online platform. Citizens are now invited to contact their MEPs with direct messages calling for a total ban on offshore oil and gas exploration in the EU! The NGO aims to gain momentum in this effort just ahead of the anticipated evaluation report of the Directive on offshore drilling by the European Commission.

#DrillingIsKilling: a citizen mobilization platform

The Europe-wide relay of Surfrider Europe’s #DrillingIsKilling Manifesto last April demonstrated high enthusiasm among citizens to raise awareness and act against drilling at sea. Now, with the citizen mobilization platform powered by askforchange.surfrider.eu , the NGO is giving citizens the tools to turn passion into action.

The goal of this campaign is to call on European parliamentarians to ban oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities in all European waters by 2035.

Contributing to the campaign would:

At this moment, a real opportunity exists to ban offshore oil and gas drilling in the EU. For Surfrider Europe’s demands to be heard and implemented by public decision-makers, every voice matters.

Citizens take action to end offshore drilling

Backed by 200,000 supporters of diverse backgrounds, motivations, and commitments, Surfrider Europe is united and committed to the protection of the ocean and its users.

In recent years, the Surfrider Coastal Defenders team has won several fights that progress towards a ban on offshore drilling. It is indeed through the implementation of local actions and consultations that the license of DEA, a German oil company, was canceled, avoiding the exploitation of a hydrocarbon reserve off Schwedeneck in 2016.

To put a definitive end to offshore drilling, the NGO insists on the need for citizens to mobilize by addressing political leaders while lobbying and making their voices heard. Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission, affirms that the mobilization of society is essential to implement a true legislative change for the environment: “ We would not have had a European Green Deal without Fridays for Future. It is the young people who helped us to understand this enormous urgency, we owe a great deal of respect to their work. We must listen to them and do what they ask ”.

Act today to influence policy

Acting now would allow for a more ambitious environmental protection objective and accelerate the end of offshore in Europe:

Antidia Citores, a spokesperson for Surfrider Foundation Europe, affirms that the political agenda calls for immediate pressure from citizens:

For more than 10 years, Surfrider Europe has been fighting against offshore drilling by mobilizing at the local, national, and European levels. Today, the #DrillingIsKilling campaign calls on citizens to unite their efforts against offshore drilling, which is responsible for ecological, human, and economic disasters. The association provides them with an online platform to directly share concerns and demand concrete change from MEPs. Restoring a direct link between citizens and the European institutions is the only solution to put an end to oil and gas exploration and exploitation. This mobilization is urgent, especially now, when ecological objectives seem to be detached from political priorities.

Press contact
Yana Prokofyeva, European Outreach Officer
yprokofyeva@surfrider.eu
+33 6 51 67 88 89

NGOs Welcome EU Fisheries Ministers Setting More Baltic Fishing Limits In Line with Science – But Ecological Crisis Not Averted

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 06:49:00 GMT

Luxembourg, 20 October 2020 :- Environmental NGOs this morning welcomed the decision of EU Fisheries Ministers to set Baltic fishing limits for 2021 in accordance with scientific advice for eight of ten fish populations in the Baltic, but reflect that this result is largely due to the strong position of the European Commission, and warn that today’s result is still not enough to save the herring, cod or Baltic Sea ecosystem and communities that depend on them [1].

Even with no fishing on Eastern Baltic cod, the stock will not recover for years, unless more efforts are made to secure its habitats, food and breeding grounds. Ecosystem needs can only be met if these are fully taken into consideration; currently, the setting of fishing quotas plays only a small but crucial part. EU fisheries management must start incorporating ecosystem and climate impact assessments, and monitoring and control needs drastic improvement to ensure rules are being followed.

“ We are disappointed to see how EU fisheries ministers ignored the progressive proposal from the European Commission on Baltic sprat fishing limit, which took into account wider ecosystem considerations and interactions between this species and the Eastern Baltic cod population – one of the founding objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy ”, said Ottilia Thoreson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “ On the other hand WWF welcomes the science-based decision ministers took last night to set eight out of the ten stocks within scientific recommendations. ”

“ Baltic member states have made a satisfactory compromise regarding scientific recommendations on catch limits for many of the fish stocks. However, decisions on iconic species like Western Baltic herring and Eastern Baltic cod have not met the necessary ambition to adopt catch limits and additional measures that will contribute to firmly curbing their dire status, which is undermining the credibility of the member states .” said Javier López, Campaign Director for Sustainable Fisheries at Oceana in Europe “ The poor status of the marine ecosystem in the Baltic makes fisheries management challenging, which is why it is particularly relevant to set catch limits for fish populations in line with scientific advice and reflecting wider ecosystem considerations ”.

Andrea Ripol, Fisheries Policy Officer at Seas At Risk said: “ We are supportive of the progress and ambition shown by Fisheries Ministers to recover the good status of many Baltic fish populations. However, we cannot miss the fact that Fisheries Ministers allowed the population of Western Baltic Herring to be overfished again in 2021, ignoring for the third year in a row scientific recommendations to close its fisheries due to the critical state of this fish population. Allowing overfishing of European fish stocks is illegal since January 2020. This is thus an irresponsible, illegal and unacceptable decision that overshadows the good progress made on other fish populations .”

“ It’s hopeful to see the Council acting along the lines of the recently signed Our Baltic Ministerial Declaration by staying the path drawn up by last year’s Council. We must applaud the Commission for their original proposal. The agreed fishing levels are not perfect, but do signal that fisheries ministers share our sense of urgency. Unfortunately this is not enough and more measures and hard decisions are needed to face the fact that the fishery of the past is gone, and the fact that the fish are worth more alive than on the deck of a trawler ”, said Nils Hoglund, Fisheries Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic [2].

“ Instead of wasting valuable time haggling during all night circuses, EU fisheries ministers should set fishing limits in light of the ecological crisis faced by the Baltic, and the ocean and climate worldwide, and in line with the commitments they’ve made through the European Green Deal and the UN Biodiversity Summit. By continuing to push fish populations to their very limits and beyond, we fail to change the future for Baltic Sea health, and cause continued pain and suffering for its coastal communities. It’s clear fisheries ministers are not up for the job – EU Prime Ministers must step in, in order to get the situation under control ,” said Rebecca Hubbard, Programme Director of Our Fish.

The decisions taken during this week’s AGRIFISH meeting in Luxembourg prove that the EU still has a long way to go to match it’s fisheries management decisions with its commitments and ambitions, namely the ecosystem based management and biodiversity restoration expressed in European Green Deal and Biodiversity Strategy 2030. Fisheries Council decisions on deep-sea and North-East Atlantic fishing limits can be meaningful actions to address the climate and nature crisis, but need to be much more ambitious and based on science, to do so.

ENDS

Contacts:
Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, +34 691 826 764, dave@our.fish
Ottilia Thoreson, Director WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme +46 8 624 74 15, ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se
Emily Fairless, Oceana Communication Officer, +32 478 038 490, efairless@oceana.org
Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic, +46 708 679 249, nils.hoglund@ccb.se
Sara Tironi, Seas At Risk Communications Officer, +32 483 457 483, stironi@seas-at-risk.org

Notes:

Baltic Sea fishing: Council agrees on 2021 catch limits
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/10/20/baltic-sea-fishing-council-agrees-on-2021-catch-limits/

Joint NGO recommendations on EU Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021
https://our.fish/publications/joint-ngo-recommendations-on-eu-baltic-sea-fishing-opportunities-for-2021/

European Commission, Fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2021: improving long-term sustainability of stocks, 28 August 2020
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_1522

https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/ministerial_declaration_our_baltic_conference.pdf

______________________________________________________________________________
MEDIA COVERAGE

Online exhibition Live in / Leaving

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 10:24:00 GMT

Live In / Leaving is an online and on-going exhibition starting from October 12, 2020. It’s organised by CCB in collaboration with artists and environmental activists from different countries.

This exhibition is implemented under the project: “ Plastic Free Ocean “. The project activities is supporting implementation of the EU Plastics Strategy and the idea is to address the growing pollution of the Baltic Sea (and through it – the world ocean) by single-use plastic items, primary and secondary microplastics, and associated toxic chemicals.

What is the world we live in and the one we are leaving behind?
We have asked ourselves that question not only to raise awareness of plastic pollution today but also to reflect on our own ways of living in and within the plastic world. We invited artists and environmental activists from several countries to discuss the problem of plastic consumption and provide its broader understanding through a multidisciplinary approach.

The Project consists of different parts:
Talk – is a video conversation between artists and environmental professionals held in a local context of a different country. We chose the most urgent “plastic issue” to discuss it in a dialog between two different strategies: artistic and ecological. As a result you can find a list of video conversation from Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
Art – represents the works created by contemporary artists from different countries raising the problem of plastic pollution and the state of the environment.
Workshops – proposes to our audience to change traditional ways of spending free time using plastic to a more ecological one. 3 different workshops will tell about alternative styles of free-time activities: from building wooden castles to creating eco-clothing.

The specific strategy of Live in / Leaving online exhibition is its on-going activity. It means that from October 12, 2020 you will find the first materials of the exhibition but every week a new one will be added and updated.

Stay online and safe with us https://liveinleaving.eu .

The online event is supported by The Swedish Postcode Foundation .

Curators:
Sophia Sadovskaya
Anna Karpenko

Contact information:
secretariat@ccb.se

Extinction risks to whales, dolphins and porpoises – over 350 scientists warn in an open letter

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 15:08:00 GMT

On Friday 9 October 2020, an open letter from more than 350 cetacean scientists highlighting the real and imminent extinction risk to whales, dolphins and porpoises has been published. One of the populations under threat is the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise.

In this letter, scientists from all over the world highlighted that “of the 90 living species of cetaceans, more than half now have a concerning conservation status according to the IUCN , with 13 species listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ or ‘Endangered’, 7 as ‘Vulnerable’ and 7 as ‘Near Threatened’, whilst 24 species are ‘Data Deficient’.”

The cetaceans experts are asking for actions. The situation is urgent and it’s known that cetacean populations can be lost very quickly.
That’s why they call on:

Ida Carlén, CCB Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer and harbour porpoise expert has been interviewed by the Swedish television program TV4 Nyheterna about the open letter, which she signed, and the status of the critically endangered Baltic porpoise population.

affirmed Ida Carlén.

You can read the full letter here .
To watch the interview with Ida Carlén (in Swedish): https://bit.ly/34OH9zf

Please bring this statement to the attention of the relevant policy makers
in your country to help in the protection of these cetaceans.

Clean Games Baltic Cup 2020: a one-hour challenge to clean the Baltic Sea region

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:17:00 GMT

For the second year, on 19th September, people from all over the Baltic Sea Region will take part in the Clean Games Baltic Cup [1], a one-hour challenge aiming at cleaning up and collecting the most amount of garbage from green and coastal areas.

The tournament will be interactive through the use of a mobile app [2], allowing the participants – divided into different teams – to follow a map where the littered areas in their cities are marked. The teams will compete with each other in their city and also in the whole tournament, while the organizers will give them the scores. All results and rating will be available in an online scoreboard and the winner will get the cup.

“ Council of the Baltic Sea States appreciates Clean Games’ efforts to involve youth in the activities related to the sustainable development of the Baltic Sea region. We consider their game method of garbage collection is a good method for involving people in raising the awareness among young people about the importance of environmental voluntarism and encouraging them to be active in solving the environmental challenges ”, said Daria Akhutina, the Head of Priority Area Sustainable & Prosperous Region at CBSS Secretariat.

In 2019, 578 players from six countries (Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine) collected more than 8 tons of garbage, which were separately collected and sent for recycling.

“ We were partners of the CLEAN GAMES BALTIC CUP 2019 volunteer tournament, and after their report at the General Conference of the Union of Baltic Cities in October 2019 in Kaunas (Lithuania), members of the Union of the Baltic Cities were satisfied with the results of this tournament. We’re supporting Clean Games Baltic Cup 2020 and the following tournaments in the region ”, said Paweł Żaboklicki, Union of the Baltic Cities Secretary General.

“ We believe that if you’ll do a clean-up once, you will litter less. And our goal is to attract as many people to the clean-ups as possible. In order to do that, we developed this format. Our games are a fun way to talk about serious problems. Many people don’t want to participate in community work days. It sounds like a job. So we make a holiday for them. A fun game to play with friends and families. It attracts the attention of local communities, city administration, and socially responsible businesses ”, affirmed Dmitry Ioffe, the chairman of the Clean Games organization [3].

The Clean Games Baltic Cup is partnered with the World Cleanup Day by Let’s do it ! Foundation and the Great Global Cleanup by Earth Day . Participants can use the guidelines of both Clean Games’ and the partners’ cleanups. The partners of the Clean Games Baltic Cup are the Council of the Baltic Seas States , Union of the Baltic Cities , Coalition Clean Baltic , Baltic University Programme, Regeneration 2030 , Baltic Sea Challenge , Ars Baltica .

Notes

Apple

Google Play

Additional info

Read the PR about the final results here .

Since 2014, 853 games were played in more than 300 cities in 17 countries (Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Estonia, Georgia, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam). 59 000+ participants collected 1200+ tons of garbage. All future games are announced on the Clean Games Facebook page and the website cleangames.org For more information: press@cleangames.ru

Video about Clean Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR6VU0NNkAk

Photos: https://yadi.sk/d/5gWgVDEIND7DZQ?w=1 [CCB1]

Website of the Baltic Clean Cup: https://balticcup.org/

Website of the Clean Games: https://cleangames.org/

Contact person
Anastasia Cheglakova, PR-manager assistant
E-mail: press2@cleangames.ru

CCB welcomes the release from custody of our colleague Iryna Sukhy and expresses strong support to Belarusian civil society organizations

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 12:59:00 GMT

Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB welcomes the release from custody of our long-time colleague and environmental activist Iryna Sukhy and expresses strong support and solidarity with the peaceful actions of Belarusian civil society organizations .

Iryna Sukhy, the co-founder of the NGO Ecohome was unjustifiably convicted last Sunday, 6 September in Belarus. Regretfully, her situation became yet another and truly unprecedented case of blocking access to justice, following Iryna’s strong stand and position on numerous environmental deficiencies in Belarus. Harassment of activists working in non-profit environmental organizations is totally unacceptable and CCB’s protest against such measures is not linked to a political situation in a country but about the targeting of people that dedicate their lives to protecting our environment.

At the same time, we would like to remind that environmental protection in the Baltic Sea Region has always being the uniting element between the countries, irrespective of their political systems and ruling ideology, recognizing no borders.

We believe that violence and confrontation, leads only to further escalation of a conflict and splitting up the Belarusian society, and therefore call upon all parties for a dialogue to resolve the crisis.

We support the efforts of CCB’s Belarusian members and partners in promoting such a dialogue through strengthened civil society engagement, public participation, awareness raising and capacity building.

* Coalition Clean Baltic is a network of 24 environmental NGOs from 11 Baltic Sea Region countries, striving to protect the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea for present and future generations.

On behalf of the CCB
Aija Caune,
CCB Chairlady

Download the full statement here .

European nations under pressure to save the critically endangered Baltic harbour porpoise

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 12:33:00 GMT

At a meeting of northern European nations held online this week, the issue of the critically endangered harbour porpoise population in the Baltic Sea was discussed and debated. The population in the central Baltic Sea numbers in the low hundreds and needs urgent action to stop it from going extinct. Recently, the EU Commission has put pressure on the member states to implement strict measures to protect the porpoises.

The countries gathered at a meeting of ASCOBANS [1] , a regional agreement established to conserve small whales including dolphins and porpoises. They passed a resolution which commits to a detailed conservation plan for the population and to swiftly implement actions to address the primary threat to the remaining Baltic porpoises: the incidental bycatch in fishing nets. They also identified that other imminent threats, including chemical and noise pollution urgently need to be mitigated.

Ida Carlen, who coordinates the Baltic harbour porpoise Recovery Plan, comments: ‘ The situation is really urgent but we have some new hope with the recent movement within the European Commission to act on bycatch, the ICES advice on bycatch mitigation [2] , published before summer, and now this new resolution. We see that ASCOBANS has an important role in acting as a coordinating expert organization, providing key focus for the development of mechanisms to address pressing issues related to small cetacean conservation ’.

The ASCOBANS meeting also passed resolutions on a number of key threats to small whales including dolphins and porpoises across the agreement region which includes the Baltic, North and Irish Seas and adjacent Atlantic area, including noise pollution, overfishing and marine debris.

Taking part in the meeting were leading conservation and animal welfare organizations including Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), Humane Society International (HSI), Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), OceanCare, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In a joint statement they reaffirmed their support for the ASCOBANS agreement. They also highlighted the recently released open letter [3] to world leaders from more than 300 experts from more than 40 countries, calling for global action to protect whales and dolphins from the threat of extinction.

[1] https://www.ascobans.org/

[2] https://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2020/Special_Requests/eu.2020.04.pdf

[3] https://www.mammalresearchinstitute.science/news/2020/9/1/the-real-and-imminent-extinction-risk-to-whales-dolphins-and-porpoises

The following delegates are available for comments:

EU Council of Ministers Urged to Take Decisions to Counter Baltic Sea Crisis

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 08:44:00 GMT

Brussels, 31 August 2020:- Responding to the publication of the European Commission’s proposal for Baltic Sea fishing limits for 2021 , NGOs today called on EU Baltic state governments to adopt most of the Commission’s proposed measures – and to go a step further by putting a stop to overfishing of Baltic herring [1].

NGOs WWF, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Coalition Clean Baltic and Our Fish welcomed the European Commission’s proposal of Baltic fishing limits for 2021, which includes increased food web considerations and an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, along with additional measures to protect fish populations. However, the proposed fishing limit for Western Baltic herring is a “stinging disappointment”: it remains far too high and provides the overfished population with no chance to recover.

In light of the critical status of key stocks and of the poor state of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, NGOs are calling for coordinated and decisive action by all Baltic countries to urgently address this environmental and socio-economic crisis.

“ Fishing mortality based on Maximum Sustainable Level (MSY) has finally been recognised by the Commission as a limit and not a target”, said Ottilia Thoreson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “A sprat TAC proposed at a level lower than the sustainable threshold is a clear signal that the European Commission takes into account wider ecosystem considerations in their decision. In this case setting a lower TAC for this pelagic species would help provide food availability for the endangered Eastern Baltic Cod population which is in shortage. We hope EU fisheries ministers will approve this reasonable proposal which is fully in line with Common Fisheries Policy requirements. ”

“ After several years of bad decisions, there are no easy choices left. We call on EU Member States to save the Baltic Sea and to adopt the necessary reductions in catch limits, as well as the additional measures proposed by the European Commission. Key stocks are in a critical state and the Baltic needs urgent action after decades of negligence. All countries sharing this sea basin must get together and find a solution to the crisis at the Our Baltic conference at the end of September. This must be a real tipping moment to initiate the recovery of the Baltic Sea ,” said Vera Coelho, Senior Director of Advocacy at Oceana in Europe [2].

Andrea Ripol, Fisheries Policy Officer at Seas At Risk said: “ While this year’s proposal by the Commission is a promising positive sign for several fish stocks in the Baltic, it is disappointing to see how Western Baltic Herring will continue being overfished in 2021, ignoring for the third year in a row scientific recommendations to close its fishery. Ending overfishing as soon as possible is a first step towards the goal of making the ocean healthy by 2030, as requested by over 100 NGOs in the Blue Manifesto , and was reiterated as a commitment of the EU under the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork Strategies. We call on the Fisheries Council to live up to the challenge, end overfishing for all stocks as required by the Common Fisheries Policy and stop favoring short-term socioeconomic gains over the long-term recovery of the Baltic Sea marine environment ”.

Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, said: “ The Commission’s strong proposal shows the urgency of the situation in the Baltic. Unfortunately, even with strong proposals and reduced fishing opportunities this is not enough, as EU member states sadly have a track record of pushing fishing limits upwards. We must refocus on the real prize, of reaching for good environmental status for the ecosystem as a whole, and to stop looking at fish as something we can just harvest without invoking far-reaching impacts. Eastern Baltic cod is a case in point – the fishery is broken and will not show signs of recovery for many years. We cannot accept this spreading to other fish stocks, and the warning call this collapse represents could not possibly be louder ”.

Our Fish Programme Director Rebecca Hubbard said: “ This year we are pleased to see Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, who hails from the Baltic region, take a stronger stance in favour of protecting its marine biodiversity. Unfortunately, the proposal to continue overfishing Western Herring still plays to the rich, industrial-scale fleet of the German fishing industry [3], which is a stinging disappointment for this suffering iconic fish population and Baltic Sea health. Overfishing is draining the lifeblood of the ocean, which we need to be in full health now more than ever, in order to mitigate and respond to climate change. Ending overfishing is an urgent and necessary response to the biodiversity and climate crises, and it is now down to EU fisheries ministers to end its devastating impact in the region ”.

The EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires sustainable exploitation of EU fish stocks by 2020 at the latest, in order to rebuild their populations, and the application of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management [4]. Member States are also legally-bound to the sustainable exploitation of fish stocks by 2020 under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive [5]. Each year, ICES provides scientific advice for fishing limits in EU seas [6], which the European Commission uses as the basis for its proposal for fishing opportunities. The EU AGRIFISH Council will discuss the Commission proposal and decide on the 2021 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for Baltic fish stocks at the AGRIFISH Council meeting on 19-20 October.

ENDS

Contact:
Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, +34 691 826 764, dave@our.fish
Emily Fairless, Oceana Communication Officer, +32 478 038 490, efairless@oceana.org
Sara Tironi, Seas At Risk Communication officer +32 483 457 483 stironi@seas-at-risk.org
Ottilia Thoreson, Director WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme +46 8 624 74 15, ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se
Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer CCB, nils.hoglund@ccb.se , +46 708 679 249

Notes:

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1522

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/our-baltic-conference-Palanga-Lithuania_en

[3] Fishy business: How the fishing industry gets first class treatment from the German Government Tainted love: corporate lobbying and the upcoming German EU Presidency: https://our.fish/publications/fishy-business_gets_first_class_treatement_from_german_government/

[4] Common Fisheries Policy. Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Common Fisheries Policy.

[5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0056&from=EN

[6] http://ices.dk/advice/Pages/Latest-Advice.asp x

OTHER BACKGROUND:

29 May 2020: Baltic Sea Fish Stocks Remain in Crisis – NGOs Call for Closures of Herring and Cod stock

June 2020: Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021

______________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA COVERAGE

Russian-German coalition demands to stop nuclear waste movement from Germany to Russia

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 10:05:00 GMT

# Russia is not a nuclear waste dump! #

Saint-Petersburg – Berlin, July 2020 – The appeal to the authorities of Russia and Germany was signed by 47 national, regional and municipal non-governmental associations of Russia, Germany and the Netherlands. The appeal is signed by regional and municipal deputies of the nuclear regions of Russia, as well as by experts and citizens who live along the rail route of dangerous cargo (about 2,500 km) from the port of Ust‑Luga in the Leningrad Region to the Closed Administrative Territorial Unit of Novouralsk (Sverdlovsk Region).

On July 01, 2020 at 05:33 the cargo vessel Mikhail Dudin once again delivered another 600 tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF6). Under the contract, 12,000 tons of UF6 – chemically aggressive radioactive material – may be transferred from Germany to Russia by 2022.

Olaf Bandt , Chairman of the Organization for Environment Protection and Nature Conservation of Germany (BUND): “The federal government stands by while part of the unresolved nuclear waste problem moves quietly and secretly to Russia. German nuclear waste should not be disposed of in other countries, putting lives of people in danger. Germany must finally complete the nuclear phase-out. Germany must finally complete the abandonment of nuclear energy, but as long as the uranium enrichment plant in Gronau and the fuel cell plant in Lingen are allowed to work, this is out of the question”.

Mathias Eikoff, Muenster Alliance Against Nuclear Facilities: “The federal government allows Urenco and its shareholders RWE and E. ON to take nuclear waste abroad: it’s very cost-effective, but extremely irresponsible – manufacturers and profiteers have no personal responsibility. Therefore, we demand from the federal government a mandatory and complete freeze on the export of uranium waste and enriched uranium from Gronau and fuel cells from Lingen.”

Oleg Bodrov, Chairman of the Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland, Decomatom network : “If the German nuclear industry does not have an economically and socially acceptable technology for processing depleted uranium hexafluoride, it means it is waste. According to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal of 22 March 1989, the German economy must find a solution to safely store these materials in the territory of Germany. Export of depleted uranium hexafluoride to Russia is export of the problem, but not a solution to this problem”.

Aija Caune , Chairperson of the Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB: “ CCB, the network of 24 environmental NGOs from 11 countries of the Baltic Sea Region, throughout its 30 years of work has repeatedly raised concerns about safety of nuclear installations operating in the BSR. We are calling on both governments of the Russian Federation and Germany to stop shipping nuclear waste across the Baltic Sea and gradually phase-out nuclear facilities as posing immediate risk to natural environment ”.

Andrey Talevlin , Chairman of the regional environmental organization ZA PRIRODU (FOR NATURE), Chelyabinsk, Coordinator of Decomatom network: “Russia should sign the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters and ratify the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context. In this case, it will be possible to ensure equal safety standards for Russia with the countries whose businesses are trying to implement joint nuclear projects in our country”.

Vitaly Servetnik , Co-chair of the Russian Scio-Econlogical Union: “ It is irresponsible and unfair to move such a problem to a country with lower environmental standards and public control. Rosatom must stop increasing their profits by turning a huge Russian territory into a dump. This crime against future generations of Russians must stop immediately”.

Marina Ljubushkina , Head of the public reception office of the Spravedlivaya Rossiya ( Justice Russia) political party in Kingisepp District, Leningrad Region: “ The reloading of toxic radioactive substances to rail cars in the port of Ust-Luga and their transportation through the radiation-contaminated “Chernobyl” territories of the Leningrad region creates additional health risks for thousands of residents along the train route. This is illegal and not fair! Public discussions should be organized with participation of the public concerned and the municipality of Kingisepp District to justify the license for handling radioactive materials during the transshipment in the port of Ust-Luga!”

Nikolay Kuzmin, Chairman of the Permanent Commission on Ecology and Nature Management of the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region: “A dditional regional legislative norms should be adopted in order to ensure the radiation safety of the inhabitants of the Leningrad region and provide for the real participation in decision-making of the elected deputies and the interested public representatives”.

Russian environmental and human rights organizations speak out against the import of uranium radioactive waste into Russia. More than 30 organizations signed a collective statement in November 2019.

In January 2020, environmentalists the signatures of 70,000 Russians against the importation of uranium radioactive waste to the German Ministry of the Environment .

In March 2020, residents of the coast of the Gulf of Finland who live in close proximity to the transshipment and transport facilities of hazardous cargo near the port of Ust-Luga expressed their protest against transportation of nuclear waste through the Leningrad region.

The text of the PR and the Public Appeal to German and Russian authorities are available here .

We thank our colleagues from Germany and the Russian Socio-Ecological Union for their effective cooperation and support.

Contacts:
Oleg Bodrov
Tel. +7 921 74 52 631
bodrov@greenworld.org.ru

Commission takes legal action against France, Spain and Sweden to protect marine mammals

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 20:24:00 GMT

The European Commission has demanded today that France, Spain and Sweden take immediate action to prevent the needless deaths of dolphins and porpoises killed every year as bycatch in fishing nets.

The announcement follows a major intervention last year by a group of NGOs asking the European Commission to take legal action against 15 EU governments for failing in their legal duty to protect vulnerable marine mammals.

The Commission’s legal action follows a landmark advice published in May by scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which endorsed the NGOs’ call for immediate action to protect dolphins and porpoises.

In the Bay of Biscay alone, 11,300 common dolphins died during the winter 2018-2019 as a result of fishing activities. In the Baltic Proper, the harbour porpoise is critically endangered, with only a few hundred individuals surviving.

Reacting to the Commission’s announcement, ClientEarth lawyer John Condon said: “With this highly anticipated decision, the Commission has today set down a marker. EU countries that are flouting their legal duties to prevent bycatch will be held to account.

“This should act as a wake-up call to all other EU countries that are currently disregarding EU law to take immediate action to stop the killing, capture or disturbance of these iconic marine mammals.”

Sarah Dolman, Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s policy manager, whose research led to the NGO intervention, added: “The unabated deaths of many tens of thousands of dolphins, porpoises and whales bycaught annually in fisheries in European waters, causing population declines and much suffering for the individuals involved, has been happening for decades. The Commission has taken the first crucial steps to require France, Spain and Sweden to take action to implement monitoring and bycatch prevention. These countries, along with others fishing in European waters, should urgently take measures to eliminate bycatch of Europe’s dolphins and harbour porpoises.”

Seas At Risk’s Senior Marine Policy officer, Alice Belin, said: “It is high time for France and Spain to take their responsibility and avoid another massacre of common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay next winter. By implementing temporary fishing closures and electronic monitoring, as recommended by scientists, they will show leadership in the fight against fisheries bycatch. We hope that the European Commission’s commitment to proceed with legal action will represent an incentive to act quickly.”

Coalition Clean Baltic’s Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer, Ida Carlen, said: “We welcome the Commission’s action to stop bycatch and ensure conservation measures for the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise. It is time for Sweden to take its responsibility to save this critically endangered population.”

“We welcome the Commission for taking this important step toward the protection of these sensitive animals which go in the right direction with the commitments taken in May under the Biodiversity Strategy to restore European biodiversity,” concludes Eleonora Panella from IFAW.

ENDS

ClientEarth
ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect people and the planet. We are international lawyers finding practical solutions for the world’s biggest environmental challenges. We are fighting climate change, protecting oceans and wildlife, making forest governance stronger, greening energy, making business more responsible and pushing for government transparency. We believe the law is a tool for positive change. From our offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin, Madrid and Beijing, we work on laws throughout their lifetime, from the earliest stages to implementation. And when those laws are broken, we go to court to enforce them.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation
WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. We defend these remarkable creatures against the many threats they face through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation projects, field research and rescue.

Seas at Risk
Seas At Risk is an umbrella organisation of environmental NGOs from across Europe that promotes ambitious policies at European and international level for the protection and restoration of the marine environment.

Coalition Clean Baltic
Coalition Clean Baltic is a network of 24 organisations from all countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main aim is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea Region.

IFAW
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We work across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org.

Lack of national political will is driving European seas to the brink

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:40:00 GMT

Today, the European Commission published a report assessing the progress with the implementation of the EU’s Marine Directive [1], adopted in 2008. The report comes out just as the European Environment Agency paints a dire picture of the state of European seas in its new Marine report . Marine life, from seabed to sea birds, is suffering: 79% of the EU’s coastal seabed is damaged by bottom-trawling, up to 53% of sharks, rays and skates are threatened by bycatch and marine mammals’ condition has been in sharp decline since 2009.

For 12 years, European countries have had the legal obligation to take all the necessary measures to achieve clean and healthy seas by 2020. It is clear however that EU countries will miss the deadline and fail to meet the legally binding objective. Yet, the Marine Directive is instrumental to achieving the EU’s conservation goals at sea, recently set in the EU Biodiversity Strategy under the wider strategy of the European Green Deal , as well as the EU’s global commitments under Sustainable Development Goal 14 ‘Life Below Water’.

The Commission highlights a number of successes stemming from the Directive, which was at the forefront of the ocean plastic pollution battle, leading to the adoption of the Single-Use Plastics Directive. Many other threats, however, remain without ambitious plans for action by the Member States. The poor implementation of the Marine Directive also means that the Maritime Spatial Plans that countries are now finalising are built on a faulty environmental basis, and that blue growth remains essentially unbridled.

“Ever since its adoption in 2012, blue NGOs have denounced the inherent incompatibility of Europe’s Blue Growth Strategy with the goals of protecting and restoring the marine natural world”, says Ann Dom, Deputy Director at Seas At Risk. “We are happy to see that the European Commission is also coming to the same realisation in today’s report.”

Seas At Risk, ClientEarth, Coalition Clean Baltic, OceanCare and Surfrider Foundation Europe urge Member States to take immediate measures to address some of the most imminent threats to marine ecosystems , including – but not limited to – stopping overfishing and destructive fishing practices, closing the plastic pollution tap, protecting 30% of EU seas in highly or fully protected areas, stopping the flow of industrial, agricultural and household contaminated waters into the sea, banning offshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation, reducing the speed of ships and ending container loss at sea.

“EU seas are in a dire state, yet Member States keep tinkering around the edges of what is needed to make substantial progress”, says Alice Belin, senior marine policy officer at Seas At Risk. “With the 2020 deadline missed, we expect EU countries to adopt as soon as possible even more ambitious measures to make up for lost time. And if they are lacking inspiration, we encourage them to look at the NGO’s Blue Manifesto [2] the rescue plan to save the ocean by 2030.”

While an analysis of the failures to meet the law’s objective is welcome, the organisations object to any changes to the law. All indications, including today’s report, point to the Member States’ lack of political commitment as well as cross-governmental and cross-country coordination as the key reasons for lack of progress. This will not be fixed by changing the legal text, but rather by stepping up implementation and taking legal action against non-compliant Member States.

“Ground-breaking legislation, such as the Marine Directive, is used by the EU and its Member States to showcase the EU’s environmental credentials on the global stage” says ClientEarth’s Marine Habitats Lawyer, John Condon. “But when it comes to actually applying those laws to protect the environment, this report once again shows that EU countries are found wanting. Their legal obligation to achieve clean and healthy seas is not debatable. We urge the Commission to prepare legal action against countries who are failing to respect this important law.”

“The lack of commitment by all Ministries, not only those in charge of protecting the sea, means that coasts and seas remain plagued by the harmful impacts of ever-growing maritime sectors and land-based plastic, agricultural, industrial and household pollution”, says Nils Höglund, Marine and Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic. “We need cross-governmental task forces put in place to have a fair chance at tackling all the cumulative pressures on our seas and ocean.”

“ The Marine Directive presents concrete opportunities to improve EU waters’ health by taking into consideration local and regional contexts. It provides Member States with an incentive and obligations to address a broad range of major ocean challenges, such as plastic, chemical pollution, climate change, etc. and we are extremely disappointed that so many countries have completely ignored it”, says Antidia Citores, Spokesperson at Surfrider Foundation Europe.

“Quieter oceans through banning oil and gas exploration, which involve the loudest noise generated activities by humans, and by reducing the speed of large shipping vessels are measures that also contribute to climate action. Such measures and their positive impact to reach set objectives are consistent with all agreed policies, so what are most governments waiting for?” says Nicolas Entrup, Co-Director International Relations at OceanCare.

Notes

Marine Directive

Blue Manifesto

Contacts

Alice Belin, Senior Marine Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, +32 470 04 82 97 abelin@seas-at-risk.org

Bianca Vergnaud, Senior Communications Officer at ClientEarth, +32 471 88 70 95, bvergnaud@clientearth.org

Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, +46 70 867 92 49, nils.hoglund@ccb.se

Antidia Citores, Spokesperson at Surfrider Foundation Europe, +33632689036, acitores@surfrider.eu

Nicolas Entrup, Co-Director International Relation at OceanCare, + 43 660 211 9963, nentrup@oceancare.org

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 10:55:00 GMT

In October 2020, EU fisheries ministers will agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2021. As the deadline to end overfishing by 2020 at the latest as legally prescribed by Article 2(2) of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) [1] has passed, all fishing limits must be based on sustainable exploitation rates.

Last year, ministers set 5 out of 10 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) in the Baltic Sea exceeding the best available scientific advice for 2020, thereby contravening the CFP deadline. The European Commission proposal included 4 out of 10 TACs exceeding scientific advice, and ministers further increased catch limits beyond levels proposed by the European Commission (e.g. Baltic sprat, western Baltic cod and herring), whilst also removing some positive Commission proposals for improved at-sea monitoring of Baltic cod bycatches [2] .

Moreover, the European Ombudsman has made recommendations to improve the transparency of the Council when setting fishing opportunities. The Ombudsman confirmed a finding of maladministration in April 2020 [3] , expressing disappointment that Council decision-making contravened key democratic standards.

Continue and download the full document here .

______________________________________________________________________________
[ 1]- REGULATION (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy.
[2]- The Pew Charitable Trusts (2020). Analysis of Fisheries Council agreement on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2020.
[3] – https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/decision/en/127388
[4] – HELCOM (2018): State of the Baltic Sea – Second HELCOM holistic assessment 2011-2016. Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings 155.
[5] – The European Green Deal Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, The Council, the European Economic and Social Committee of the Regions. The European Green Deal.
[6] – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 – Bringing Nature Back into Our Lives.
[7] – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 – Bringing Nature Back into Our Lives.

Baltic Sea Fish Stocks Remain in Crisis – NGOs Call for Closures of Herring and Cod stocks

Fri, 29 May 2020 12:01:00 GMT

Brussels, 29 May 2020 :- Responding to today’s publication of annual scientific advice for EU fishing limits for 2021 in the Baltic Sea by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea), which finds important Baltic fish populations remain in a state of crisis, and the entire Baltic Sea ecosystem in very poor health [1], a group of non-governmental organisations are demanding that the European Commission and national fisheries ministers adhere to ICES expert scientific recommendations for zero fishing of western Baltic herring and eastern Baltic cod for 2021, to end overfishing of all other species, and commit to increased focus on ecosystem and climate considerations .

Coalition Clean Baltic, Oceana, Our Fish, Seas At Risk, and WWF call on the European Commission – which is responsible for proposing EU fishing limits – and on member state fisheries ministers – who make the final decisions, to not exceed the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and to respect the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requirements when setting all fishing limits in the Baltic Sea for 2021.

“ The poor condition of the Baltic Sea is a reflection of the global state of our seas and oceans. Overfishing, in addition to pollution, habitat loss and climate change, is narrowing the opportunity to change the dire state of Baltic fish stocks ”, said Ottilia Thoreson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “ EU ministers must intensify the implementation and enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy in the Baltic region, by setting sustainable fishing limits, securing appropriate implementation and tightening control of the landing obligation. All of these measures are necessary to allow for the recovery of fish stocks and ensure food security well into the future. ”

“ Last year’s decision by the EU Council to close targeted fishery on eastern Baltic cod was a step in the right direction but insufficient, as the cod are starving [2]. A cod recovery plan with a multi-species approach must be initiated ,” said Nils Höglund, Fisheries and Marine Policy Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic. “ As the eastern Baltic cod stock has collapsed, we cannot continue fishing their crucial food, sprat and herring without considering the need to maximise food availability ”, he continued, referring to ICES advice to move the sprat fishery [3]. Reducing or at least moving the sprat fishery is not a matter of debate, it’s a no brainer !”

“ Scientific assessments for some iconic fish stocks, like the eastern Baltic cod or the western Baltic herring, raise the alarm about their dire conservation status. The collapse of these populations is the result of several factors, including continuous overfishing, what contradicts the objectives of the EU fisheries and environmental policies ,“ explained Javier López, fisheries campaign director for Oceana in Europe. “ Decision makers must redress this situation by setting catch limits in line with scientific advice, alongside with additional measures related with spawning closures, bycatch minimization and/or recreational catches. Management decisions in line with the scientific advice are the only way to recover fish stocks and to ensure a sustainable future for the Baltic fisheries. ”

“ With the European Green Deal and EU Biodiversity Strategy, the European Commission doubled down on its commitment to end overfishing, restore the health of our seas, and support a transition to more sustainable fishing methods – now EU governments must respond and act on that commitment ”, said Rebecca Hubbard, Programme Director, Our Fish. “ Anything less than a full stop to overfishing in the Baltic will undermine the European Green Deal and worsen the impacts of the biodiversity and climate crisis ”, she added.

The EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires sustainable exploitation of EU fish stocks by 2020 in order to rebuild their populations [4]. One Baltic fish stock shows how respecting this important provision can work successfully with benefits for fishers and the ecosystem. The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Gulf of Riga herring has been set in accordance with scientific advice and CFP requirements for years, delivering the expected, good results: fishing pressure is at sustainable levels, the population is healthy, and ICES is able to again recommend a TAC increase for 2021. This was the only Baltic stock that benefitted from a proposed increase in the TAC for 2020 in line with scientific advice. This success story should guide fisheries ministers to set all Baltic TACs for 2021 following scientific advice for sustainable catches.

Western (Baltic) Spring Spawning Herring

Western Baltic herring is in crisis: scientific advice from ICES to stop fishing in 2019, and previously in 2018 was ignored, and the population is at dangerously low levels [5]. Even with a closed fishery, the stock will not recover in 2022. The herring is a highly migratory fish, migrating between their feeding grounds in the North Sea and Kattegat to their coastal spawning grounds located in bays, estuaries and lagoons along the coastal Western Baltic Sea. ICES scientific advice recommends an immediate halt on fishing in the Western Baltic as well as fishing reductions in the North Sea. Furthermore, ICES suggests that additional management measures, such as closed areas of temporal closing periods on the herring fishery in the North Sea are necessary for the western herring population to recover. For the year 2021, ICES still advises a fishing limit of zero tonnes.

Eastern Baltic Cod

According to ICES, the eastern Baltic cod population is still in a state of distress, with reproduction of the population at the lowest on record since 1946 [6]. Growth, condition (weight at length) and size at maturation has substantially declined during the last decades, and yet EU governments have repeatedly set fishing limits for eastern Baltic cod above scientific advice [6]. Unreported, illegal discarding of eastern Baltic cod is also believed to be rife and increasing, as a result of poor monitoring and control [7]. ICES advice for eastern Baltic cod catches fishing limit in 2021 is zero tonnes.

Western Baltic Cod

Western Baltic cod is still in a precarious state with estimates of the population revised down by 30% for 2020 (following on from a 60% reduction for 2019) [8]. ICES warns that the number of young fish that entered the fishery in 2018 and 2019 were the lowest on record, and reports that if this doesn’t change in the coming years, there will be a rapid decline in the population. In 2019, ICES estimated that 91.8% of Western Baltic cod caught (88% by weight) came from a single year class (2016). This shows that the population is extremely unbalanced. ICES estimates that fishing Western Baltic cod at Fmsy (fishing mortality at maximum sustainable yield – MSY [9]) across the management area (subdivisions 22-24) would lead to 1,532 tonnes of Eastern Baltic cod caught in subdivision 24 (Baltic Sea west of Bornholm), so in order to comply with the zero catch advised for eastern Baltic cod (where there is mixing of eastern and western Baltic cod), ICES advice zero fishing in subdivision 24, and a commercial fishing limit of between 2,960 and 4,635 tonnes of western Baltic cod for subdivisions 22-23.

ENDS

Read and download the Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021 here .

Contacts:

Notes:

29/5/2019: Calls for Emergency Halt to Baltic Fishing

http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/EcosystemOverview_BalticSea_2019.pdf

https://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Forms/Soren.aspx

ICES (2019) Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Baltic Sea ecoregion Published 29 May 2019 ICES Advice 2019 – spr.27.22-32, page 3.

Common Fisheries Policy. Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Common Fisheries Policy.

Fmsy: The point at which the largest catch can be taken from a fish stock over an indefinite period without harming it.

ICES (2020) ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2020. Her.27.20-24

Spawning Stock Biomass is below Blim.

ICES (2019), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 31 May 2019. Her.27.20-24

ICES (2018) advice – that there should be zero catch – was ignored.

ICES (2020), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2020. cod.27.24-32

Annex 1. ICES (2019), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2019. Cod.27.24-32

https://www.fishsec.org/2019/06/18/over-10-million-eastern-baltic-cod-illegally-discarded-last-year/

ICES (2020), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2019. Cod.27.22-24

ICES (2019), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2019. Cod.27.22-24

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02013R1380-20190814

Miljöorganisationer välkomnar vetenskapliga råd för att stoppa bifångster av den akut hotade Östersjötumlaren

Tue, 26 May 2020 15:00:00 GMT

Sverige, 26 Maj 2020 – Forskare från ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) släppte idag vetenskapliga råd för att stoppa bifångster av tumlaren i Östersjön, och varnar för att EU-Kommissionen måste vidta omedelbara åtgärder för att skydda denna akut hotade population.

Östersjötumlaren är akut utrotningshotad med bara några hundra individer kvar. Den kallas ofta för Europas vaquita, med referens till den mexikanska tumlaren i Californiabukten som idag är näst intill utrotad. Förlusten av bara en enda fertil hona skulle troligen ha katastrofala effekter på populationens förmåga att återhämta sig till hållbara nivåer. Sverige har ett särskilt ansvar för tumlaren i Östersjön, eftersom 98% av populationen befinner sig i svenska vatten på sommaren, då tumlarna också parar sig och föder sina ungar. Genomförande av åtgärderna som föreslås av ICES är ett mycket viktigt steg för att rädda Östersjötumlaren.

Internationella miljöorganisationer välkomnar nu ICES råd, som följer på en förfrågan från 2019 till EU-Kommissionen från 22 organisationer , bland andra Naturskyddsföreningen, Coalition Clean Baltic, Seas At Risk, Whale and Dolphin Conservation och ClientEarth, om åtgärder för att förebygga att tusentals delfiner i Biscaya-bukten, samt tumlare i Östersjön fastnar och drunkar i fiskenät.

Som svar på miljöorganisationernas förslag förordar ICES nu stängning av nätfisket i flera viktiga områden för tumlare, bland annat i det stora Natura 2000-området Hoburgsbank och Midsjöbankarna, samt bred användning av pingers på fisknät i hela egentliga Östersjön. Detta område pekades ut av Sverige för skydd av tumlare och sjöfågel i december 2016. ICES efterfrågar också kraftigt förbättrad övervakning av fiskeansträngning och bifångster, för att få bättre kunskap om områden och redskap med högre bifångstrisk.

Ida Carlén, expert på tumlare från Coalition Clean Baltic:

Alice Belin, Senior Marine Policy Officer på Seas At Risk:

Bakgrund

Östersjötumlaren är listad som Akut hotad (CR) av HELCOM , IUCN och Sverige . Idag är dess geografiska utbredning mycket mindre än den historiska, och det finns bara några hundra individer kvar. Tumlaren i Östersjön hotas av bland annat miljögifter och undervattensbuller, men bifångster i fisket orsakar direkt dödlighet och kan ha direkt konsekvens för populationens överlevnad. Med tanke på det lilla antalet djur, ålders- och könsfördelning, så är det troligt att det finns färre än 100 fertila honor i Östersjön idag. Förlusten av bara en av dessa honor kan ha en förödande effekt på populationens förmåga att återhämta sig eller ens finnas kvar på nuvarande nivå.

För att låta Östersjötumlaren återhämta sig måste vi minimera bifångsterna, helst eliminera dem helt. Idag är skyddsåtgärderna från länderna kring Östersjön mycket begränsade, och den långdragna processen för att genomföra åtgärder via EU’s gemensamma fiskeripolitik hotar populationens överlevnad.

Bifångst syftar på oavsiktlig fångst i fiskeredskap av tumlare, delfiner och andra marina arter, och leder oftast till döden genom drunkning.

Pingers placeras på fisknät och avger högfrekventa ljud för att uppmärksamma tumlaren på att det finns nät i närheten.

Kontakt
Ida Carlén, Coalition Clean Baltic
Ida.carlen@ccb.se , 070-313 30 67

NGOs welcome scientists’ advice to halt bycatch of endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise

Tue, 26 May 2020 14:39:00 GMT

Scientists from the International Council for the Exploration (ICES) have published a landmark advice today, warning the European Commission that immediate action is needed to protect two critically vulnerable marine mammals.

ICES has urged the Commission to introduce emergency measures to prevent the needless deaths of thousands of common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay and harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea, killed every year as bycatch in fishing nets.

In the Baltic Sea, the harbour porpoise is critically endangered. With only a few hundred animals left it is commonly called Europe’s vaquita, referring to the almost extinct Mexican Gulf of California porpoise, the vaquita. The bycatch of even a single reproductive female is likely to have a devastating effect on the population’s chances of survival, and the implementation of the measures proposed by ICES is a crucial step towards saving the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise.

Environmental groups welcome this advice, which follows action taken last year by 22 environmental groups, including ClientEarth, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Seas At Risk, Coalition Clean Baltic, France Nature Environnement, and IFAW.

Answering NGOs’ concerns, scientists have specifically asked the Commission to implement spatio-temporal closures of especially static net fisheries in some important harbour porpoise areas in Sweden, Germany and Poland as well as large-scale use of pingers in the Baltic Proper. ICES also calls for improved monitoring of fishing effort and bycatch, to gain better knowledge on high risk areas and -gears.

ICES has also highlighted that protection measures will only be effective when applied over a long-term period. Accordingly, the Commission should not only adopt these measures as a first step in the short-term, but also ensure that the EU countries responsible adopt measures for the long-term survival of these populations. ICES has recommended an adaptive management approach with enhanced monitoring of common dolphin and harbour porpoise as well as bycatch in fisheries.

Ida Carlén, harbour porpoise expert at Coalition Clean Baltic, said:

ClientEarth’s marine habitat lawyer John Condon said:

Seas At Risk’s Senior Marine Policy officer, Alice Belin, said:

Sarah Dolman from Whale and Dolphin Conservation said:

ENDS

Read the PR in Swedish here .

Notes to editors

The Baltic Sea harbour porpoise is listed by IUCN and HELCOM as critically endangered. Today its geographical range is significantly smaller than its historical one, and there are only a few hundred animals left. While pollution and disturbance through underwater noise may be contributing to the population failing to recover, bycatch is the one acute threat causing direct mortalities in significant numbers. Given the small size of the population, the sex ratio and age distribution and the proportion of females that are potentially infertile due to high contaminant load, there may be less than 100 fertile females remaining in the Baltic Proper. Losing even one of those females could have a devastating effect on the ability of the population to recover or even stay stable.

Hence, to allow this critically endangered population to recover, bycatch must be reduced to an absolute minimum, ideally to zero. To date, initiatives from Member States to minimize bycatch are very limited and the long and slow process for Member States to agree on joint measures for nature conservation purposes under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is currently risking the survival of the population.

Bycatch refers to the incidental capture in fishing gear of dolphins, porpoises, and other marine species, usually resulting in death.

Pingers are devices that transmit short high-pitched signals at brief intervals to alert the animals to the presence of fishing gear.

List of NGOs involved in the joint action: Whale and Dolphin Conservation, ClientEarth, Seas At Risk, Coalition Clean Baltic, Coastwatch Europe, Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Ecologistas en Accion, The Fisheries Secretariat, Fundació ENT, France Nature Environnement, Humane Society International, International Foundation for Animal Welfare, Irish Wildlife Trust, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, Marine Conservation Society, Natuurpunt, Oceana, OceanCare, Our Fish, Sciaena, Sea Shepherd France, Sustainable Water Network SWAN, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Wildlife and Countryside Link Bycatch sub-group, WWF.

About:

Seas At Risk
Seas At Risk is an umbrella organisation of environmental NGOs from across Europe that promotes ambitious policies at European and international level for the protection and restoration of the marine environment.

France Nature Environnement
France Nature Environnement (FNE) is a French NGO working on a range of environmental areas including oceans and marine biodiversity conservation. FNE gathers more than 3500 local NGOs from all France including overseas territories, and FNE’s objective is to give them a voice and to protect the environment at a local, regional, national and European level.

CCB joins the Surfrider Foundation Europe´s campaign #DrillingIsKilling

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 09:30:00 GMT

On the 20th of April 2010, the explosion of Deepwater Horizon, the deepest offshore oil platform, led to the biggest oil spill in human history.

On the 10th anniversary of this catastrophe, Surfrider Foundation Europe, the European NGO devoted to protecting the Ocean, together with 21 partner NGOs from all over Europe, launches its campaign #DrillingIsKilling and calls for a ban on offshore oil and gas exploitation and exploration in Europe by 2035.

Offshore drilling is a disaster for the environment and the economy

All stages of offshore drilling – exploration, exploitation, maintenance and dismantling – have a dramatic and irreversible impact on ocean biodiversity, putting human lives and marine species in grave danger.

Some of the environmental risks are:

The offshore drilling industry’s economic contribution is minute compared to the value added by the sectors which it threatens the most.

Given the current oil crisis which made oil prices reach their historic minimum, abandoning such a costly and dangerous activity seems an absolute necessity.

Year 2020: a unique chance to ban offshore drilling in European waters

Surfrider is fighting for a society that would preserve the marine habitats and environment.

Given the upcoming revision of the Offshore Safety Directive 2013/30/EU planned for 2020, Surfrider Foundation Europe is mobilizing, together with 21 other European NGOs, to call for an EU-wide offshore drilling ban by 2035 .

Banning offshore drilling is the first step in overcoming our addiction to fossil energy.

Surfrider Foundation Europe and all the signatories of the Manifesto “Toward an EU offshore drilling ban” , are calling on the European Union and its Member States to adopt a hardline stance against offshore drilling:

#DrillingIsKilling campaign: inform, mobilize and influence

Surfrider’s #DrillingIsKilling campaign is aimed at helping all the stakeholders to develop an understanding regarding offshore drilling consequences, especially for ocean conservation.

After launching the campaign on the 20th of April, Surfrider Foundation Europe will continue its campaign on the legislative level by pushing for an ambitious revision of the Offshore Safety Directive.

Later in 2020, we will pursue our mobilization efforts by encouraging citizens to raise this problem to their Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) via a specially designed platform.

Our ocean and our coasts represent an ecologic, economic and recreational treasure which is threatened by offshore drilling. Thanks to its campaign #DrillingIsKilling Surfrider Foundation Europe is calling for an EU-wide mobilization to put an end to this harmful practice by 2035.

Signatories of the Manifesto “Toward an EU offshore drilling ban”

Almargem, Centro De Intervenção Para O Desenvolvimento Amílcar Cabral (CIDAC), Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe), Coalition Clean Baltic, Coral Guardian, Fractracker Alliance, Friends of the Black Sea, Glocal Faro, Grupo de Estudos de Ordenamento do Território e Ambiente (GEOTA), Leave it in the ground (LINGO), Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (LPN), Mediterranean Information Office for the Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO ECSDE), Plastic Soup Foundation, Plataforma Algarve Livre de Petróleo (PALP), Ocean sounds, Oceana, Our Fish, Save Greek Seas, SCIAENA, Sociedade portuguesa para o estudo das aves (SPEA)

For more information : Yana Prokofyeva, European Outreach Officer: yprokofyeva@surfrider.eu / +33 6 51 67 88 89

Vacancy: Financial Manager/Controller to join the CCB International Secretariat

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 10:21:00 GMT

We are looking for a full time Financial Manager/Controller to join the team at the CCB International Secretariat in Uppsala, Sweden.

This position will play a critical role in the CCB International Secretariat’s conservation work, with an emphasis on the flow of financial resources in the Secretariat and to the 24 NGO partner organizations advocating across the Baltic Sea catchment. You will work closely with the team in Uppsala on all financial and operational issues to ensure effective implementation of CCB’s projects and initiatives. You will also support and coordinate development of CCB’s operational, strategic and business plans and ensure effective implementation of the same.

Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English. Applications submitted in any other language will not be considered.

Primary tasks :

Required skills: Several years of professional experience in accounting and financial management, knowledge of Swedish legislation governing financial transactions and taxation, ability to speak and write in Swedish and English, as well as a strong team spirit and a wish to make the world a better place!

Desirable skills: Working knowledge of any other language common in the Baltic Sea catchment, including Danish, German, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian. Experience in fundraising. Experience with international organization/NGO funding partners such as SIDA, EU LIFE Programme, etc. Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation systems.

Some travel will be necessary, mostly in the Baltic Sea catchment. You need to be able to participate in occasional meetings on weekends, since the network consists partly of volunteers who dedicate their spare time to environmental activism.

Salary comparable to NGO staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective Unions. Subject to adjustment depending on experience and annual increase.

Location: Uppsala, Sweden

It is expected that the new employee would start from 1 May 2020 at the latest.

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send you CV with a motivational letter by 31 March 2020 to secretariat@ccb.se .

Likewise any inquiries related to this vacancy announcement should be forwarded to the above email or by phone to Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin at +46 739 770 793.

NGOs urge Baltic countries to speed up commitments to the Baltic Sea Action Plan

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:01:00 GMT

Helsinki, 3 March 2020 – This week at the HELCOM Stakeholder Conference and High-level Meeting [1], Coalition Clean Balic and the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme presented a joint ‘ Shadow Plan ’ [2] in response to the ongoing Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) update process [3]. The Shadow Plan contains recommended actions across all themes addressed by the current Action Plan.

The current plan was adopted in 2007 by all countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. Despite ambitious goals and promises to protect and restore the Baltic marine environment by 2021, countries are still a long way off in achieving the targets that were set. According to the most recent HELCOM implementation assessment from 2018 [4], of the 177 actions and recommendations assessed, only 24% of the national actions were completed and 60% partly accomplished whereas 68% of the joint actions have been claimed as completed.

says Ottilia Thoreson, Programme Director at WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

The Shadow Plan relays NGOs recommended actions for HELCOM ministers that are fundamental to restore the sea back to good environmental health, support thriving coastal communities, and increase resilience to climate change. As the 2021 deadline passes, countries need to continue to address the present challenges in the Baltic, as part of their efforts to fulfil global legal framework requirements under United Nations global Sustainable Development Goals and the revised UN Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) that still remain.

says Mikhail Durkin, CCB’s Executive Secretary.

The coming decade will be decisive for the state of biodiversity. Action must be taken now and so, we ask that HELCOM ministers take into account our recommendations during the Baltic Sea Action Plan updating process. We call on all Baltic countries to step up and speed up their implementation of nature protection policies.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 22 member organizations and 2 observers, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at www.ccb.se

UN Sustainable Development Goals – The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The 17 SDGs are integrated —that is, they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability. More info at: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html

UN Convention on Biological Diversity – The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force on 29 December 1993. It is known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty and has 3 main objectives, the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. More info at: https://www.cbd.int/

[1] 2020 HELCOM Stakeholder Conference

HELCOM 41-2020

[2] The Baltic Shadow Plan: for the future of the Baltic Sea

[3] The updated process - “Implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan 2018: Three years left to reach good environmental status

[4] HELCOM implementation assessment from 2018

[5] CCB Civil Society Declaration on Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea

Contact:

Mikhail Durkin
Executive Secretary, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)
mikhail.durkin@ccb.se
+46 739 770 793

Ottilia Thoreson
Programme Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se
+46 732 745 867

The Baltic Shadow Plan: for the future of the Baltic Sea

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 07:59:00 GMT

This shadow plan presents NGO requests to HELCOM for the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) update.

The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) adopted in 2007, by the Helsinki Convention, had the goal to restore the Baltic marine environment to a good ecological status by 2021. However, the nine Baltic Sea Countries are nowhere near achieving this goal .

The vision of the BSAP for “A healthy Baltic Sea environment, with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good environmental/ecological status,” cannot be reached without explicit implementation of the ecosystem approach across all the segments of the Action Plan and engaging all economic sectors and human activities within the Baltic Sea catchment area.

We are in the midst of a biodiversity and climate crisis . Healthy marine and coastal life and habitats are essential to our resilience to ecological and climate breakdown. We are dependent on marine and coastal ecosystems to be healthy and rich so that they can perform their natural functions. We depend on it as a crucial life system and as a protein source, even for those who live inland far from the sea.

The coming decade will be decisive. A collapsed Baltic cod population is the most alarming indication yet, signalling the very real need to change how we manage the entire ecosystem where we continue to fish, build and extract. With brave and sufficient political commitment, we can deliver that change – if we act now .

We call on all the Baltic Sea countries to keep to their commitments of the founding HELCOM BSAP and to strengthen those by adopting the revised 2021 Action Plan that aims to:

Read and download the full Shadow Plan here .

109 Organizations Around the Globe Urge World Leaders to Reach a WTO Deal to Help Save Our Ocean

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 06:00:00 GMT

This June, governments around the world must fulfil their commitment to curb the public money that supports overfishing and degrades our ocean. After nearly two decades of negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO), now is the moment for leaders to act to end harmful fisheries subsidies. Ahead of the WTO’s Ministerial Conference, which is scheduled to launch on World Ocean Day, 109 organizations from around the world urge world leaders to reach a meaningful agreement to stop these harmful subsidies as time has run out.

Despite the fact that a third of fish stocks are already exploited beyond sustainable levels1, governments continue to provide an estimated US$22billion every year in harmful subsidies that increase fishing capacity.2 While these subsidies may be aimed at helping coastal communities, they can instead encourage fishing beyond profitable and sustainable levels in coastal waters and on the high seas, degrading the very resources on which these communities depend and jeopardising the future of the industry they set out to support.

In 2015, world leaders recognized the damage that harmful subsidies cause to fish stocks and the marine environment when they adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. SDG Target 14.6 tasked governments with reaching a new agreement at the WTO to eliminate harmful subsidies by 2020. This deadline has mobilized the international community but makes the WTO’s Twelfth Ministerial Conference, this June, our last, best chance to achieve meaningful reform.

The final international agreement must trigger prompt and significant reductions by the largest subsidizers. Moreover, it must establish a binding framework that drives the phase out of all harmful subsidies that contribute to fleet overcapacity and overfishing, and eliminates subsidies to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by all WTO member governments. Countries at all stages of development should be prepared to improve the health of their fisheries and support the livelihoods of their fishers by reforming their fisheries subsidies programs once an agreement is reached. Anything less would miss this generational opportunity to replot the course of global fishing fleets toward sustainability, improve the health of ocean ecosystems, and help ensure that the ocean will continue to provide for the many millions who depend on it, now and into the future.

A deal is possible. We call upon world leaders to work swiftly to find landing zones in order to successfully deliver on the SDG mandate by the 2020 deadline. An agreement would demonstrate not only that WTO members can cooperate to deliver an outcome of global importance, but also that the SDGs represent a real pathway toward a better future.

Now is the time for action.

Download the Policy Statement here .

NOTES:

1) FAO (2018) “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 – Meeting the sustainable development goals”. Rome.
License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
2) Sumaila et. al (2019) “Updated estimates and analysis of global fisheries subsidies”, Marine Policy 109.

SIGNEES: Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) – ANA: Asociación Asturiana de Amigos de la Naturalez – Animal Latitude – Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) – APECE – Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation – Associació de Naturalistes de Girona – Association Biom – Beta Diversidad – BirdLife Cyprus – BirdLife Internationa – BirdLife Sverige – BirdWatch Ireland – BLOOM – Blue Marine Foundation – Blue Resources Trust – Centro Ballena Azul – Círculo de Políticas Ambientales – Citizens’ Institute for Environmental Science (CIES) – ClientEarth – Coalition Clean Baltic – Coalition for Fair Fisheries Agreements (CFFA) – CODEMAR (Coalición en Defensa de los Mares de México) – Colectivo Ecologista de Avilés – Conservation International – Coordinadora Ecoloxista d’Asturies – Cork Environmental Forum – CREMA – Danmarkus Naturfredningsforening – Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) – Depana – Desmitificando Tiburones – Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (Environmental Action Germany) – Earth Law Center – EarthJustice – ECO (Proazul Terrestre A.C.) – Ecologistas en Acción – Ecotrust Canada – El Chorlitejo Plataforma para la defensa del litoral del sureste de Gran Canaria – Elasmo Project – Environmental Justice Foundation – Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization (EMEDO) – Fauna & Flora International – France Nature Environment – Friends of the Mariana Trench Monument – Fundació ENT – Fundación Mar Adentro – Fundación MarViva – Fundación Terram – GEOTA – Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine – Global Fishing Watch – Global Ocean Trust – Good Fish Foundation – Greenpeace – Humane Society International (HSI) – Iceland Nature Conservation Association (INCA) – Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) – International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) – International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) – International Institute for Sustsainable Development (IISD) – International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) – Ligue Pour La Protection des Oiseaux (LPO) – Lithuanian Ornithological Society (LOD) – LPN: Liga para a Protecção da Natureza – Manta Trust – Marine Conservation Institute – Marine Conservation Society – MedReAct – MEER e.V. – Mission Blue – Mundus Maris – Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC) – New Economics Foundation – Observatório do Mar dos Açores – Ocean Conservancy – Ocean Outcomes – Ocean Unite – Oceana – OceanCare – OceanoSanos – Ondarroa 12 Milia – Our Fish – PONG-Pesca – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) – Posidonia Green Project – Pro Wildlife – Qingdao Marine Conservation Society (QMCS) – Quercus – Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza (ANCN) – Sciaena – Sea First Foundation – Sea Shepherd Global – Seal Rescue Ireland – Seas At Risk – SHARKPROJECT International – Submon – Sunce – Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) – Swedish Society for Nature Conservation – The Environment and Conservation Organizations of New Zealand (ECO) – The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – The Pew Charitable Trusts – Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) – Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) – WILDTRUST – World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF) – World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International – Zoological Society of London

Blue Manifesto – The Roadmap to a Healthy Ocean in 2030

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 08:33:00 GMT

More than 100 environmental organisations, led by Seas At Risk, BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation Europe and WWF launched the “ Blue Manifesto ”. The rescue plan lays out concrete actions which must be delivered by set dates in order to turn the tide on the ever-degraded and polluted ocean and coastlines. To be successful, change is needed on both land and sea. The NGOs call for:
– At least 30% of the ocean to be highly or fully protected by 2030;
– Shift to low-impact fishing;
– Securing a pollution-free ocean;
– Planning of human activities that support the restoration of thriving marine ecosystems.

Press Release available in EN .

Blue Manifesto vertical version
Blue Manifesto horizontal version

Full list of organisations signing the Manifesto:
A Rocha (International Marine and Coastal Conservation Programme); Animal latitude; APECE – Portuguese Association for the Study and Conservation of Elasmobranchs; Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation; ASOC – Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition; Asociacion plataforma”El Chorlitejo”; BIOM association; BirdLfie Sverige; BirdLife Cyprus; Birdlife Europe and Central Asia; BirdLife Malta; BirdLife Suomi; Birdwatch Ireland; Bloom; Brot für die Welt; BUND – Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland; By the Ocean We Unite; Climate Action Network Europe; CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic; CFFA-CAPE; ClientEarth; Compassion in World Farming; Cork Env Forum; Cork nature network; Deep Sea Conservation Coalition; Deep wave; DEPANA; DN – Danmarks Naturfredningsforening; DSM – Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz; DUH – Deutsche Umwelthilfe; Ecologistas En Accion; Ecos; EEB – European Environmental Bureau; ENT Foundation; Environmental Justice Foundation; FANC – Finnish Association for Nature Conservation; France Nature Environnement; Friends of the Black Sea; Friends of the Earth Europe; Fundajia Aquarium; Geota; Good fish foundation; Greenpeace; HOS – Hellenic Ornithological Society; IFAW – International Fund for Animal Welfare Europe; INCA – Iceland Nature Conservation Association; International Programme on the State of the Ocean; Irish Sea Sanctuary; Irish Wildlife Trust; Legambiante; Living Sea; LOB – Latvian Ornithological Society; LOD – Lithuanian Ornithological Society; LPN – Liga para a Protecção da Natureza; LPO – Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux; MARE Foundation; Mare Nostrum; Marevivo; MCS – Marine Conservation Society; MedReact; MedSOS; MEER; MIO-ECSDE – Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development; Mundus Maris; NABU – Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union; Natuurpunt; New Economics Foundation; Ocean and Climate Platform; Oceana; OceanCare; Oceanografica; OMA – Observatório do Mar dos Açores; Otop – Ogólnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków; Our Fish; PongPesca; Poseidonia green project; Project Aware; Prowildlife; Quercus; ReefCheck; Rethink Plastic Alliance; Retorna; RSPB – Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; SAR – Seas At Risk; Sciaena; SDN – Stichting de Nordzee; Sea First; SEO – Sociedad Española de Ornitología; Slowfood Germany; SMILO – Small Islands Organisation; SPEA – Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves; SSNC – Swedish Society for Nature Conservation; Sunce; Surfrider; SWAN – Sustainable Water Network; T&E – Transport and Environment; TNC – The Nature Conservancy; Tour des deux Amériques solidaire en voilier; Under the pole; WDC – Whale and Dolphin Conservation; WWF; Zero Waste Europe.

Ten actions on our Christmas “wishlist” to ensure Ministers deliver a concrete plan to save the Baltic Sea

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 09:12:00 GMT

As the end of the year approaches, children and adults alike, will be writing their wish lists in the hopes that they might get a present on Christmas Eve. We, the Coalition Clean Baltic and WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, have a special wish this year: a Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) with a focus on real actions to significantly improve the state of the Baltic Sea. We propose to start with ten things that Ministers should do to ensure that the Baltic gets the action plan it deserves.

So far, the Baltic Sea Action Plan has not met any of the four goals that were set back in 2007 [1] In our view, it needs a revolutionary update in order to fulfill any of the pre-existing goals, let alone any additional ones that are added during the update process [2]. The updated plan needs to be more than just a plan – it needs concrete actions that deliver measurable results.

Here are ten actions that all Ministers can do to ensure that Baltic Sea region gets the action plan it deserves:

“The state of our oceans and seas is alarming. We can and must turn the tide on the downward spiral of biodiversity loss. Now more than ever, we need concrete implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan by all Baltic Sea countries in order to avoid continued loss of species and habitats that are symbolic of and essential to this brackish sea. We, in the NGO community, send this wishlist to all Baltic countries to propel them to take the lead and make the updated action plan ambitious and action-oriented. HELCOM has the platform and passion to empower change and save our loved Baltic sea”, says the Coalition Clean Baltic and the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

It is the responsibility of the national governments and Ministers involved in the update process to ensure that the action plan effectively benefits both people and nature. In light of the highly disappointing outcomes from COP25 [3], we can not help but wonder – will a Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) be more than a plan or will that remain on our Christmas wish list again next year?

Note to editors:

HELCOM State of the Baltic Sea Report

European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Coalition Clean Baltic climate change report

Contact:

Federica Pastore
Communication Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)
federica.pastore@ccb.se
+46707662175

Hannah Griffiths-Berggren
Communications Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
hannah.griffiths.berggren@wwf.se
+46739237439

4,500+ scientists call on European Commission to defend the EU water law

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 10:30:00 GMT

Brussels, 6 December 2019 – Scientists and academics concerned by the dire state of European rivers, lakes and wetlands have released a statement calling on the EU to fully implement and enforce its own water law – the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) – in order to halt and reverse the catastrophic decline in the world’s freshwater biodiversity.

The statement has been endorsed by nine scientific bodies representing over 4,000 scientists, and nearly 500 individual scientists specialising in the wide array of species impacted by the WFD – from amphibians to insects, freshwater fishes to birdlife. The scientists include Dr. Jörg Freyhof, Regional Chair, IUCN/WI Freshwater Fish Specialist Group, and Professor Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, Director, director of Swansea University’s Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research.

The statement was released earlier today alongside an op-ed for Euractiv by Professor Steven Weiss – a freshwater biodiversity expert at the University of Graz and one of the statement’s signatories.

The statement describes the WFD as a critical tool for ensuring that Europe has “healthy and resilient freshwater bodies to support people and nature, today and in the future”, and draws attention to the law’s “holistic approach” to water management. It is released as the European Commission is in the final stages of a standard evaluation of the WFD – known as a “fitness-check” – which is designed to assess whether the law is still relevant and fit for purpose. The final conclusions of this evaluation are expected at the end of this year.

EU Commission misses opportunity to halt dolphin and porpoise deaths this winter

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:32:00 GMT

The European Commission said today that it will not take emergency measures this winter to tackle the tragic death of dolphins caught in fishing nets.

Last winter, around 1200 cetaceans – almost all identified as common dolphins – washed ashore along the French Atlantic coast. 85 percent of these dolphins died after being caught up in fishing nets .
The entanglement of unwanted animals caught in nets is referred to as ‘bycatch’ and it is considered the greatest threat to cetaceans in European waters, with many thousands dying each year.
In July 2019, 22 environmental NGOs formally requested that the European Commission take legal action against 15 EU governments for failing in their legal duty to protect dolphins, porpoises and whales from bycatch.

The group also called for emergency protection measures to be introduced for Baltic harbour porpoises and North East Atlantic common dolphins to immediately prevent further deaths in these populations under imminent threat due to fishing activities.

Such emergency measures, which have a strong legal basis and are supported by comprehensive scientific evidence, should include:
• temporarily or permanently closing fisheries in key areas where bycatch is a problem,
• implementing year round on board observations and electronic monitoring,
• requiring mandatory use of acoustic devices that act as a deterrent to Baltic porpoises,

But at an event on bycatch today , the Commission’s DG MARE postponed its decision on emergency measures, citing a need for scientific advice that will not be available until spring 2020. In the meantime, thousands of cetaceans are at risk of dying from bycatch this winter.

ClientEarth Marine Habitat lawyer John Condon said:

Sarah Dolman from the marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation says:

The event on tackling the bycatch of cetaceans was hosted by Rory Palmer MEP, chaired by Jackie Jones MEP, and organised by ClientEarth , Whale and Dolphin Conservation , Seas At Risk , Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) . The Commission’s announcement follows on from a written response to a question submitted by Mr Palmer MEP.

CCB´s comment to Ministers’ decision on TACs for the Baltic Sea

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 12:22:00 GMT

CCB´s comment to Ministers’ decision on TACs for the Baltic Sea – Better than expected, but the major failure is the missing link between cod and main pray sprat

The annual policy cycle for setting fishing limits for the 2020 fishing year in the Baltic is concluded. The Commission’s TAC (Total Allowable Catch) proposal, this time almost in line with the joint NGOs proposal, set the scene for the Fisheries Ministers Council meeting in Luxembourg on the 14th of October .
CCB acknowledge and applaud that the Ministers and the Commission have taken a big step toward their own responsibility to provide sustainable fisheries with the agreement reached.

The final outcome of the Council meeting was better than expected . Several TACs were kept fully in line with the rules in place and scientific advice. The Ministers maintained the current closure on the eastern Baltic cod fishery, only allowing limited bycatch of this cod stock in other fisheries.
Ministers also reduced the western Baltic cod TAC significantly. Both the western and eastern cod stocks are in deep trouble. While Ministers are beginning to appreciate the gravity of the situation, they failed to fully appreciate scientific advice.

commented Nils Höglund, CCB Fisheries Policy Officer.

There was in CCBs view only one major failure: the sprat TAC and lack of ecosystem considerations linked to recovery of the closed eastern Baltic cod fishery . Scientists have repeated for years that cod are starving, with steadily deteriorating body conditions, and that the sprat is a key component in the cod’s diet:

added Nils Höglund.

CCB underlines that there is little point in stopping a cod fishery if the remaining fish will starve .
We must make a concerted effort to appreciate the needs of a fish population within an ecosystem to support fishery recovery and sustainability. Single-species fisheries management driven by TACs alone is too limited. We must dare to move away from this tired exercise and work cross-sectorally.

On a general note, CCB must remind about the unacceptable way these “negotiations” about our ecosystems health takes place behind closed doors. Citizens cannot hold any politicians accountable because of this lack of transparency.

Links:

Support and criticism for Commission proposal for Baltic Sea fishing 2020

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 09:36:00 GMT

Helsinki, 4 Sept 2019 – Environmental NGOs The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation , Coalition Clean Baltic and the Fisheries Secretariat welcome the fact that the European Commission proposal for fishing opportunities for 2020 in the Baltic Sea follows scientific advice for the majority of the Baltic Sea fish stocks. However, NGOs strongly question the proposals for a number of stocks, which have not followed the scientific advice, like salmon, western herring and eastern cod.

“ The scientific advice on main basin Baltic salmon clearly states that commercial landings should be 58 900 salmons. The Commission proposal of 86 575 salmons is not inline with that advice. Ministers at the October Council should follow the scientific advice on Baltic salmon, not the Commission proposal “, said Tapani Veistola Senior Advisor at the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.

Nils Höglund Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic, said: “ On western Baltic herring the science advice for a second year in a row is for zero catch. The Commission ignored the advice last year and member states then made it worse by increasing the TAC in the final decision. Unsurprisingly the stock did not improve. Unfortunately this years Commission proposal is again not inline with the scientific advice. We urge fisheries ministers to support the scientific advice ”.

Lindsay Keenan Fisheries Policy Officer at the Fisheries Secretariat added: “ For eastern Baltic cod the science is clear, the stock is in crisis and so we welcome the proposal of no direct cod fishing. We also welcome the proposed spawning areas protections, which should be a key part of a comprehensive long-term rebuilding plan for both cod stocks. However we have serious concerns about the proposed bycatch TAC for eastern cod, for which no figures are yet presented ”.

The NGOs point out the need for introduction of fishing gears that reduce bycatch and that such gears already exist. They also note the need for additional control and monitoring of medium & high risk vessels as a pre-condition for allocating quota.

With regard to the main pelagic stocks (sprat and herring), the NGOs note that the proposal disregards one crucial part of the scientific advice, namely to move some portion of the pelagic fishery to maximize the food availability for the weak cod stock. This must be addressed as a part of a long term recovery plan for the cod.

Veistola said, “With some Baltic stocks in crisis, the Common Fisheries Policy deadline of 2020 for stocks to be managed sustainably and in the midst of a biodiversity and climate emergency, decisions taken during Finlands presidencies of the EU and Baltfish will be crucial.”

The Commission and member states need to start really dealing with the substantial ecosystem problems in the Baltic Sea. Environment and fisheries Ministers need to work together to agree and implement long term solutions.

For information:
– Mr. Tapani Veistola, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation: +358 400 615 530
– Mr. Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic: +46 708 679 249
– Mr. Lindsay Keenan, Fisheries Secretariat: +46 707 100 510

Notes:

1) Finland will chair the Baltfish forum and High Level Group meetings in Helsinki on 4 & 5 Sept. Baltic member states senior fisheries officials will discuss the Commission proposal with a view to developing a Baltic consensus ahead of final decisions at the EU Fisheries Ministers Council meeting on 15-16 October.

Finland currently also chairs the EU Council. On 4 Sept the EU Parliament PECH committee will have a first exchange of views with Mr Jari Leppä, Finnish Minister for Agriculture and Forestry concerning Finlands EU presidency priorities.

2) Media briefing: Baltic and EU fisheries: Wed 4 Sept 2019 @ 09.30 – 10.30 – House of Science: Tieteiden talo, Kirkkokatu 6, Helsinki.

Baltic fisheries NGOs will also host a media briefing to offer their reaction to the EU Commissions proposal for Baltic fishing opportunities for 2020 and their analysis of the key issues facing Baltic fisheries. Fisheries policy officers from Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, Coalition Clean Baltic, The Fisheries Secretariat and Oceana will be available for interview.

3) Weblinks:

Commission Proposal for Baltic Sea fishing Total Allowable Catches

https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/press/baltic-sea-commission-proposal-aims-improve-long-term-sustainability-stocks_en

NGOs recommendations on Baltic fishing opportunities for 2020 are available at:

https://www.fishsec.org/2019/06/10/joint-ngo-recommendations-on-baltic-sea-fishing-opportunities-for-2020/

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2019/1248 of 22 July 2019 establishing measures to alleviate a serious threat to the conservation of the eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) stock

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019R1248&from=DE

Web link to EU press release re eastern Baltic cod emergency measures

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-4149_en.htm

ICES advice on western Baltic Herring Published 29 May 2019

http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/her.27.20-24.pdf

ICES advice on Atlantic salmon in the Baltic Sea, excluding the Gulf of Finland

http://ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2019/2019/sal.27.22-31.pdf

PECH committee agenda:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PECH-OJ-2019-09-04-1_EN.html

CCB joined the Ocean Call for G7

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 09:31:00 GMT

We have joined and signed the Ocean Call , which carries the voice and the commitments of more than 50 organizations mobilized for the ocean alongside Surfrider Foundation Europe .

We, the representatives of civil society, stand together as Ocean defenders and call on the Group of Seven to treat ocean protection as a priority during the G7 Summit, and future summits, by adopting binding measures and a time-bound action plan to protect, restore and strengthen the resilience of the ocean to the many threats it faces, including pollution, acidification, climate change, exploitation and irreversible marine and coastal habitat and biodiversity loss, following these requests:

Following the G7 Summit, the Ocean Call will also be staged at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York in September, at the COP 25 in Chile in December and finally at the COP 15 on Biodiversity in China in 2020.

Ocean Call

Experts call to check actual environmental losses from laying Nord Stream 2 pipeline

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 15:35:00 GMT

Greenpeace Russia prepares an appeal to the Prosecutor’s Office with a request to examine new facts of environmental damage caused by laying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through Kurgalskiy Nature Reserve in Leningrad Oblast of Russia. The appeal is based on the conclusions by the experts of the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, stating the loss of red-listed plants and attempts to fake their “successful” re-planting by the use of less vulnerable hybrids. Independent ornithologists also concluded that red-listed white-tailed eagles have left their nest close to the pipeline construction route despite positive reports from the Nord Stream 2 AG.

These new findings once again prove that Nature Protected Areas should never be used – neither for such destructing infrastructure projects as laying pipelines nor for experiments with red-listed plants species. Moreover, using such fake “success” stories in PR and actual project implementation does not qualify as a responsible investor, but rather as another ‘greenwash’ story-teller, being deadly harmful for both species and ecosystems
.Further details are presented in Kommersant Daily article: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4052456

NOTE: texts of the linked above experts conclusions and the article are in Russian language, but the conclusions will be soon available in English.

Groups call on the European Commission to take action over huge number of cetacean deaths

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 08:33:00 GMT

Thousands of dolphins, porpoises and whales die in European waters, due to accidental capture in fisheries nets (bycatch). Today 21 environmental NGOs [1], led by Seas At Risk, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, ClientEarth and Coalition Clean Baltic , jointly called [2] on the European Commission to adopt emergency measures to immediately prevent further deaths and take legal action against 15 EU governments for failing their duty to protect these mammals.
Bycatch is the biggest global killer of whales and dolphins, who face a horrific death if caught in a net. If they can’t surface quickly enough, they suffocate. In their desperation to escape, some tear muscles, break teeth, and sheer off fins. Those that do escape can be left with painful injuries and can die weeks later as a result.
The situation is particularly critical for some dolphin and porpoise populations. The North East Atlantic short-beaked common dolphin, has suffered high bycatch for decades, as evidenced by the stranded dolphins washing up on the coasts of Ireland, United Kingdom, France and Spain. This culminated this past winter in 1,200 dolphins washing ashore along the French coastline alone, over 80% of which were diagnosed as having been bycaught. These numbers are only the tip of the iceberg, as for every dolphin body landing on a beach, many more decay at sea [3]. Marine biologists warn that commercial fisheries are now a major threat to this dolphin population [4]. To prevent thousands more deaths next winter, the fisheries responsible should be closed in the targeted period when the highest level of bycatch occurs.
The Baltic harbour porpoise is critically endangered [5], with only a few hundred animals left. One single incidental killing of a fertile female could have a devastating impact on the ability of the population to recover. To prevent the collapse of the population, emergency measures include a range of spatial closures of harmful fisheries in the Marine Protected Areas, and mitigation elsewhere in the Baltic Sea.

Contacts:
– Alice Belin, Senior Marine Policy Officer at Seas At Risk abelin@seas-at-risk.org +32 2 893 0921
– Danny Groves, communications manager at WDC danny.groves@whales.org, +44 (0)7834 498 277
– Sarah Dolman, Policy Manager at WDC sarah.dolman@whales.org +44 (0) 7834498275
– Martin Watters, Comms Manager at ClientEarth mwatters@clientearth.org +44 (0) 7432107787
– Ida Carlén, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic ida.carlen@ccb.se +46 (0) 703133067

Notes
[1] List of NGOs involved: Seas At Risk, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, ClientEarth, Coalition Clean Baltic, Coastwatch Europe, Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Ecologistas en Accion, The Fisheries Secretariat, Fundació ENT, France Nature Environnement, International Foundation for Animal Welfare, Irish Wildlife Trust, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, Marine Conservation Society, Natuurpunt, Oceana, OceanCare, Our Fish, Sciaena, Sea Shepherd France, Sustainable Water Network SWAN, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Wildlife and Countryside Link Bycatch sub-group, WWF.
[2] Cover letter “Complaint against the breach of species protection obligations under Article 12 of the Habitats Directive in relation to cetaceans”.
Cover letter “Urgent European Commission action needed to stop cetacean bycatch in Europe under Articles 11(4) and 12 of the Common Fisheries Policy Basic Regulation”.
[3] Pelagis – https://www.observatoire-pelagis.cnrs.fr/

[4] In June 2019, the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission recognised the urgency of the situation and the threat caused by bycatch to the conservation status of the North East Atlantic common dolphins. https://archive.iwc.int/pages/view.php?ref=9570&k=
[5] IUCN assessment ‘Phocoena phocoena Baltic Sea subpopulation’. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/17031/98831650
[6] Good Environmental Status of EU waters
[7] EU Habitats Directive: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31992L0043
Under the European Legislation of the Habitats Directive, European Member States must adopt measures to protect cetacean populations. European Regulation 812/2004 foresees that European Member States should fight against cetacean bycatch.

Translations
– PR in Swedish
– PR in Polish

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2020

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 08:19:00 GMT

1. Executive Summary

In October 2019, EU fisheries ministers will agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2020. This will be the final Council meeting where fisheries ministers have the opportunity to end overfishing of Baltic Sea species by 2020, as is legally required by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) *(1) . The following text outlines the joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2020 in the context of EU fisheries legislation, scientific advice on catch limits and the sharing of stocks with third countries.

We urge the European Commission (EC) to propose, and the Council to agree on, Total Allowable Catches (TACs) in accordance with the following recommendations:
– Set TACs not exceeding scientifically advised levels based on the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) approach for all stocks for which MSY-based reference points are available.
– Where MSY-based reference points are not available, to not exceed the precautionary approach catch limits advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
– Set TACs not exceeding the FMSY point value specified in the Baltic Multi-Annual Plan (MAP), following the ICES MSY Advice Rule when spawning stock biomass (SBB) is below the MSY Btrigger reference point.
– Take into account the lack of implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO) when setting TACs, and ensure that TACs are respected by increasing monitoring and control of the LO.

2. NGO recommendation on eastern Baltic cod for the remaining part of 2019

In addition to recommendations on 2020 TACs, we include a recommendation on eastern Baltic cod for the remaining part of 2019. The stock has been deteriorating for many years and the ICES advice now confirms it is in a critical state. We recommend the Commission and Baltic Sea member states introduce emergency measures in order to safeguard the eastern Baltic cod stock, including closing the fishery immediately, in accordance with the CFP articles 12 and 13 *(2) .

*(1) Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy. *(2) Letter from NGOs to Fisheries Ministers in the Baltic Sea region on Eastern Baltic cod. April 11th, 2019. https://www.fishsec.org/app/uploads/2019/04/Letter-to-Ministers-about-Eastern-Baltic-Cod.pdf

Read and download the full joint NGO recommendations here .

Calls for Emergency Halt to Baltic Fishing

Wed, 29 May 2019 11:58:00 GMT

Brussels May 29, 2019:- Responding to scientific advice that a number of important Baltic fish populations are in a state of crisis and cannot be fished sustainably, four non-governmental organisations have demanded a halt to fishing for western Baltic herring and eastern Baltic cod for 2020 – and to end overfishing, as is required by EU law. Coalition Clean Baltic, Oceana, Our Fish and WWF today called on the European Commission – which is responsible for proposing fishing limits – and on fisheries ministers – who make the final decisions, to not exceed the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) when setting all fishing limits in the Baltic Sea.

The EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires sustainable exploitation of EU fish stocks by 2020. [1]. Scientific advice published by ICES on 29 May 2019 clearly states that western Baltic cod [2], eastern Baltic cod [3], and western Baltic herring [4] fisheries are in a dire state, both as a result of, and contributing to, a deteriorating situation in the Baltic Sea. ICES has recommended that catches of eastern Baltic cod and western Baltic herring in 2020 should be zero in order to meet CFP objectives, and to safeguard fish populations and deliver sustainable fisheries in the future.

“Western and eastern Baltic cod, as well as western Baltic herring, underpin the Baltic Sea’s ecosystem, yet decades of overfishing, and the ignoring of scientific advice by the EU Commission and Baltic governments, has been one of the drivers of destruction and a tragedy for the coastal communities”, said Ottilia Thoreson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. “Due to these years of destruction and neglect, we are now facing a situation where fishing must be halted, if we are to have a chance to fish and sustain livelihoods in the future”.

“The only sane response to the collapse of the eastern cod population is to stop all fishing now and develop a recovery plan, rather than wait for 2020”, said Nils Höglund, Fishery and marine policy officer, Coalition Clean Baltic. “With this clear advice from ICES, EU Member States must act without delay – and if they do not, the Commission must take action – there are still fish that can be saved, and spawning season is happening right now”.

“The European Commission has a responsibility to start pulling Baltic fisheries back from the brink and rebuilding its ecosystems, when it proposes the fishing limits for 2020. When doing so, it is essential for the Commission to put forward fishing limits that do not exceed scientific advice, to set an example for member states on responsible fisheries management”, said Andrzej Białaś, Policy Advisor, Oceana.

“All EU governments committed to end overfishing and to return our seas to good health, when they signed up to the reformed Common Fisheries Policy in 2013. Yet six years later, the situation in the Baltic Sea is worsening, with governments still caving in to short term industry pressure [5]. This year, the EU Commission and Baltic member states, must follow the science, and begin managing our fisheries and Baltic Sea ecosystem for the long term benefit of all citizens and nature, not just the short-term profits of a few”, said Rebecca Hubbard, Programme Director, Our Fish.

The Common Fisheries Policy demands that exploitation of all fish stocks is sustainable by 2020, without exceptions. Yet, for two years in a row, the Commission has requested ICES advice for fishing limits to Baltic plaice that do not meet these requirements, which only serves to undermine its own ambition, and that of Member State governments to fish at sustainable levels [6]. If the European Commission would like to contribute to Baltic Sea wealth and restoration they should fully respect Common Fisheries Policy requirements.

Western (Baltic) Spring Spawning Herring Western Baltic herring is in crisis: scientific advice from ICES to stop fishing last year was ignored, and the population has been further depleted this year [4]. ICES scientific advice suggests that the herring population will not recover unless emergency measures are taken to save the fishery, including an immediate halt on fishing. For the year 2020, ICES still advises a fishing limit of zero tonnes.

Eastern Baltic Cod According to ICES, the eastern Baltic cod population is in a state of distress, with reproduction of the population at the lowest on record since 1946 [3]. Growth, condition (weight at length) and size at maturation has substantially declined during the last decades, and yet EU governments have repeatedly set fishing limits for eastern Baltic cod above scientific advice [3]. Unreported, illegal discarding of eastern Baltic cod is also believed to be rife and increasing, as a result of poor monitoring and control [7]. ICES advice for eastern Baltic cod fishing limit in 2020 is zero tonnes.

Western Baltic Cod Western Baltic cod is still in a precarious state with estimates of the population revised down by over 60% this year [2]. ICES warns that the number of young fish entering the fishery in 2018 and 2019 are the lowest on record, and reports that if this doesn’t change in the coming years, there will be a rapid decline in the population. ICES therefore suggests to use the lower value when setting the fishing limits. This equates to zero catches in subdivision 24 (Baltic Sea west of Bornholm) in order to comply with the zero catch advised for eastern Baltic cod (where there is mixing of eastern and western Baltic cod), and a commercial fishing limit of between 2,329 and 3,065 tonnes of western Baltic cod for subdivisions 22-23 [2].

Contacts:

Dave Walsh, Communications Advisor, Our Fish, dave@our.fish , +34691826764
Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Office CCB, nils.hoglund@ccb.se , +46 708 679 249
Ottilia Thoreson, Director WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se , +46-8-624 74 15
Andrzej Białaś, Policy Advisor, Oceana, abialas@oceana.org , +48 501 58 88 33

Notes:
[1] Common Fisheries Policy. Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Common Fisheries Policy.
[2] ICES (2019), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2019. Cod.27.22-24
[3] ICES (2019), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2019. cod.27.24-32
[4] ICES (2019), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 31 May 2019. Her.27.20-24 Also: Ices (2018) advice- that there should be zero catch – was ignored
[5] Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) – Monitoring the performance of the Common Fisheries Policy (STECF-Adhoc-19-01). Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2019. https://stecf.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reports/cfp-monitoring/-/asset_publisher/oz5O/document/id/2484866?inheritRedirect=false
[6] ICES (2019), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 29 May 2019. ple.27.21-23
[7] Baltic Sea still blighted by illegal discarding and overfishing https://our.fish/press/baltic-sea-still-blighted-by-illegal-discarding-and-overfishing/

Towards a new plan, for CCB and the Baltic Sea

Fri, 24 May 2019 09:55:00 GMT

The CCB Board Meeting (16-17/05), Annual Conference (18/05) and Extraordinary General Meeting (19/05) were held in Baltezers, Latvia, at Baltvilla Hotel .

The Board Meeting addressed important issues, including the approval of:

CCB Annual Report and Summary Annual Report 2018
CCB Travel Policy
List of actions/activities for the EU LIFE Application 2020-2021

The theme of CCB’s Annual Conference 2019 was “ Towards a new plan, for CCB and the Baltic Sea “.
In the first part, there were group discussions and presentations on the project proposals for 2020-2021 of CCB Working Areas: Water Protection in Agriculture, River Basin and Wastewater Management, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Hazardous Substances and Marine Litter, Harmful Installations and Maritime Transport, Sustainable Development in Coastal and Marine Areas.

Moreover, some participants from the transboundary Daugava river rafting/kayaking expedition , which took place on 14-17 May, talked about the event and shared their experiences.

In the second part, participants were guided by two external consultants from Presencing Institute through the process of “looking inwards” into the values of the coalition and reinvigorate the “soul of the coalition”. Agenda of the day consisted of:

Related documents:
– Presentation from Julie Arts, PI
– Executive summary (in different languages): https://www.presencing.org/resource/executive-summaries
– Tools: https://www.presencing.org/resource/tools

During the General Meeting, the CCB Board accepted two new member organizations, SOFIA (Sweden) and Center for Environmental Solutions – CES (Belarus), and elected the new Board Member from Russia and the new Alternate from Sweden.

CCB´s events ended with a guided tour at Kemeri National Park.

CCB expresses a warm welcome to the new organisations and board members and wishes a strong and successful collaboration for the upcoming years.
These meetings represented once again an important moment for all of us to share ideas and strengthen our relations towards a new plan of actions and the CCB 30th Anniversary in 2020.

Last but not least, a special thanks to all the participants and sincere gratitude to Janis Matulis and his colleagues from “ Latvian Green Movement ” for their support in the organisation of CCB´s events.

(foto credit: Andis Uzulnieks, LaGM ).

Joint NGOs letter to the WTO ambassadors

Thu, 02 May 2019 14:50:00 GMT

Excellency:

This year will be pivotal for the world’s ocean.

We urge you to fulfil the December 2017 ministerial mandate for WTO members to agree to “comprehensive and effective disciplines that prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing” by the end of 2019. The months ahead will be critical to realizing this commitment and achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal target 14.6 by 2020, universally agreed to in 2015.

Though not all subsidies are harmful, comprehensive estimates of global fisheries subsidies show that as much as $20 billion1 is spent by governments globally on capacity-enhancing subsidies – harmful payments that offset fishing costs such as fuel, gear, and vessel construction, and allow fishers to travel farther for longer— which risk leading to fishing above sustainable biological limits. Applying economic theory to the fisheries sector reveals that in an open-access fishery, a revenue-enhancing or cost-reducing subsidy increases marginal profits at each level of fishing effort, and therefore leads to an increased overall fishing effort.2

In 2018, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture estimated that a third of all fish stocks are exploited at unsustainable levels and another 60% have no room for increased fishing without jeopardizing sustainability.3 Decades of overfishing have taken a significant toll on ocean health, contributing to poverty, food insecurity, ecosystem imbalances, distorted markets, and unemployment. This is compounded by harmful subsidies, leading to serious social, environmental and economic impacts for the more than 1 billion people who depend on seafood as a main source of protein, and the more than 40 million people who rely directly on fishing for their income. 3

There is now a brief window in which WTO members can achieve transformative change for the world’s ocean and the livelihoods of many coastal communities by addressing one of the drivers of global overfishing. If negotiations reach a successful conclusion, members will reignite confidence that multilateral cooperation can achieve global outcomes. In the wake of many rounds of fisheries subsidies negotiations dating back to the Doha Ministerial Conference in 2001, there is now an opportunity to not only demonstrate the vitality and effectiveness of the WTO, but to serve as leaders for an issue of shared global importance.

We, the 59 undersigned organizations, support members’ efforts to reach an ambitious agreement to end harmful fisheries subsidies by December 2019, and ensure a sustainable future for our ocean and the livelihoods that depend on it.

The PDF version of the letter is available here .

Eastern Baltic cod stock has collapsed – NGOs call to immediately close fishing of Eastern Baltic cod

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 10:56:00 GMT

Responding to the release of an alarming new report by international fisheries scientists that Eastern Baltic Cod is at a critically low level , NGOs – Coalition Clean Baltic, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Oceana, Our Fish, and WWF – are calling on the fisheries ministers of all EU Baltic member states to immediately close the fishery.

Scientists and researchers have warned about the risk to the health of the eastern Baltic cod population for years – with specific concerns about the low stock numbers, small size at reproduction, and starvation [2] – but the alarm was raised during a regional Baltic meeting of fisheries stakeholders in January this year when scientists presented data from 2018 Baltic International Trawl surveys that found a record number of empty trawls [3].

Environmental NGOs Coalition Clean Baltic, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Oceana, Our Fish, and WWF:

The normal process for setting Baltic fishing levels for the following year begins with advice from ICES for all commercially exploited Baltic stocks on 29 May, and concludes in October when decisions from EU fisheries ministers on allowed catch levels and other measures are made at the AGRIFISH Council meeting.

The EU Common Fishery Policy (CFP) provides the solutions – it includes provisions for dealing with this form of serious threat to the marine environment. Articles 12 and 13 [4] of the CFP empower the Commission and Members States to take emergency measures. Baltic and European NGOs have today written an open letter to all Baltic state fisheries ministers calling on them to implement national emergency measures .

CONTACTS

NOTES

Extracts from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) eastern Baltic cod benchmark report published on 5th March 2019 (ICES. 2019. Benchmark Workshop on Baltic Cod Stocks (WKBALTCOD2). ICES Scientific Reports. 1:9. 310 pp. http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20 Reports/Expert%20Group%20Report/acom/2019/WKBALTCOD2/WKBALTCOD2%202019.pdf)

Regarding the defining of appropriate new reference points the ICES benchmark report states: “The latest relatively strong year-class was formed in 2012 from an SSB of 98 000 t (Fig. 4.34). Therefore, Blim was set to this level, i.e. 98 000 t”. “Due to the presently very dynamic biological situation for the eastern Baltic cod, the current Blim at 98 000 t is considered to be applicable only in short term. The reproductive capacity of the stock needs to be closely monitored in coming years, and when new information becomes available, the Blim value needs to be re-evaluated.”

Furthermore, the report concludes regarding establishing an FMSY value:

“… analyses showed that even with FMSY at 0 the SSB would not be kept above Blim (98 000 t) in the long term, with 95% probability. (…) Even when applying a substantially lower value for Blim (53000 t), the result in terms of the stock being below Blim with more than 5% probability even at FMSY = 0 remained unchanged. In other words, following the ICES MSY framework for this stock, the estimated FMSY is equal to 0. For this reason, no F reference points were defined for this stock.”· Regarding the procedures to conduct short-term forecasts: “As there is no F reference point for this stock, probabilistic forecast with MCMC was proposed to be used instead. In this approach, catch and SSB levels corresponding to different F factors are calculated as in typical deterministic short term forecast but using MCMC to make it possible to also include the associated probability/risk of the SSB to be below Blim and Btrigger for each year of forecast. At the benchmark, this approach was approved to be used, and the actual forecast will be performed in the next WGBFAS.”

Vacancy: Marine senior policy officer at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 18:36:00 GMT

The Danish Society for Nature Conservation wish to employ a skilled senior policy officer experienced in international marine policy and management

Over the course of the coming three years, the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, funded by the VE-LUX Foundation, will be intensifying its focus on the marine environment, both politically and publicly. Po-litically, through active influencing and communication of the marine environmental policy and the role played by the Danish government in EU legislative work, as well as in convention work within HELCOM and OSPAR. Publicly, by communicating knowledge and understanding of the enormous significance of marine ecosystems as habitats for countless numbers of species and of immense importance for the wellbeing and livelihood of humans.

We are therefore looking for two skilled, new colleagues with the aim, ambition, engagement and compe-tence to help us get marine environment and policy higher on the agenda of politicians and civil society alike.

As senior policy officer, you will be part of a project team of 5 people who will develop the project in order to reach out as far as possible, through all available platforms and via all channels to both decision makers and the wider public. The aim is to influence as many and as much as possible in order to improve the ma-rine environment. This project will be your main focus, but you can also get involved in the existing marine work of our department, such as aquaculture, marine planning and raw material extraction, insofar as it benefits the main project.

Your tasks
As senior policy officer, you will be responsible for preparing and participating in relevant international meetings and working groups under EU and regional Conventions. This will happen in close cooperation with our NGO partners in Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), Seas at Risk (SAR) and European Environmental Bu-reau (EEB), concerning issues of mutual interest with regard to marine environment.

You will work with political lobbying both in Denmark and on the level of EU and regional Conventions You will be cooperating with DN NGO partners from CCB, EEB and SAR in the auspices of EU, HELCOM and OSPAR You will attend relevant working groups in CCB, EEB, SAR, EU, HELCOM and OSPAR You will have extensive contacts to decision makers and officials in Denmark as well as in international fora You will, as a consequence, be doing a fair amount of travelling.

About you
You have a relevant background in natural sciences
You have 5-10 years of experience in international management of marine environment / fisheries issues – preferably in EU or regional Conventions You speak and write English fluently – skills in Nordic languages would be useful as well
You have knowledge of relevant EU regulations, policies and directives related to marine issues
You have experience working with lobbying
You have intuition for the agendas of other stakeholders and you know how to use it
You have insight and preferably experience in the work of a democratic NGO
You are good at cooperating, you work targeted and you ensure progress You can create and maintain an overview You are an environmentally engaged, positive and helpful colleague

About us
In the Danish Society for Nature Conservation – Danmarks Naturfredningsforening – we work for a diverse nature, a healthy environment and a sustainable future. We want a strong brand, to set agendas and to have a marked political influence. You will be part of our Nature and Environment department, along with 25 engaged and skilled colleagues with very diverse backgrounds, reflecting the width of our field of work. Through lobbying and casework on local, regional and national scales, as well as international cooperation, we make a difference and improve both nature and environment.

Information and application
Your work base will be at our office at Masnedøgade 20, 2100 Copenhagen Ø. The position is a 3-year project employment (until 2022).
Extension is a possibility, but not guaranteed.
Work hours are 37 hours weekly with salary and terms according to our house agreement at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.

Any questions related to the job content should be directed to Henning Mørk Jørgensen hmj@dn.dk / +45 3119 3235 or Therese Nissen tgdn@dn.dk / +45 3119 3231. Questions related to salary and terms, to the head of department, Morten Pedersen morten@dn.dk / +45 3119 3217.

Please send your application including CV to Therese Nissen (tgdn@dn.dk), no later than April 12, at 12.00.
Job interviews are anticipated in week 17.

Real actions, not ´realistic´ wishes – a recipe for an updated Baltic Sea Action plan

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:54:00 GMT

On 6-7 March high-level representatives will meet at the 40th Meeting of the Helsinki Commission .
On this occasion, CCB is grateful to share the concerns of civil society organizations and almost a million individual members of CCB´s network around the Baltic Sea.

Our concerns are connected with continuous and increasing violations of the fundamental principles and provisions of the Helsinki Convention :

Considering recent and past examples of such violations (e.g. logging at the Vistula spit or supporting TAC for the Eastern Baltic cod), HELCOM promises – in terms of truly applying the ecosystem approach and ecosystem-based management to all Baltic Sea Region human activities – have to be proved by real actions .

CCB made it clear one year ago in our Civil Society Declaration on Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea that BSR residents are getting frustrated and disappointed by countries inaction.

says Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive secretary.
This can be our new story, but we agree to join only if it is ambitious enough and not just ´realistic´as claimed by many.

Read the full CCB´s statement here.

More garbage caught than cod: NGOs call for emergency measures to protect Eastern Baltic cod

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 12:36:00 GMT

NGOs in the Baltic Sea Region have sent an urgent letter to the European Commissioner in charge of Environment Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, urging him to implement emergency measures in accordance with article 12 (1) of the EU Common Fisheries Policy to protect what little remains of the eastern Baltic cod stock.

This stock has shown signs of crisis for many years. The latest information suggests the situation is now critical. On 29th January 2019, in a Baltic Sea Advisory Council meeting focusing the eastern Baltic cod stock, the latest data from the Baltic International Trawl surveys was presented. Survey trawls were reported to have caught more garbage than cod.

An International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) benchmark meeting was held for the stock from 4-8th February to determine if an analytical assessment of the stock could now be made (2) . The report from that process is due mid-March, however the full cycle of the normal Baltic fish stock science assessment process does not conclude until the end of May.

The NGOs said collectively. “We implore the Commission to act now before further unsustainable fishing takes place on what very little remains of the eastern Baltic cod.”

The NGOs have urged the Commission to immediately suspend fishing for eastern Baltic cod for the next 6 months while the latest scientific findings are examined and to take immediate action to move at least a portion of the sprat fishery away from Baltic sub-divisions 25 and 26 to maximize the availability of prey for the cod (3) .

Joint NGO letter .

For more information please contact:
Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic
nils.hoglund@ccb.se Tel: +46 70-867 92 49 (Languages: English and Swedish)

Andrzej Białaś, Policy Advisor at Oceana in Europe
abialas@oceana.org Tel: +48 501 58 88 33 (Languages: English and Polish)

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Coordinator for Denmark at Our Fish
cathrine@our.fish Tel: +45 2197 7905 (Languages: English and Danish)

(1) Marie Storr-Paulsen, DTU Aqua: information from the latest survey:
http://www.bsac.dk/getattachment/Meetings/BSAC-meetings/BSAC-Executive-Committee-meeting-(4)/BSAC_new-surveyMSP-(1).pdf.aspx?lang=en-GB
(2) What is an ICES Benchmark meeting:
https://www.ices.dk/community/advisory-process/Pages/Benchmarks.aspx
(3) Article 12 of the EU Common Fisheries Policy allows the Commission to adopt immediately applicable implementing acts applicable for a maximum period of six months measures in case of a serious threat to marine biological resources. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32013R1380

Save #OurBlueLung – 20 measures for clean and healthy seas by 2020

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 13:00:00 GMT

With little more than a year until the deadline, all countries of the European Union are failing on their legal obligation to ‘take all necessary measures to achieve Good Environmental Status of EU seas by 2020’ (Marine Directive, Article 1(1)). In August, the European Commission itself stated that we are unlikely to achieve Good Environmental Status of EU seas by 2020 unless Member States take more definitive action.

Led by Seas at Risk, we and more than other 20 eNGOs therefore urge the EU Ministers of the Environment to re-commit to the goal of the Marine Directive at the upcoming European Council of Environment Ministers on 20 December 2018 and in particular to commit to the ‘20 measures for clean and healthy seas by 2020’ the European NGO community proposes.
Along with this joint call to action, the campaign “ Save #OurBlueLung ” has been launched to motivate the EU Ministers and meet the upcoming 2020 deadlines.

Read the full letter and the 20 measures here.

Vacancy: International Coordinator/Administrative Officer

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:43:00 GMT

The International Secretariat of the Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), a grass-root environmental NGO network for the Baltic Sea Region, is now seeking for a new colleague to join the team as an International Coordinator/Administrative Officer. Being an international organization CCB’s work is carried out in English and we expect you to submit your application accordingly.

Major Responsibilities:

As a primary task , the International Coordinator/Administrative Officer, supported by the rest of the Secretariat’s team, will

As a secondary task , the Administrative Officer, will be responsible for support in

Qualifications :

Personal Characteristics :

Collective Agreement : Arbetsgivaralliansen

Level of salary : comparable to NGOs staff in Sweden and in accordance the Union. Subject to adjustment depending on experience, performance and annual increase.

Work time : 38,75 hrs/week; vacation 28 days

Probation period : 6 months

Location : Uppsala, Sweden

It is expected that a new employee would start from 7 January 2019.

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send you CV with a motivational letter by 31 December 2018 to mikhail.durkin@ccb.se .
Likewise any inquiries related to this vacancy announcement should be forwarded to the above email or by phone +46 739 770 793.

A joint NGO proposal to EU Ministers regarding European eel

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 09:32:00 GMT

On December 17th and 18th 2018 the EU Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) will decide on fishing opportunities for 2019 and will address measures for critically endangered European eel.

ICES has yet again repeated their advice that: “all anthropogenic impacts (e.g. caused by recreational and commercial fishing on all stages, hydropower, pumping stations, and pollution) that decrease production and escapement of silver eels should be reduced to – or kept as close to – zero as possible in 2019” [ ICES Advice 7th November 2018 ].

We call upon – together with The Fisheries Secretariat, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Our Fish, Seas at Risk and WWF – the EU Commission and Member States to act accordingly in light of this advice, the same advice ICES has given for over 15 years.

Read the full letter here.

WWF Sweden, SSNC and CCB call upon Swedish government to stop fishing for eels

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 13:23:00 GMT

WWF Sweden, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and Coalition Clean Baltic urges the Swedish government to ban eel fishing in the EU.

The European eel is a critically endangered species with a dramatic stock size decline the past 30 years. As stated in ICES advice on 7th November 2018, “ the status of eel remains critical ” and for this reason “ all anthropogenic impacts (e.g. caused by recreational and commercial fishing on all stages, hydropower, pumping stations, and pollution) that decrease production and escapement of silver eels should be reduced to – or kept as close to – zero as possible in 2019. ”

In light of ICES advice, eNGOs urge to a total ban for all fishing of eels in all waters – but welcome the first step regarding fishing of eels over twelve centimetres, decided by the EU Fisheries Ministers last year, which will apply for three consecutive months between 1 September 2018 – 31 January 2019.

We therefore ask that Sweden take lead and push for a phasing out of the eel fishery at coming December meeting of AGRIFISH across the entire EU, on all sizes of eel and that recreational fishing is stopped.

The full letter in Swedish is available here.

Urgent political will needed to halt European marine habitat neglect

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 20:19:00 GMT

Environmental organisations call for real measures in areas protected on paper

ClientEarth, Coalition Clean Baltic, Oceana, Seas at Risk and WWF warn that marine life across Europe is being harmed because member states are neglecting to actively manage marine protected areas. This puts at risk much of the biodiversity within the marine Natura 2000 network of protected sites, which protects on paper around 10% of waters across the European Union.

In reality, marine life in much of these areas is under increasing threat, due to a lack of management, monitoring and financing of conservation efforts. Member states are now in danger of breaking their obligation to improve marine conservation by 2020 as set by both the Aichi 11 target of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive of the EU.

Environmental organisations have called for urgent political action from European leaders to improve the situation. This includes better management of these areas to ensure the conservation status of the protected habitats and species and to stop human activities that continue to harm these ‘safe havens’.

This week, EU countries will meet in Mallorca for the second EU-wide marine seminar to discuss ways to guarantee conservation and management of marine Natura 2000 sites.

The meeting is part of an ongoing process launched by the European Commission in 2012 to help member states improve the status of species and habitats protected under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. It contributes to the objective of the EU Biodiversity Strategy of preserving EU’s remarkable and vulnerable marine life.

Holding back progress is the fact the network of protected areas is not evenly distributed among the countries and, in most cases, the management and monitoring of the sites are incomplete and compromised by insecure financing. This puts the entire goal of creating a network of marine protected areas to conserve and restore EU’s marine life at risk.

The environmental organisations comment the current status of marine protection in EU:

Client Earth – Conservation Wildlife Lawyer Tatiana Lujan said:

“European nations have made important advances in designating marine protected areas, on paper. However, in reality these sites will only protect Europe’s marine biodiversity if concrete action is taken. Member states must now set objectives that are coherent with the conservation status of these sites – including restoring areas that need it – and ensure that activities within these sites, such as fishing, are not harming the sites’ integrity or the chances of their restoration.”

Coalition Clean Baltic – Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin said:

“Marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea and all of Europe need relevant and effective conservation measures in place to reach MPA’s specific conservation objectives. For the areas designated for the critically endangered Baltic Sea harbour porpoise this is especially urgent.”

Oceana Europe – Executive Director Lasse Gustavsson said:

“We need to move from the virtual world to the real one. Theoretically protected areas do nothing to preserve European seas from actual problems such as the loss of biodiversity, the destruction of marine habitats and overfishing. Damages to the environment expand at a faster pace than efforts to stop them, and marine parks drawn on a piece of paper just make nice headlines”.

Seas at Risk – Marine Policy Officer Alice Belin said:

“EU governments have committed to deliver clean and healthy seas by 2020. Building a network of Marine Protected Areas with actual conservation measures is a key step in making our EU seas healthier and more resilient to the pressures of human activities. In one year, this can and should be done.”

WWF Finland – Marine Conservation Officer Anna Soirinsuo said:

“Reaching the 10% coverage by 2020 is only half of the goal. Without effective management and monitoring the Natura 2000 sites are merely outlines on the map and do not provide any protection to the intended species and habitats.”

EU ministers fail to help the Baltic cod but helped the salmon

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:23:00 GMT

Yesterday the EU ministers agreed to setting total allowable catches (TACs) for the main fish stocks in the Baltic Sea. Yet again, both Commission and Member States fail to understand the crisis for the cod and set a TAC at least 44% over scientific advice. In fact they even set the TAC 33% higher than the fishing industry called for. One positive take away is a small addition of a new rule to ban sea trout fishing outside 4nm line. Salmons are caught in open sea today but reported as sea trout. This added rule should in effect mean a strong rule to limit IUU on salmon catches in south Baltic.

The Fisheries Council meeting in October each year sets TACs for the main Baltic stocks. NGOs, CCB included, are usually disappointed of decisions taken as insufficient or not in line with scientific advice. This year was no different but CCB wants to underline 2 major setbacks and one positive thing.

Scientists have warned about the terrible state of the western herring stock for some time. This year they were forced to advice on a zero TAC. The Ministers failed to meet that advice, and far from it when deciding to set a TAC at 9001 t. The eastern cod stock in the main basin of the Baltic Sea consists of small, even tiny cod that spawn already at the size of 15-20 cm. Only 3-4 years ago spawning size was believed to be around 35-40 cm, and as a reminder, cod is normally a large and fast growing fish. In normal circumstances, a 4-5 kg cod is a rather normal fish, 10-15 kg a nice one. In the Baltic Sea today, such fish are almost unheard of. The fishermen are not even able to fill the quotas they have because the fish are simple not worth fishing for.

The ministers agreed to set a quota of 24 112 tonnes, that is 44% higher than the expert scientist advised. Actually the scientific advice is even lower because the advice given includes fish of the stock taken outside the areas in question: the area around Bornholm is a mixed cod stocks area. Scientists are aware of the mixing and given the TAC proposed to western cod, it’s likely that some 2-3000 t cods taken in this area are actually from the eastern cod stock, adding to the above set TAC.

This means that the TAC decided by ministers, and the resulting cod fishery linked to it, will mean an overshoot of the scientific precautionary advice with well over 50%.

Regarding the positive news. A small addition to the TACs was made regarding salmon. A new rule was agreed to stop fishing for sea trout outside 4 nautical miles from the coast. This may seem as a small detail but in fact in may have great effect on the current misreporting of salmon as sea trout. Scientific experts have noted this illegal activity mainly from Polish fishermen for years. Last year, estimations point to as much as 30 000 salmons misreported as sea trout.

This small new rule may prove to be a very effective way of stopping this illegal fishing and substantially help the wild Baltic salmon stocks.

Nils Höglund, CCB Fisheries Policy Officer, points out that

Read the EU final decision.

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2019

Mon, 24 Sep 2018 09:55:00 GMT

In October 2018, EU fisheries ministers are scheduled to agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2019. The following text outlines the joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing
opportunities for 2019 in the context of EU fisheries legislation, scientific advice on catch limits and the sharing of stocks with third countries.

Read the NGOs proposal here .

Nord Stream 2 AG has confirmed presence of “additional” 4 redlisted plant species within the proposed route of its gas pipeline across Kurgalsky Nature Reserve, in the Leningrad Region of Russia

Sun, 22 Jul 2018 18:04:00 GMT

In its official press-release from June 25, 2018 published only in Russian in Zug (Switzerland) and Saint Petersburg (Russia), the Nord Stream 2 AG, the developer of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea, has confirmed presence of so called “additional” protected plant species within the proposed route of the pipeline across Kurgalsky Nature Reserve . Company claims that all those species “are designated as transplantable” without proper explanation of such justification.

According to the press-release, presence of the “newly discovered” plants was confirmed during pre-construction environmental monitoring, which is carried out in “close cooperation with environmental specialists, authorized authorities and taking into account the information provided by scientists and experts from the Leningrad Region”.

Which are those species , one may wonder, and what are the grounds for them to be considered “transplantable” ? ( Pictures below are kindly provided by the researchers of Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Elena Glazkova, Nadezhda Liksakova, Irina Stepanchikova )

The Nord Stream 2 AG claims that company’s actions in case of detection of objects of biological value are regulated by an appropriate protocol developed in accordance with the requirements of the corporate policy on biodiversity conservation in case of detection of protected species during the project implementation. Permit replanting will be obtained in accordance with Russian legislation.

However, both prior to the recent findings as well as now, the experts of Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences have submitted to the Russian environmental authorities their negative statement on possibilities of re-planting of those protected species .

Nord Stream 2 AG also claims to recognize its responsibility with respect to protected plant and animal species. The project is implemented in strict compliance with Russian legislation and international standards, including the standards of the International Finance Corporation.

Let us remind that presence of 7 protected species of plants (identified within proposed construction corridor, including recently “found”) has been repeatedly reported to the developer of the project by the scientific community since the very beginning of the public consultations on the project. It has been also clearly stated in Public Environmental Review of the project’s EIA (cf. p.42).

Meanwhile, the developer preferred to ignore those notifications before getting the environmental and construction permits, which is the violation of both Russian environmental legislation (precautionary principle, stated in several laws) as well as IFC Standard 6 (Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management – with regards to natural habitats destruction). How about other “scientific” data that was used in the project’s EIA? Should we expect more “surprises”?

Given the above, it is highly relevant that the International Union of Nature Conservation ( IUCN ) sends its Advisory Mission to monitor the situation with threatening the status of Kurgalsky Peninsula , wetland of International Importance, being listed by the Ramsar Convention for its unique nature values.

Full text of this release is available in pdf here .

UPDATE :

read more about the situation in the translation of an article of St.Petersburg ecologist Alexey Travin
observe on-spot photo evidences of “re-planting” practices by Greenpeace Russia

CCB position on grey seals in the Baltic Sea

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 08:18:00 GMT

The grey seal count for 2017 in the Baltic Sea was above 30 000 individuals. According to the IUCN, the counted animals are thought to be 60-80% of the total population, given that not all seals are on land during the count. Even before the Second World War, the size of the Baltic grey seal population was estimated at around 100 000 individuals ( Rydén et al. 2003 , Kauhala et al 2014 ).

Densities are generally greater in the northern Baltic Sea than in the southern Baltic Sea ( HELCOM SEAL 2017 ). The count for central Sweden and southwestern Finnish archipelago was close to 20000 animals in total in 2014, while the count for southern Sweden/Danish Baltic Sea area was approximately 2500. The estimate for the German Baltic is approximately 100 animals, and for Poland around 400 animals. Restoration of the Polish population of the grey seal is the result of many years of efforts of the Hel Marine Station of the University of Gdańsk, conducting a reintroduction program of this species on the Polish coast.

In line with Art. 14-16 of the EU Habitats Directive , hunt on specific seal populations can be allowed, under strict conditions, provided that the conservation status of the population is monitored to ensure that it is maintained at a favourable conservation status. Based on this, grey seal hunt is only allowed in Sweden (600 animals), Finland (1050), Åland (450), Estonia (37) and Denmark (only Bornholm, 40).

However within 2017-2018 several incidents of suspected deliberate illegal killing of grey seals were observed in Lithuania (26), Germany (23-27, Rugen), Finland (2, Hamina), Poland (>10, Eastern Pomerania) and Russia (3, Kaliningrad). In Finland, entangled seals were abandoned at sea with a gear. In many cases, human efforts to remove predators have led to ecosystem effects that were not intended ( Lennox et al. 2018 ). There is a great risk that increased killings of grey seal in the Baltic Sea will have effects on the already beset Baltic ecosystem, that we cannot foresee today.

CCB position with these regards is as follows:

21 June 2018 – Release of rehabilitated seals to the sea, Kaliningrad, Russia (Photo credit: Svetlana Sokolova, Director of Kaliningrad Zoo)

26 May 2018 – Gdynia, Poland (Photo credit: WWF Poland)

CCB supports the joint call on the European anti-fraud office to open a formal investigation about electric fishing

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 11:30:00 GMT

CCB has signed the joint formal request, lead by the Bloom Association, to the European Anti Freud Office (known as OLAF from the French “Office européen de lutte antifraude”) to conduct an investigation into whether fraud has occurred in relation to the Dutch electric trawl fishery.

Electric fishing is one of the worst fishing practice and it MUST be banned in Europe!

Read the full PR here

CCB position on the Sweden approval for the Nord Stream II

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 13:38:00 GMT

On 7 June 2018, the Swedish Government has granted a permit to the Nord Stream 2 AG for laying two natural gas pipelines on the continental shelf within the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea. The permit contains number of conditions that the company has to comply with, as outlined in the attached unofficial translation (see full version of the permit in Swedish here )

At the same time, the Government has made it clear that Sweden has a critical attitude towards the Nord Stream 2 project, as it poses risks i.a. against the objectives of the EU Energy Union and does not comply with current EU legislation. Read more in the press-release by the Swedish Government

Despite the released permit that only applies to the construction works within Swedish EEZ, the Coalition Clean Baltic maintains its position (being repeatedly brought to the attention of EC and HELCOM) that the Nord Stream 2 is highly controversial from environmental point of view project as it failed to:

i.a. construction/pipe-laying/sound generating activities should only occur outside of the harbour porpoise breeding and critical nursing period (May-October). (the permit states “avoid June – August”)

In addition, the Nord Stream 2 Project simply contradicts with EU goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% when compared to 1990 levels by 2050, by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources and increasing energy efficiency.

Read more about the Coalition Clean Baltic’s position and the follow-up of the Nord Stream 2 project development at the dedicated webpage .

Baltic Sea still blighted by illegal discarding and overfishing

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:57:00 GMT

Our Fish and CCB Press release:

One-half cut in quota for eastern Baltic cod proposed

Western Baltic cod under safe biological limits and illegal discarding of undersize fish doubled

Western spring spawning herring catch should be zero

Up to 100% of undersized plaice being discarded

Copenhagen, 31 May 2018 :- Responding to reports on Baltic fish stocks published today by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), campaigners called on fisheries ministers to end the annual cycle of overfishing, by following the lowest advised fishing limits when setting quotas for 2019.

“Due to years of poor management and continued overfishing, iconic fish stocks such as Baltic cod and western herring are in perilously bad shape, while illegal discarding continues unabated in the Baltic Sea”, said Our Fish Programme Director Rebecca Hubbard.

“In 2017, governments knowingly perpetuated overfishing – and the resulting decline in social and economic values – by setting four out of ten Baltic fish stocks above scientific advice. This year, fisheries ministers must pay particular attention to the detail of the ICES reports – and act with extreme caution when setting 2019 quotas to ensure that fish populations can be rebuilt to healthy levels”.

ICES advice provides the scientific basis for deliberations on Baltic Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits that are set at the annual EU Agrifish Council meeting each October. Despite their important role in applying the Common Fisheries Policy and ending overfishing, these Agrifish Council meetings have been criticised for their lack of transparency and accountability, and persistent failure to set fishing limits according to the law (CEO 2017; TI 2017; NEF 2017).

Cod

Catches of the eastern Baltic cod stock have been plummeting for 30 years. From an extraordinary peak at 400,000 tonnes in the 1984 to just under 57,000 tonnes in 1992, this year ICES advice recommends 16,685 tonnes – a drastic cut of one half from last year (ICESb 2018).

ICES found that the western Baltic cod population remains extremely depleted, and below safe biological levels. A recent upward trend entirely reliant on just one strong year class of fish in 2016 – despite the fact that recruitment has been low for almost 20 years, and the 2016 year-class is bookended by two of the worst recruitment years on record (ICESa 2018). Recruitment numbers indicate how many fish are coming into the population, and therefore it’s chances of rebuilding in the future.

“Baltic fisheries in general, and cod in particular, are fast approaching a situation when management decisions have no effect, since the stocks are not responding as would normally be predicted by scientific models”, said Nils Höglund, fisheries policy officer at Coalition Clean Baltic.”For example, quotas for eastern Baltic cod have not limited fishing efforts for many years now. While fishermen have not come close to catch what they are allowed to — because the fish are too small or simply not there, the eastern Baltic cod stock also lacks the scientific data required to make proper assessments. What fisheries Ministers have failed to do is ensure there is plenty of sprat for the cod to eat in relevant areas – and this should be tested with priority.”

“Last year Baltic Sea Fisheries Ministers ignored scientific advice and set catch limits far above ICES advice. This year, we see the results – eastern Baltic cod catch advice has been slashed, and western cod stocks are perched on a knife edge and illegal discarding of juvenile fish has doubled”, said Our Fish’s Hubbard. “Fisheries Ministers need to note ICES strong warnings and set the TAC for Baltic cod at the lowest levels proposed for commercial and recreational fishers.”

Herring

According to ICES, the Baltic’s Western herring stocks have been outside of safe biological limits since 2008, with low recruitment since the mid-2000’s, reaching a record low in 2016 and 2017. Despite fishing pressure being far above sustainable levels (Maximum Sustainable Yield) between 1992 and 2009, coinciding with a crash in fish stock size, fishing pressure was not substantially decreased even after 2010 (ICESc, 2018).

“In a damning indictment of poor fishery management, ICES recommends that catches for the Western spring spawning herring should be zero, due to continued overfishing. This sends a clear message to Baltic fisheries ministers that they cannot continue to ignore natures limits without repercussions. This year, fisheries ministers must end the decades of overfishing of western herring or risk commercial extinction of an ecologically important fish stock” said Hubbard.

Plaice

Despite ICES reporting the Plaice fishery to be in reasonably good health, with fishing pressure decreasing and stock populations increasing in recent years, illegal discarding is now considered to be widespread in the Baltic (ICESd, 2018).

“Only seven tonnes of undersized plaice was landed in 2017, whereas researchers estimate the real figure is over 400 tonnes higher, with 100% of the catch still being discarded in some fleets. This constitutes not only a huge waste of marine resources, but illegal, unreported fishing. Baltic Sea member states – especially Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Poland – must start dealing with this IUU fishing in their fleets by significantly increasing monitoring and control at sea,” concluded Hubbard.

NOTES:

Western Baltic Cod: ICES (2018a), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 31 May 2018 . Cod.27.22-24

ICES advises that when the EU multiannual plan (MAP) is applied, total catches in 2019 that correspond to the F ranges in the plan are between 9094 tonnes and 23992 tonnes. Depending on the management decision for recreational catches, assumed to be between 1754 tonnes and 3227 tonnes, the corresponding commercial catches are between 5867 tonnes and 22 238 tonnes.

The positive perspective of the stock development in the forecast is mainly due to one strong year class (2016). Although the spawning-stock biomass has increased until 2018, it is still below Blim. Fishing mortality in 2017 was still considerably above FMSY. The 2016 year class is the only strong year class in more than ten years and the present advice is highly dependent on predicted development of this year class, which is not yet fully recruited to the fishery. Additionally, the 2015 and 2017 year classes are at historical low. There is a risk of growth overfishing because the 2016 year class fish have not yet reached their full growth potential. Therefore, to make use of the full growth potential of the 2016 year class, ICES suggests to use the FMSY lower value in the MAP when setting the TAC.

Eastern Baltic Cod: ICES (2018b), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 31 May 2018 . cod.27.25-32

ICES advises that when the precautionary approach is applied, catches in 2019 from the eastern Baltic cod stock should be no more than 16,685 tonnes. Landings of fish below the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS, 35 cm) are very low (179 t BMS reported in 2017) and discarding still takes place despite the fact that the landing obligation has been in place since 2015. The estimated discard amount 3 452 tonnes in 2017 (approximately 11%) based on observer data. The available information from the fisheries and observers suggests that illegal modifications of the selectivity properties of the gear takes place, leading to a higher proportion of smaller fish being caught.

Western Baltic spring spawning Herring: ICES (2018c), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 31 May 2018 . her.27.20-24.

ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, there should be zero catch in 2019. The SSB has been below Blim since 2006. Fishing mortality (F) has been relatively constant at levels above FMSY since 2010. Recruitment has been low since the mid-2000 and has been declining in recent years, with the lowest values of the time series in 2016 and 2017.

Sprat: ICES (2018), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 31 May 2018 . spr.27.22-32

ICES advises that a spatial management plan is considered for the fisheries that catch sprat. Relocating the sprat fishery has long been suggested by ICES to improve availability of feed for cod in the Baltic proper area (25-26) and it is repeated again this year. This would also help the sprat and herring in more northern areas of the Baltic Sea to grow to their full potential and also likely result in less M74 in Baltic salmon, whose diet at present is comprised of too much sprat causing an increase of the problem.

Plaice: ICES (2018d), ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort, Baltic Sea Ecoregion. Published 31 May 2018 . Ple.27.24-32

Since 2017 a landing obligation is in place and discarding is illegal. About 7 tonnes (0.8% of the total catch) of BMS plaice were recorded by the Member States. Based on observer data 38% of the catch was discarded in 2017. This indicates that the landing obligation is not enforced for this stock. The discarded fraction can cover all length classes and comprise as much as 100% of the catch.

CEO, Corporate Europe Observatory (2017). Fishing for influence, May 24th 2017. Viewed at:: https://corporateeurope.org/po wer-lobbies/2017/05/fishing-in fluence

TI, Transparency International (2016), Overfishing in the Darkness: A case study in Council decision-making. Viewed at: http://transparency.eu/project /overfishing-in-the-darkness/

NEF, New Economics Foundation (Dec 2017)., Landing the Blame – Overfishing in the Baltic 2018. Viewed at: http://neweconomics.org/2017/1 2/landing-the-blame-baltic-201 8/

October 10, 2017: EU Fisheries Ministers’ All Night Debate Leads To Continued Baltic Overfishing of Cod (Our Fish)

“After hours of deliberations that continued until after 6am , EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council ministers agreed to set Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for western Baltic cod at 5,597 tonnes, four times higher than the most cautious scientific advice, despite the stock being critically overfished [3]. Eastern Baltic cod was set at 28,388 tonnes, almost four thousand tonnes higher than scientific advice.”

Contacts

Dave Walsh, Our Fish Communications Advisor, dave@our.fish +34 691826764

Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish Program Director, rebecca@our.fish +34 657669425
http://our.fish

Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic Fisheries Policy Officer, nils@ccb.se +46 708679249
https://ccb.se/

CCB is looking for a new Financial/Administrative Officer

Wed, 23 May 2018 07:22:00 GMT

We are currently searching for a new colleague to join the team at the CCB International Secretariat as Financial Manager/Controller and Administrative Officer. Being an international organization CCB’s work is carried out in English and we expect you to submit your application accordingly.

As a primary task , being the Financial Officer/Controller, You will be responsible for:

As a secondary task , being the Administrative Officer, You – supported by the rest of the Secretariat’s team – will:

To be of interest for this position You need several years of professional experience in accounting and financial management, knowledge of Swedish legislation governing financial transactions and taxation, ability to speak and write in Swedish and English, as well as a strong team spirit and a wish to make the world a better place!

Level of salary comparable to NGOs staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective Union’s. Subject to adjustment depending on experience and annual increase.

Location: Uppsala, Sweden

It is expected that the new employee would start from 1 August 2018 to allow for smooth transition with her/his predecessor.

Should you be interested in applying for this position please send you CV with a motivational letter by 11 June 2018 to mikhail.durkin@ccb.se .

Likewise any inquiries related to this vacancy announcement should be forwarded to the above email or by phone +46 739 770 793.

New impulse for the CCB work in 2018-2019

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 14:23:00 GMT

The CCB Board Meeting (19-20/04), the Annual Conference (20-21/04) and the General Meeting (22/04) were held in Zelenogradsk (Kaliningrad region), Russia.

The theme of the 2018 Annual Conference was #IamtheBaltic , with focus on personal responsibility and inputs to the protection of the Baltic Sea. Agenda of the event consisted of:

Also the preparations were presented on:

Nature Accessible Certificate (NaaC Certificate) for coastal and nature conservation by Latvian Green Movement;
” Our Common Baltic ” summer course.

The General Meeting addressed several important issues, including:

approval of the 2017 CCB Annual Report ,
adoption and the Biennial Plan of Action for 2018-2019 ,
election of the new CCB Board ,
adoption of the amendments to the CCB Constitution ,
acceptance of new member organizations:
APB Birdlife (Belarus),
Nerush (Belarus),
Western Pomeranian Nature Society (Poland),
LCPO ”Ecoterra” (Ukraine).

CCB expresses a warm welcome to the new organisations and board members and wishes a strong and successful collaboration for the upcoming years.

These meetings represented once again an important moment for all of us to meet up, share experiences and strengthen our relations. In this regard, CCB is open to accept proposals for the theme of the next Annual Conference, which potentially will be held in Latvia.

Last but not least, a special thanks to all the participants and sincere gratitude to Dmitry Filippenko and his colleagues from “ Green Planet ” for the excellent organisation of the CCB´s events.

Call to action for the EU countries: 3 steps to restore our seas by 2020

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 12:30:00 GMT

Despite the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008), most EU countries are a long way off in achieving their targets to protect and restore our seas to healthy status by 2020. The lack of progress is still in many areas such as overfishing, land-made pollution (plastics and contaminants) and marine protected areas (less than 1%).

We, both governments and citizens, have two years left to reach the aim and therefore a concrete and urgent action is needed. CCB has contributed to a joint proposal – led by Seas at Risk and in collaboration with the Mediterranean Information Office for the Environment and the Black Sea NGO Network – consisting of 3 key recommendations for EU Member States , urging them to respect their commitments:

1) End overfishing by:

2) Eliminate pollution by:

3) Halt biodiversity loss by:

Moreover, 172,120 concerned citizens have signed the “Save EU seas by 2020” petition that was delivered on the 10 ^th of April during the EU Informal Environmental Council meeting by Seas at Risk, Our Fish and WeMove.EU.

CCB and the NGOs coalition strongly believe that the fulfilment and the implementation of these recommendations will help to restore our seas and achieve all the MSFD targets by 2020 . Failure is not an option.

The turning point for saving the Baltic Sea is now

Mon, 05 Mar 2018 22:04:00 GMT

The action plan linked to the ecosystem approach which the Helsinki convention (HELCOM) agreed upon in 2007 is at risk. The progress of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) has slowed down and most of the problems that were identified 40 years ago are still there. The CCB network of environmental NGOs calls upon the 2018 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting to make a strong stand for reaching the targets of the BSAP and for the parties to follow the agreed commitments.

Since 2007 the Helsinki Convention has been aiming at fulfilling its own Baltic Sea Action Plan, based on the ecosystem approach. But despite ambitious goals set on a long original timeline, the progress of the Baltic Sea Action Plan has slowed down and most of the problems identified 40 years ago are still there. At the same time political commitment, willingness and resources to solve those problems have substantially diminished.

-With the current pace of implementation, HELCOM may no longer be seen as a front runner but risk of being seen as a failed cooperation and that is not what we want, says Mikhail Durkin, executive secretary of CCB.

Studies and reports warn for socioeconomic effects of continued ecological deterioration of the Baltic Sea. As representatives of the civil society we express serious concerns on the lack of progress. The ecosystem health of the Baltic Sea remains highly unsatisfactory; in certain cases it has even deteriorated.

Adding to lack of progress and broken promises is the unacceptable trend to question science, and established process. To claim room to negotiate when there is none and openly break established rules is not only highly questionable but also dangerous. The trust and faith in the political level cooperate and to save our environment is at great risk. This is something the environment, our institutions and the foundation of the social contract cannot afford.

-Progress has been made, but often on a local level far from Ministers. The question is how we make the overarching cross sectorial policy successful, to deliver a positive spirit that the goals are achievable, says Mikhail Durkin, executive secretary of CCB.

The good news is that we know what we have to do, we have a plan and now more than before there is a better and stronger framework in the Baltic region, supported by EU policies that acknowledge that deeper coherence and more regional focused work is called for. Both EU fisheries policy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive need a regional approach, and has funding to back it up. The turning point is here, and the foundations and plan exists. We simply ask our Ministers to be as engaged and committed as we are to save the Baltic Sea.

#IamtheBaltic #saveouroceans #everysecondbreath #wearethebaltic

Read the alternative Civil Society Declaration here

Read the joint NGO letter to Ministers here

Press contact: Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin, mikhail.durkin@ccb.se ; +46 73-977 0793

Recreational fishing in Baltic region

Mon, 12 Feb 2018 10:52:00 GMT

Recreational fishing is a very large sector in the Baltic region to consider both from a value point of view as well as potential impacts. Around 10 percent of the population in the catchment enjoy spending time at or on the water and these citizens are important stakeholders and bearers of responsibility for our waters, inland as well as on the coast and at sea. CCB has made a report of the recreational fishing sector in the Baltic region to create an overview of facts, data, regulations in place as well as recommendations for managers to consider. Catches of species targeted such sea trout and salmon are substantial and in the case of the critically endangered eel, CCB demands that fishing must be closed. Read the full report here

Do not believe Nord Stream 2: help us saving Kurgalskiy Peninsula!

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 22:14:00 GMT

On 6 February 2018, Nord Stream 2 AG will be hosting in Geneva a Round Table on the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for the Kurgalsky Nature Reserve.

Why in Geneva? Apparently, because the company wants to impress the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as waterfowl habitat (Ramsar Convention) and the International Union of Nature Conservation ( IUCN ), that holds the International Red List of Threatened Species, many of which can be sacrificed by another multi-billion and truly political project.

Just a week ago a similar roundtable was held in St.Petersburg, Russia and did not impress anyone, except governmental officials and the company itself. Because local scientific community knows that company uses ‘alternative facts’ or in plain words – simply lies .

Why is it so? Simply because the company, that claims highest level of openness, transparency and public involvement in decision-making, has just persistently followed its own logic of Environmental Impact Assessment. It is based on the assumption that the chosen option of routeing the gas pipeline is the best one. And it does not matter for them that the route will pass across the Specially Protected Natural Area of the international importance, that is covered by two international conventions – HELCOM and Ramsar. If it is in business interest of a single company or national interest of a single state – it does not matter, if this area has unique nature values. Because money matters! Nature does not!

Article 4 of the Ramsar Convention leaves a possibility for a Contracting Party to delete or restrict the boundaries of a Ramsar site in case of ‘urgent national interests’. What are those and how Article 4 should be applied – read in the Guidance from Ramsar Convention.

Read more about the dirty tricks of Nord Stream 2 AG in an article

Full coverage of the independent Public Environmental Assessment of the Nord Stream 2 plans on the the Russian side of the Baltic is available here

To understand the scale of inconsistencies and falsifications – read the Summary and full Conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment .

And even more on the matter – at the dedicated webpage for Save Kurgalskiy campaign.

Share this and spread a word! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

CCB looking for Communications officer

Thu, 18 Jan 2018 10:55:00 GMT

Coalition Clean Baltic is now looking for a Communications officer to fill a new full time position from the beginning of April 2018. We are currently updating our communication profile, including outreach channels and visual appearance, and aiming to enhance the quality of our communication efforts. In this context we are very excited to be able to offer this new position of Communications officer.

As communication officer your tasks will include:

Some travel will be necessary, mostly in the Baltic Sea Region, and you need to be able to participate in some meetings on weekends, since the network consists partly of volunteers who dedicate their spare time to environmental activism. You should share our devotion to protecting the environment, and experience in working in an international context, preferably in the Baltic Region, is valuable. Our working language, both in the secretariat and within the network as a whole, is English. Please observe that we expect applications written in English.

To fit for this position you should have the following qualifications:

Level of salary comparable to NGOs staff in Sweden and in accordance with the Collective Agreements of the respective Union’s. Subject to adjustment depending on experience and annual increase.

Send your application, in English, including your CV and a personal letter to secretariat@ccb.se or mikhail.durkin@ccb.se at the latest on 9 February 2018.

Public Environmental Assessment of the Nord Stream 2: the project should not be given permission for implementation due to numerous deficiencies and noncompliance with the law

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 11:43:00 GMT

On Monday, 15 January 2018, the results and conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment, an independent expert review of the project documentation, including the Environmental Impact Assessment and mitigation measures, were presented at the press-conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. Public Environmental Assessment was initiated and performed in accordance with Russian Federal Law on Environmental Expertise and on the basis of respective national environmental legislation.

The major conclusion of the Expert Group that performed the Assessment and that was represented by distinguished researchers, associates and professors of several leading St. Petersburg scientific institutions and universities is very clear and straightforward :

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, that was submitted for obtaining respective permission from the environmental authorities and consequent construction permit, should not be accepted for implementation, because of

The Expert Group also concluded that the project design cannot be simply amended or altered without significant changes in proposed technological solutions for pipe-laying within its offshore and landfall parts.

Conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment will be submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation and to the State Service for Supervision in the field of Nature Protection (Rosprirodnadzor), that are responsible for performing the State Environmental Expertise of the Nord Stream 2 Project and issuing respective permissions if the Project’s environmental impacts are found acceptable for implementation.

Please find here and share:

Summary of the conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment (ENG)
Full text of the Conclusions of Public Environmental Assessment (ENG)
Full text of conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment (RUS)
Attachments to the conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment (RUS)

20 NGOs call upon EU ministers to explain what they will do to protect the eel

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 15:24:00 GMT

Read the letter here: NGO letter about eel and upcoming fisheries council 2017

Europe’s Declaration on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment

Fri, 17 Nov 2017 15:11:00 GMT

20 Organisations sign declaration expressing serious concern about pharmaceuticals in the environment in the EU

17th November 2017
Brussels

A group of twenty organisations – lead by Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe – today sent a Declaration to European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, expressing their deep concern about the threat posed by pharmaceuticals in the environment to European citizens, their communities, and the environment. The Declaration comes during World Antibiotic Awareness Week and on the eve of European Antibiotic Awareness Day.

The consortium of organisations, which is made up of hospitals, health organisations, professional health and student associations, and health and environment NGOs, wrote to the Commissioner to highlight the importance of introducing ambitiouslegislation in the upcoming Strategic Approach to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (due to be released in early 2018).

The Declaration also highlights the unintended consequences of the release of increasing amounts of pharmaceuticals into the environment on both human and environmental health.
Pharmaceuticals in the environment represent a global pollution – over 631 different pharmaceutical agents or their metabolites have been detected in 71 countries on all continents.
The European Union is one of the largest consumers of human medicinal products in the world (24% of the global production), second only to the U.S. Pharmaceutical pollution, however, is an unrestricted cross-border phenomenon that affects all countries.

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs, the part of the medicine that is biologically active in order to have an effect on the body) are designed to be biologically active and often remain unchanged during their passage through the body. These APIs can also enter the environment during the production phase (through wastewater) and when medicines are disposed of incorrectly (by flushing down the toilet or sink).

Even low concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the environment can have farreaching effects on ecosystems – causing reproductive failure, growth inhibition, behavioural changes, and species’ population collapse, such as the near extinction of vultures feeding on animals that have been treated with diclofenac in Pakistan.

As well as outlining the problems associated with pharmaceuticals in the environment, the group also propose solutions in the Declaration, in the form of a comprehensive set of policy recommendations, stating that: “We, the undersigned, strongly believe that [these] recommendations should be incorporated into the ‘Strategic Approach to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment’. EU citizens have the right to live in a safe environment in order to prevent sickness and the spread of AMR. We therefore call on the European Commission to consider our position on this issue and take immediate action to protect human and environmental health.”

Speaking of the Declaration, HCWH Europe Executive Director Anja Leetz said: “Pharmaceuticals in the environment are a global pollution problem which needs to be addressed immediately. By allowing this known problem to continue we are running a global experiment with no control group. We do not know enough about the long-term and cumulative cocktail effects of small amounts of pharmaceutical residues in our water and food supply and we need to apply the precautionary principle and reduce exposure where possible. We urgently need to minimise the release of pharmaceuticals into the environment at all stages of their life cycle in order to limit the potential damage to human or environmental health.”

Read Europe’s Declaration on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment here

The Declaration is co-signed by:
• Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark)
• Doctors for the Environment (AEFU) (Switzerland)
• Aufbruch – anders besser leben (Germany)
• Comité pour le Développement Durable en Santé (C2DS) (France)
• Center for Environmental Solutions (Belarus)
• Changing Markets
• Coalition Clean Baltic
• European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
• European Public Health Alliance (EPHA)
• European Academy for Environmental Medicine (Germany)
• Fundación Alborada (Spain)
• Health Action International (HAI)
• Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)
• Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe
• International HCH and Pesticide Association (IHPA)
• IndyACT (Lebanon)
• IPEN (Toxics-Free Network)
• The International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF)
• Ökologischer Ärztebund e.V. (ISDE Germany)
• Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk (PAN Germany)

PRESS CONTACT
Aidan Long, Press and Communications Manager – HCWH Europe
Email: aidan.long@hcwh.org
Phone: +32 465 10 09 40

Further information from CCB is availiable from
Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Working Area Leader for Hazardous Substances and Marine Litter
Email: lobanow@gmail.com ; lobanow@ecoidea.by

CCB Briefing – the facts about eel

Sun, 29 Oct 2017 12:44:00 GMT

What you need to know and understand about the eel, Anguilla anguilla

Facts about eel (Anguilla anguilla)

Download and read CCB eel briefing 2017 – the facts about eel

CCB welcomes EU Commission proposal to ban fishing for eel in the Baltic Sea

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 09:54:00 GMT

The European Eel is a critically endangered fish species with a dramatic stock size decline the past 30 years. Conservation efforts have so far failed to deliver and scientific experts have repeatedly called for drastic management measures. Today the EU Commission presented a proposal to ban all fishing for eel in the Baltic Sea. CCB very much welcome this proposal and call upon all Member States to complete this eel fishing ban in all of theirs waters, combined with other conservation efforts.

The European eel is a fantastic fish, a survivor from pre-historic times and it has lived through several ice ages. Human impact on the eel stock has been devastating and conservation efforts have so far been insufficient. The stock has declined rapidly and from being very common in most Baltic Sea Region coasts, lakes and streams, the eel is now rare and the reproduction has fallen almost 98%. In an attempt to give more adult eels the chance to spawn, the EU Commission is now proposing to stop fishing on eel in Baltic Sea waters.

-This is very good news for the eel, and a welcome and strong signal from the Commission that more must be done to protect eel, says Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary of the Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)

The environmental NGOs have for years demanded that eel must be treated like other threatened fish species and under current circumstances, with a collapse of the eel stock, allowing targeted fishing is simply unacceptable. We risk losing this fish right in front of our eyes by not acting on the clear advice given by scientific experts. The EU Commission has now taken action and with the proposal to stop fishing on eel, the chance for the eel to recover increases. We support this proposal and want to underline that regardless of where and how, all eel fishing must be stopped until the population shows signs of recovery. It is regretful that closing a fishery will affect fishermen but it should have been done years ago and it does not make sense to build a business on a threatened species. We must also stress that upstream measures such as removing dams and opening dams during migration season for eel is absolutely necessary. Its time dam owners pay their debts to the eels. Likewise we believe that in the Baltic Sea Region it is important to address all countries in the catchment area with equivalent management response to protect the European eel, as provided for by the EU Water Framework Directive and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007), as well as various global legal acts.

-We call upon all Members States in the EU to honor their commitment to protect eel, uphold the EU fishing and environmental rules as well as international agreements to stop the loss of biodiversity says Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Office at CCB

Read the full proposal from the European Commission here

https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/?fuseaction=list&coteId=1&documentType=PROPOSAL_FOR_A_REGULATION&version=ALL&language=en

Contact: Nils Höglund, policy officer CCB +46 708 679 249; nils@ccb.se

Mikhail Durkin, Exec. Secretary CCB +46 73 977 07 93; mikhail.durkin@ccb.se

Learn more on Marine Litter and Microplastic Pollution

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 12:24:00 GMT

Want to know more about Marine Litter and Microplastic Pollution of our seas, rivers and lakes?

Take your chance and enroll to the # PlasticFreeBaltic online course on Marine Litter and Microplastic Pollution – first course of its kind in the # BalticSeaRegion !

Read more about CCB’s work on Microplastic Pollution here

# postkodstiftelsen # ekoagora # coalitioncleanbaltic

CCB requires that EIA on Nord Stream 2 Project addresses holistic and cumulative impacts on the Baltic Sea ecosystem

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 09:03:00 GMT

CCB follows public hearings on Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed Nord Stream 2 Project in transboundary context within the frame of Espoo Convention.

Today, on 21 July, the hearings are held in Stralsund, Germany, following 4 days of national EIA hearings held under the German law.

Our main point remains the same : as a transboundary project that may impact the whole Baltic, if it will permitted to commence, it should assess the impacts and develop mitigation measures on the whole Baltic ecosystem and nature values and not just impacts/risk on the neighbouring countries.
Otherwise, implementation of such projects unilaterally or even bilaterally contradicts with coordinated and unified goals of reaching Good Environmental Status of the Baltic Sea under the EU MSFD and HELCOM BSAP.

All Parties of Origin under the Espoo case – Russia, Germany, Finland, Sweden and Denmark bear equal responsibility for ensuring that such impacts are minimized and/or prevented – in both their own waters as well as long-range impacts on the whole Baltic.

See CCB Statement with these regards here .

CCB, WWF and Oceana call the EC to take into account environmental requirements in negotiations with Russia on the Nord Stream II project

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 15:37:00 GMT

On Friday, 9 June 2017, WWF European Policy Office , WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme , OCEANA Europe and the Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) , have jointly submitted a letter to Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete (DG ENER / DG CLIMA) and Commissioner Karmenu Vella (DG ENV / DG MARE), expressing our concerns with the proposed Nord Stream II gas pipeline project and proposing to include an environmental clause to the anticipated Intergovernmental Agreement between the EU and the Russian Federation on the aforementioned project.

Our main concerns are connected to a contradiction of the proposed project with EU commitments under the the Paris Agreement, drawbacks and gaps identified by environmental NGOs in environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and documentation and, efforts by the Nord Stream II AG to weaken Russian nature conservation legislation to allow the landfall part of the pipeline to cross highly vulnerable Nature Protected Areas of the international importance designated under the Ramsar and Helsinki Conventions.

Our suggestion to the European Commission is therefore that should such Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on the Nord Stream II Project be concluded, it should reflect relevant environmental and nature conservation provisions as a part of transparency principle in pipeline operation, as outlined by the EC .

Further background information on Baltic NGOs monitoring after the ongoing development of the Nord Stream II Project can be found here .

Save Kurgalskiy from Nord Stream II – sign the petition!

Fri, 19 May 2017 15:10:00 GMT

The Kurgalskiy Nature Reserve, being established in 2000, is included in the network of HELCOM Baltic Sea Marine Protected Areas and RAMSAR Convention list of protected wetlands of international importance. There is no site of equal importance and value in terms of nature conservation and protection of biodiversity in the Russian part of the Gulf of Finland

Help us preventing this destructive activity and forcing Nord Stream II AG and Gazprom to comply with the international and Russian national environmental requirements law.

More about CCB’s activities to protect Kurgalskiy can be found at dedicated English and Russian webpages.

Read the background information and sign the petition to the Russian Government by 31 May 2017!

2017 CCB Annual video contest

Mon, 15 May 2017 15:59:00 GMT

A video contest with competition contributions from our member organizations and partners was held during 2017 CCB Annual Conference.

The prize for 2017 CCB video contest was awarded to the Crayfish story by the Green Federation GAJA from Poland.

The content of the videos should have been anything related to CCB’s working areas and projects. One competition contribution per project with maximum length of three minutes per video were invited.

Other nominations included:

CCB joins over 100 organisations in call to uphold ban on subsidies for fishing vessels

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 09:03:00 GMT

CCB and over 100 organisations across the EU ask all members of European parliament endorse the Fisheries Committee’s vote from March this year and express support for the 2014 Parliament position that maintained the ban on subsidies for the construction of new fishing vessels. A ban that has existed in the EU since 2004. The […]

Nord Stream 2 considers route through nature reserve optimal

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 16:26:00 GMT

The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology has provided its European counterparts with the report on Environmental Impact Assessment of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The document favours the option for routeing the gas pipeline through the unique Kurgalsky natural reserve.

The main route of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is named as preferred one in the documents being officially submitted by the Ministry, violates the requirements of Russian legislation on Nature Protected Areas. Its provisions prohibit any construction within territory of the natural reserve. Additionally, Kurgalsky natural reserve is also a wetland of international importance and is protected under the Ramsar Convention . Environmental NGOs state that other, less harmful to natural environment options for pipe-laying are available.

“The routeing of the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that is proposed by the Ministry is not only violating the requirements of the Russian legislation, but also does not take into account the view point by a wide range of Russian stakeholders. In March 2017, representatives of a dozen of various environmental and scientific organizations expressed their explicit and unanimous view against the pipe-laying across the Kurgalsky natural reserve” – comments Alexey Knizhnikov, Head of Oil&Gas Environmental Policy Programme of the WWF Russia.

The Nord Stream 2 proposed route also cuts straight through a newly designated Natura 2000 site for the critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise which is also thought to be the most important breeding site for this population. This raises concerns about acoustic disturbance of porpoises during the pipe-laying phase.

Nord Stream 2 AG has recently launched the international consultation process, and the consultation documents are available in all Baltic Sea languages here . To present a consolidated view from Baltic Sea environmental grassroot organisations, we encourage CCB member organisations and other eNGOs to provide their feedback through this webform .

Wetlands dramatically reduce micro plastic

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 09:06:00 GMT

A new CCB study concludes that both waste water after treatments plants and storm water contains micro plastic particles. Testing the same water after it has passed through a constructed wetland show that considerable amounts are trapped in the wetland, regardless if the initial amounts were high or low. The results are encouraging since all efforts to reduce increasing outflow of micro plastic to river and sea are welcome, and in the case of using wetlands it is a win-win-win situation since we already know that wetlands also work for capturing nutrients and pharmaceuticals.

Read the full report here

NGOs urge EU Parliament to remain firm against fisheries subsidies

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 12:57:00 GMT

CCB together with more than 100 European Organisations call upon MEPs to support the 2014 Parliament position that maintained the ban on subsidies for the construction of new fishing vessels, which has existed in the EU since 2004. Reintroducing the opportunity to use subsidies for new fisheries vessel would undermine the objectives of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy to end overfishing, the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (in particular SDG14) and the ongoing negotiations on fisheries subsidies in the WTO.

We therefore ask all MEPs to oppose attempts to re-introduce subsidies for the construction of fishing vessels in the upcoming vote on 22 March on the “Management of the fishing fleets in the outermost regions” 2016/2016(INI) .

Read the statement and see all supporting organisations here

Baltic-wide actions needed to reach SDG targets

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 11:14:00 GMT

Today, high-level representatives of the HELCOM Contracting Parties will meet in Helsinki to discuss regional Baltic Sea contribution to conservation and sustainable use of the seas and marine resources by 2030. Actions related to eutrophication, marine litter and climate change will be given special focus in the discussion.

On behalf of environmentally concerned citizens of the Baltic Sea catchment, the NGO network Coalition Clean Baltic asks the Ministers and Baltic region governments to keep their focus and address the urgent needs of the Baltic Sea in order to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs. Global goals are needed but it must start with regional sea actions to save the Baltic Sea from further deterioration. To set aside the already agreed goals is not acceptable and doing so may risk losing public support.

– The public expects that the big words and set goals matter and wants to see results not excuses , says Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive secretary.

The 2018 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting will demonstrate whether the countries are serious that “protection and enhancement of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area are tasks that cannot effectively be accomplished by national efforts alone” as recognised by 1992 Helsinki Convention.

– We have only a few years left before the original Baltic Sea Action Plan deadline in 2021, HELCOM Contracting Parties should strongly focus and not shifting the deadline towards 2030, relying on SDG process to solve all the Baltic problems. Mikhail Durkin CCB Executive secretary

The CCB considers the below points crucial to comment.

Eutrophication:

Hazardous substances:

Biodiversity and nature conservation:

Maritime activities

See more detailed information in CCB’s full statement .

NGOs demand closure of western Baltic flatfish and cod bycatch fishery

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 10:03:00 GMT

On Wednesday, in a letter to the European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Mr Karmenu Vella, eight environmental NGOs request a closure of the western Baltic flatfish and cod bycatch fishery. The fishery for flatfish in the western Baltic was recently opened during the spawning season closure for cod in February-March, despite the substantial amounts of cod bycatch in this fishery. The western Baltic cod stock is below the biomass reference point and has been overfished for many years, and there is a scientifically recognized need to protect the stock during the spawning season. In our view, this additional fishing pressure during the closed period does not comply with the Baltic multiannual plan, Common Fisheries Policy, or the Control Regulation. We urge the Commission to intervene and close the flatfish fishery as a safeguard measure to avoid any catch of western Baltic cod during its spawning season and prevent a
possible collapse of this stock.

Read the full letter to the Commissioner here .

Spara

Sweden designates large Natura 2000 area for the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise

Thu, 29 Dec 2016 13:06:00 GMT

As an early Christmas present to the harbour porpoises of the Baltic Sea, the Swedish government recently announced that a large Natura 2000 site will be designated for harbour porpoises in the Baltic Proper. With more than 1 million hectares this is the largest marine area ever proposed by Sweden as a Natura 2000 site, and it includes the major part of the most important breeding ground for this critically endangered population , which mainly is situated within Sweden’s EEZ.

In total, four new Natura 2000 sites are being designated for harbour porpoises in Swedish waters, and two already existing areas will be enlarged. The total area will be over 1.3 million hectares. Besides the area depicted here, the other areas are situated in the southwestern Baltic and in Kattegatt.

Spara

The Swedish government is looking to reduce plastic in the Sea

Thu, 22 Dec 2016 09:39:00 GMT

During 2017, the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) will investigate if more cosmetic products should be included in a ban on plastic microparticles. KEMI has previously suggested a ban on plastic microparticles in cosmetic products that are rinsed off, such as shower creams and toothpaste. Now, the government asks the Agency to investigate if plastic particles should be banned in additional products.

Small plastic particles, called microplastics, that are used in cosmetic products are flushed out into lakes and the sea through water treatment plants. Marine animals which filter the water to find their food, such as blue mussels and zooplankton, ingest the plastic particles and can be harmed by them. Since environmental contaminants bind harder to plastics than to naturally occurring particles it can also affect contaminant concentrations in seafood for human consumption.

Each of us, as consumers, can make environmentally sound choices by purchasing personal care cosmetic products that do not contain microplastics. See more information about it here at CCB’s Plastic Free Baltic campaign webpage .

Producers and retailers can also do their bit of work. In December 2016, Swedish online pharmacy Apotea announced that they will be discontinuing sales of all products containing microplastics. CCB is hoping to see other business following this great initiative.

Read the Swedish Governments press release here .

Denmark stands alone in defiance against Baltic Sea marine protection agreement

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:19:00 GMT

PRESS RELEASE: Stockholm and Helsinki 19 December 2016

Denmark threatened to effectively stop progress on a key Baltic Sea regional initiative during the HELCOM Head of Delegation meeting which took place on 14-15 December in Helsinki. This process, prioritized by the EU who is currently chairing HELCOM for the first time, represents an agreement by Baltic Sea Ministers to advance progress towards securing a healthy Baltic Sea. Environmental organizations Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) and Oceana are angered by Denmark’s disruptive actions which severely undermine progress to restore the status of the Baltic Sea.

The so called Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS II) project was initiated by all Baltic Sea countries, including Denmark, and has been in progress since 2014. It is intended to demonstrate the overall state of ecosystem health in the Baltic Sea and support commitments under the Baltic Sea Action Plan and EU Directives. It represents a tremendous investment of time and financial resources which have now been undermined due to the actions of just one of the ten contracting parties to HELCOM.

“Denmark has undermined an international process intended to secure a healthy Baltic Sea and fought to be made exempt from its implications. The disrespect Denmark has shown for the cooperative endeavours of HELCOM is deeply concerning.” explains Lasse Gustavsson, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe.

Following intensive interventions by the other Baltic Sea countries, who restated their commitment to this process, Denmark finally agreed to compromise, allowing the process to proceed. The compromise makes clear that Denmark reserves its right to disregard the findings of HOLAS II, and ensure that the EU cannot hold Denmark accountable to them.

“Shared natural resources can only ever be effectively managed through cooperation and unfortunately this is not first time Denmark has objected environmental agreements backed by all other Baltic Sea countries.” says Mikhail Durkin, the Executive secretary of CCB.

Denmark’s move against the initiative also jeopardizes the implementation of other agreements aimed at restoring the status of the Baltic Sea and undermines important work carried out by other HELCOM contracting parties. It also complicates the work of those member states who wish to use the HELCOM work in their national implementation of EU directives, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which requires countries to coordinate their work regionally.

Read the entire press release here .

Spara

CCB and MIO-ECDE join forces to promote marine litter monitoring in the Baltic Sea

Fri, 09 Dec 2016 10:02:00 GMT

Some 18 NGO representatives from 8 countries, namely Belarus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden, were brought together in a two-day workshop on marine litter monitoring. The workshop was organized from 2-3 November 2016 in Gdansk (Poland) by the Coalition Clean Baltic in collaboration with the Polish Ecological Club and it was led by MIO-ECSDE.

The participants were introduced to the theme of marine litter, its sources and impacts, as well as the main legislative frameworks relevant to the countries sharing the Baltic Sea and the key actions undertaken at European and Regional Sea Conventions to combat marine litter. The participants had the opportunity to get acquainted step-by-step with the methodology for monitoring marine macro-litter on beaches and gained hands on experience on how to perform beach litter surveys.

The participants surveyed two transects at the coastline of Gdansk and processed the respective data in order to obtain a snapshot of the marine litter density in the area and the potential main sources.

The workshop was also a direct contribution to the first ever Marine Litter Watch Month, that is to took place in more than 75 of Europe’s most beautiful beaches from 17 September to 16 October 2016. The Marine Litter Watch Month is an initiative of the European Environment Agency jointly with over 20 NGOs – one of which CCB and MIO-ECSDE – and research institutes. The Marine Litter Watch aims to fill the ‘data gaps’ that are hampering an effective implementation of essential measures to address the growing threat of marine litter in European Regional Seas.

Joint NGO position on Baltic Sea internal loading

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 20:07:00 GMT

Baltic environmental NGOs, represented by Coalition Clean Baltic network consisting of 18 grass-root organizations from 11 countries in the Baltic Sea catchment and the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme forwarded for consideration of HELCOM Contracting Parties a joint statemen t regarding the issue of internal load in the Baltic Sea.

Some of the Contracting Parties state that most of the nutrient source reductions on land have already been achieved, for example through efficient sewage treatment and elimination of excess usage of fertilizer and manure in agriculture. Therefore, those countries consider further land-based reductions to have limited effects at high costs, instead arguing for innovative sea-based measures.

The environmental NGO signatories to this joint statement strongly believe that the real reason for promoting alternative, sea-based solutions to the eutrophication problem might be tightly connected with observed poor implementation of BSAP MAI/CART commitments and lack of will to enforce stricter HELCOM requirements at national level in comparison to EU law, by some Contracting Parties/EU Member States. Actually, the cost-efficiency of already applied measures in terms of delivering good environmental status for the Baltic Sea with regards to eutrophication has been very poorly assessed – both at national and HELCOM level, and the EU financial support mechanisms often cause continued high inputs of nutrients with minor consideration of environmental objectives for the marine environment.

This view is strongly backed by the findings of the recent EU Court of Auditors’ report “Combating eutrophication in the Baltic Sea: further and more effective action needed” ( 2016 ), echoed by the EU Council Conclusions on the ECA’s Report.

Our main points on this matter are as follows:

“Our Common Baltic” Summer Course successfully completed

Tue, 16 Aug 2016 12:17:00 GMT

The CCB Summer Course Our Common Baltic took place at Hel Marine Station in Poland in July 2016. 17 participants from eight countries participated and contributed greatly to making the course very successful. You can read more in the events page .

The New Baltic Fisheries Management plan is now EU Law

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 13:45:00 GMT

On July 20th, the new fisheries management plan for sprat, herring and cod became active EU law and thereby removed the old cod plan and amending the existing Technical regulation from 2005. CCB has been engaged in this new management plan from the start, even before the initial proposal was presented by the previous Commission and Commissioner Maria Damanaki. If this plan can help the fish stocks and secure a future for fishermen in the Baltic Sea is dependent on how the Member States now apply and implement the rules in it. If fishing quotas are not set in accordance with best scientific knowledge, the plan will little to no effect.

Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 establishing a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks

The regulation in all EU languages can be found here: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016R1139

Urgent action needed for Lithuanian rivers

Tue, 14 Jun 2016 14:21:00 GMT

A proposal to amend the Lithuanian Water Act and Law of Protected areas threatens two of the last rivers in Europe with open fish migratory pathways, Nemunas and Neris, home to populations of wild salmon, trout and sturgeon as well as the endangered European eel.

In 2004, the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) adopted an amendment to the Water Act to make dam construction on Nemunas and other rivers that are valuable in terms of environment and culture, forbidden. In this way Lithuania assured the successful implementation of its international obligations regarding the conservation of migratory species. However, there are now proposals to amend the Water Act and the Law on Protected Areas to make possible the construction of a five dams on Nemunas River below Kaunas and a cascade of three dams in Neris River, all foreseen to include hydropower plants and facilitate new possibilities for transports. Despite having diminutive capacity on national scale, and having more environmentally friendly alternatives (same quantity of electricity could be produced by a wind farm with 30 turbines), this proposal has significant lucrative potential, providing its owner with up to 20 M Euro per annum of incomes. However, this proposal would have massive negative effects on the environment. The suggested cascade of 5 dams would flood large areas of habitats of unique flora and fauna, block one of few remaining European migratory fish paths in Nemunas and Neris rivers as well as their tributaries. It would void the works from the last 10 years to restore habitat of salmon, trout and sturgeon stocks and would also block an important habitat and migratory way for the endangered European eel. In an open letter to the President and the Prime Minister of Lithuania, the speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament and the Minister of Environment, CCB now urges the Lithuanian government and parliament to not support the proposed amendments to the Water Act and Law on Protected Areas.

CCB General Meeting

Thu, 02 Jun 2016 08:37:00 GMT

CCB held its biannual general meeting in Lviv, Ukraine on 20th-22nd of May 2016. A work plan for coming years was agreed upon and a new CCB board was elected. CCB also got two new members accepted at the general meeting, one from Latvia and one from Belarus.

CCB also held the annual conference focusing on river basin management and importance of cross border cooperation upstream. It is clear that without a strong cooperation, the objective of good environmental status in rivers and sea will be hard if not impossible to reach. The message from the conference was that it is possible and that NGOs have a big role to play in pushing for cross-border cooperation with upstream countries like Ukraine and Belarus. Program and speakers can be in the events page .

Western cod stock crisis

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 09:09:00 GMT

ICES released the latest catch advice for Baltic fish stocks on May 31st. There are several worrying signs but by far the most dramatic is the situation for the western cod stock in areas west of Bornholm. ICES is advising to reduce commercial catches by 89% compared to last years catches! ICES advices on total commercial catch of only 917 tons compared to last years commercial catch of 8400 tons. The stock is in very poor shape and all stock health indicators are below what is called the limit values as fishing pressure has been too high for the past 20 years. The stock status and ICES advice basically means that all catches must be brought down to a minimum.

In accordance with the new management plan and the CFP, emergency measures are called for. CCB considers it clear that in this situation, cod can basically only be taken as bycatch and targeted fishery, commercial or recreational, should stop temporarily. It has been clear for the past 3-4 years that this situation will come and BALTFISH, the Council and the Commission has not been able to act responsibly and reduce the fishing enough so far. The fishing pressure must be brought down to MSY level and measures to rebuild the stock is not longer optional or can be put off for the future. We call upon BALTFISH to set catch levels in line with advice and the Commission to defend the new management plan targets and MSY.

Read all of ICES Baltic Sea advice here

A summarized description of ICES advice in a short and explained format can be found at the Fisheries Secretariat website

CCB letter to Commisioner Vella about eel

Mon, 16 May 2016 14:39:00 GMT

In April 2016 CCB sent a letter to the Commission pointing to the illegal catches of eel but also questioning the legal fishery on an endangered species and if the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) goal of fishing at MSY applies to eel. CCB has gotten a response from the Commission explaining the views of the Commission and an indication to investigate further the data of illegal catches that CCB sent in. The Commissions reply also hints that it considers existing EU regulations stricter and include stronger measures than any kind of international agreement can deliver, for example the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS or “Bonn convention”) that recently added eel to its annex II. CCB hopes that the Commission as well as the Member States will take on the full responsibility to make sure illegal fishing is controlled better and that all fishing is stopped during the migration season for eel. It remains to be seen if the CFP goal of fishing at MSY indeed applies to eel.

Read CCBs letter here .

Read the Commissions response here .

CCBs information about eel .

Ministers: uphold your responsibilities on marine protection

Thu, 12 May 2016 09:29:00 GMT

CCB has joined a group of NGOs (Greenpeace, Oceana, WWF, Swedish and Danish Societies for Nature conservation, Swedish and Danish Anglers Associations, Living Sea and Fisheries Secretariat) and written an open letter to the ministers in Denmark and Sweden asking them to uphold the existing closed areas in the Kattegatt. The area has been closed to fishing since 2009 and may represent on of the few productive fishing areas in EU that has not been trawled at all the past 7 years. Read statement and details here: https://ccb.se/statements/

EU auditors call for further and more effective action on Baltic Sea eutrophication

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 12:49:00 GMT

A report from the European Court of Auditors evaluating the work on combatting eutrophication in the Baltic Sea states that actions and funding so far has had limited effects and that further and more effective action is needed. The auditors found that Member States’ plans lack ambition and appropriate indicators. Investment in waste-water infrastructure has been only partly effective and agricultural measures do not match up to the scale of the problem. The overall conclusion of the auditors’ investigation was that there has been only limited progress.

“ Improving water quality in the Baltic needs more targeted action and more co-operation with Russia ” said Mr Ville Itälä, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report. ” A clean Baltic Sea is the dream of almost 100 million people. To achieve that, the countries concerned should make much fuller use of the powers available to them ”.

Although CCB supports the recommendations made in the report, as shown below, CCB is of the opinion that HELCOM contracting parties have to fully implement the requirements on prevention of pollution from agriculture stated in part II of Annex III of the Helsinki Convention . Also, CAP subsidies should be more directly linked to effective measures on nutrient run-off reduction, to ensure efficient use of tax-payers money.

The report from the EU auditors make a number of recommendations for the Member States and for the European Commission. The Commission should:

The biggest polluter of the Baltic is agriculture, say the auditors, and the main problems are insufficient action and poor targeting. Water protection in agriculture is one of CCB’s prioritized working areas, and there are two recent CCB reports highly relevant in this context;

The full EU auditors’ report can be found here .

Multiannual plan for Baltic Fish stocks concluded

Wed, 16 Mar 2016 11:27:00 GMT

The 15th of March, European Parliament, the Council and the Commission finally agreed on a new management plan for the main commercial fish stocks in the Baltic Sea. CCB and many other NGOs have worked hard to present our views on what is needed to safeguard the stocks in the Baltic and we can now conclude that the result is not at all what we had hoped for.

The plan allows to set F, the fishing mortality, above the Maximum Sustainable Yield level. This means that the Council can continue to decide on catches every year that does not meet the ambition of the CFP reform, catch levels that ignore the scientific advice. This also means that reaching Good Environmental Status under the MSFD and reaching the goal of “healthy fish stocks” in HELCOMs BSAP is very difficult, if not impossible.

There are so called safeguards in the plan, stating that higher fishing mortality levels can only be used under certain circumstances. The main example is that only when a stock is in good condition, such higher levels can be used. It remains to be seen if this has any practical meaning at all. For example, last years Council decision on catches on the Western cod stock was set far above what science advised on despite the fact the the stock is under the biomass level set in this plan as the “emergency level” Blim.

The ambition to really rebuild fish stocks, making it possible not only for the stocks to replenish but also provide a future for fishermen, is hard to find in this new plan. The Baltic plans now sets a president for other plans to come and it looks like EU will continue to be the bad example in the world of fisheries management.

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/mare/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=29772&subweb=343&lang=en

CCB team took part in HELCOM Stakeholder Conference on Marine Litter

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 16:39:00 GMT

HELCOM invited a wide array of stakeholders to announce – or reiterate – their commitment for combating marine litter in the Baltic Sea under recently adopted Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter at a Stakeholder Conference, held on 9 March 2016 back-to-back with HELCOM 37-2016.
Key focus of the Conference was to strengthen and broaden the ownership in pushing into action the 30 agreed regional tasks of the Plan.

The team presented work done by CCB on marine litter topic within recent years , including activities of each organisation, and an overview of mobile applications (apps) helping to fight marine litter problem . In addition, CCB Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin together with the Director of Waste Dept. from the Ministry of Environment of Estonia Peeter Eek provided presentation on land-based actions to prevent and reduce inputs of marine litte r.

The Conference was also preceded by a CCB Workshop on marine litter that has concluded on the results of 2015 “Plastic Free Baltic” campaign and discussed the plans for 2016-2017. The workshop also formally launched CCB brochures on microplastic pollution, being produced in all Baltic Sea Region languages (except Danish and Ukrainian), see links for download in the dedicated campaign webpage .

Spara

PRESS RELEASE: Global temperature increases: an alarming scenario for the Baltic Sea

Mon, 30 Nov 2015 08:40:00 GMT

1 December 2015, Uppsala, Sweden

Global temperature increases: an alarming scenario for the Baltic Sea

Prior to the opening of the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change , Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) calls for immediate climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in the Baltic Sea Region, based on the findings of a new CCB report released today.

The report presents alarming predicted consequences of temperature increase scenarios on Baltic Sea marine biodiversity. Estimated impact of a 4-degree C increase would represent a catastrophic scenario, resulting in adverse ecosystem changes for the Baltic Sea. Even a 2-degree increase impacts are so serious that policy actions must safeguard that this temperature level is never reached and only a maximum increase of less than 1.5 degrees should be set as acceptable.

Environmental changes in the Baltic Sea

Based on the IPPC indications of 2 to 4 degrees C increases within the period of 2100-2200, the CCB report indicates that human-induced warming will cause drastic changes at all trophic levels and components of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. In addition to increased temperature and sea level, salinity is expected to drop and so will the oxygen levels of deep-water areas. As a result, the biodiversity of the Baltic Sea will change and gradually diminish, including loss of important habitats and species, and decreases of many fish stocks. These changes will happen even during a status quo situation, and it is very unlikely that future ecosystems will be able to adapt unaided by human activities.

Policy recommendations

Duly taken, implemented and enforced mitigation measures will reduce the speed of change even though our knowledge of the full role of the ocean in climate is still lacking.

Baltic Sea countries should jointly take legally binding decisions so that the Baltic Sea region contributes to mitigation of the climate change environmental impacts, both regionally and globally.

The full version of compiled policy recommendations is available on the CCB website .

About Coalition Clean Baltic :

CCB is an environmental NGO network that unites 19 organizations from Belarus, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Ukraine and Sweden and represents over 1% of the Baltic Sea catchment population, as its members. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and natural resources. Through its work CCB engages people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

The study was performed with a co-funding provided by EU Life and AirClim Secretariat.

Mikhail Durkin, Coalition Clean Baltic,

+46 739 770 793 / mikhail.durkin@ccb.se / www.ccb.se

International Seminar on Land Based Aquaculture Systems

Wed, 18 Nov 2015 11:07:00 GMT

Last week, on 11-12th of November, in cooperation, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) , Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) , the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and the Swedish Board of Agriculture hosted an international seminar on Land-Based Aquaculture and best available technologies (BAT) in Stockholm. Moderators were Ellen Bruno (SSNC) and Nils Höglund (CCB).

About ninety participants attended the two-day event and fifteen speakers from diverse parts of the sector – industry, government, research, NGOs and retailers – gave presentations and joined panel discussions. Here below you find links to the presentations.

Exploring Land Based Aquaculture Systems

The event is a part of an ongoing engagement to highlight and define best options for sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector, linking both to current work in HELCOM on respective BAT and Best Environmental Practice (BEP) for the future fish farming in the Baltic Sea region as well as linking to the EU level.

From left: Nils Höglund, Brian Vinci, Michał Kowalski, Malin Skog, Ola Öberg and Marcin Rucinski (Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries).

The aim of the seminar was to explore options for Land Based Aquaculture Systems, especially those that in different ways include a recirculation system and to highlight that such systems are not just the future solution but that they are already in full use and producing fish now. Furthermore, an important objective of this seminar was to explore the possibility to address risks to the environment and at the same time enable profitable production close to the consumer. Key questions asked were about environmental benefits, costs and technical challenges of land based systems and also the difficulties of producers to reach the market and sell their products for a good price.

Key findings of the seminar

It can be concluded that further action required are continued discussions of BAT and BEP and to set a roadmap with clear objectives and timelines for the development of Land based Aquaculture Systems. Following are some of the key findings of the seminar:

Seminar Presentations

Malin Skog, The Swedish Board of Agriculture : EU and Swedish Aquaculture Plans and Strategies.

Frida Åberg, Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management : Prerequisites for aquaculture in Sweden

Brian Vinci, Freshwater institute West Virginia : A North American perspective on land based systems, past, present and future

Michał Kowalski, Jurassic Salmon : Land based salmon from Poland.

Ola Öberg, Svensk Fiskodling AB : Reaching success.

Ivar Warren-Hansen, Inter Aqua Advance A/S : Building it large – Land based salmon grow-out

Johan Ljungquist and Mikael Olenmark, Scandinavian Aquasystems AB and Gårdsfisk: Building it small – Integrated Agri- and Aquaculture.

Brian Vinci, Freshwater Institute West Virginia : Land vs Sea based systems cost and environmental footprint comparison.

Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) : The omnibus challenge of feed in aquaculture.

Markus Langeland, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) : Realities of the feed options.

Albin Gräns, FRESH – Fish Rearing and Stress Hazards, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) : What is animal welfare, current rules and latest research on stress prevention in aquaculture

Dario Dubolino, DG for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission : Recirculation in the EU aquaculture policy and organic rules.

Anneli Bylund and Malena Nylin, Coop Sweden : Coop Sweden strategy for a living sea.

Debating Baltic Sea eutrophication

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 09:41:00 GMT

In a joint reply to a debate article published in Svenska Dagbladet 27/8 a group of scientists and experts, including Coalition Clean Baltic´s member organization WWF Sweden, argue that sea-based measurements against eutrophication in the Baltic Sea should not be seen as a “miracle remedy” for the Baltic Sea and it is not a satisfactory alternative to today’s land-based measurements.

Algal blooms of the coast of Öland. Photo: Kustbevakningen/TT

Click on this link: Debate on Baltic Sea Eutrophication to read a translated version of the debate article “New knowledge about eutrophication is being ignored” and the reply debate article “There is no miracle remedy for the Baltic Sea”

Open letter to Russian authorities and HELCOM

Mon, 07 Sep 2015 10:19:00 GMT

Open letter addressing Russian authorities and HELCOM with regards to an alarming situation around Kurgalskiy Nature Reserve at the coastline of the Gulf of Finland.

The letter addresses the situation, which mainly concerns conflicts between nature protection goals, large infrastructure projects and urban planning of the coastal area in the vicinity of the Kurgalskiy State Nature Reserve. The situation requires urgent action to prevent damage to natural amenities of this Protected Area and save it as the only MPA within Russian part of the Baltic Sea that covers both land and sea area.

Read the letter here . Note: the letter is both in English and Russian .

Demand EU to stop eel fishing

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 12:14:00 GMT

28 environmental organizations demand that the EU Commission will stop all eel fishing in Europe along with other needed action to halt the human induced eel mortality until the stock has reached sustainable levels.

Even though the European Eel (Anguilla Anguilla) is listed as ´critically endangered´ by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the EU still allows extensive eel fishing in Europe.

In an open letter to Environmental Commissioner Karmenu Vella, a total of 28 environmental organizations, including Coalition Clean Baltic and its member organizations Danish Society for Nature Conservation and Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, strongly criticize the EU for allowing eel fisheries. Another major human induced threat to eels are hydroelectric dams the eels get trapped and killed in.

Demand a complete fishing stop

In the letter, the organizations point out the paradox in that if the European eel had been included in EU´s list of endangered species in Annex II or Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive, fishing of eel would have been terminated long ago. The organizations recommend a complete stop for both recreational and commercial fishing of eel until the stock has recovered.

Over the past 25 years the population has decreased by 90 percent. In 2007, the scientific advice from ICES was to minimize all human activity threatening the European eel. In 2008, the eel was listed as critically endangered by IUCN and since 2007 it has been listed on CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Appendix II. Meaning that, exports outside of Europe have been banned due to concern over the decline in recruitment and stocks, however, trade continues within the EU and from non-EU countries within its range to other non-EU countries.

A unique life cycle

The European eel is a unique specie with a special life cycle. Its journey starts in the Sargasso Sea, in about 2000 km wide elliptic zone, from where it floats with the Gulf Stream up to Europe. As an example, the distance from Sweden to the Sargasso Sea is 7000 km! At this larval stage the eel is sexually undifferentiated and called “glass eel”. At later stage when it has entered the European river mouths and migrates upstream in fresh water the eel is first called “elvers” and later “yellow eel”. At about 5-20 years of age the eel, now called “silver eel”, has reached sexual maturity and leaves the fresh waters in Europe to migrate all the way back to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. Adults are assumed to die after spawning. ¹

CLICK HERE to read the Open Letter to EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella.

Image: Dmitriy Konstantinov

Below is a list of the 28 environmental organizations standing behind the letter:

Austria:
UMWELTDACHVERBAND
EU UMWELTBÜRO

Belgium
SEA FIRST FOUNDATION

Croatia:
SUNCE – ASSOCIATION FOR NATURE, ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Cyprus:
FEDERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS OF CYPRUS

Denmark:
DANISH SOCIETY FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
WWF DENMARK
DYRENES BESKYTELSE
NATURHISTORISK FORENING FOR NORDSJÆLLAND
DANMARKS SPORTSFISKERFORBUND

EU:
COALITION CLEAN BALTIC
GREENPEACE EU

Ireland:
AN TAISCE – THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR IRELAND
IRISH SEAL SACUNTARY

Luxemburg:
LUXEMBURG – NATUR & ËMWELT

The Netherlands:
DE FAUNABESCHERMING
DIEREN BESCHERMING
WWF NETHERLANDS
WISSENBESCHERMING
GOOD FISH FOUNDATION
SPORTVISSERIJ NEDERLAND
NORTH SEA FOUNDATION

Portugal:
SCIAENA
LPN – LIGA PARA A PROTECÇÃO DA NATUREZA

Sweden:
SWEDISH SOCIETY FOR NATURE CONSERVATION

Great Britain:
MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY
BUGLIFE

USA:
MARINE CONSERVATION INSTITUTE

Interested to know more about the European Eel? Read HELCOM´s species information sheet.

Recykling kayaking – protecting the Baltic Sea

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 13:20:00 GMT

The Recycling kayaking is under the patronage of the Coalition Clean Baltic

Mr Dominik Dobrowolski, a famous Polish ecologist, has been canoeing and cleaning up rivers for many years now. His main objective is to protect rivers and the Baltic sea from pollution. His initiative is well-known and appreciated by many in Poland and numerous profit and non-profit organizations support Dominik in his projects. On July 2nd, Dominik starts another expedition called the “Recykling rejs” (Recycling kayaking). This time, he is going to canoe from Szczecin to Gdynia, along the Polish coast. During the expedition, Dominik along with Plastics Europe Polska, is going to organize a series of meetings in which he will popularize ideas of recycling and active protection of the environment.

We encourage you to follow this eco-expedition on www.recykling-rejs.pl . Dominik is inviting to organize similar actions in all coastal European countries and those with large rivers and lakes.

Our Common Baltic summer course 2015

Mon, 25 May 2015 13:50:00 GMT

The CCB summer course, ”Our Common Baltic, OCB,” takes place this year at Hel Marine Station 9-14 September.

Hel Marine Station is situated on the top of the beautiful Hel peninsula in Poland. Hel has boat connection with Gdynia during summertime.

Solutions for Polish and Baltic Eutrophication

Mon, 18 May 2015 13:33:00 GMT

On April 17th 2015, in Warsaw, the Polish Ecological Club together with the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering organized a seminar on “Solutions for Polish and Baltic Eutrophication (problems) – Low-Nutrient Surplus Agriculture and Sustainable Waste Management”.

The main goal of the seminar – which was introduced by Maria Staniszewska Chairwoman of the Polish Ecological Club and Prof SGGW Tomasz Okruszko – was to identify sources of pollution as well as showing the methods to effectively reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads that every year get into the Baltic Sea through basin rivers. This goal is closely connected to the goal of the Water Framework Directive, to achieve good status of water till 2015.

The seminar participants were experts, representatives of NGOs and administrations, as well as farmers who went through the current problems connected with water pollution by nutrients and the ways we could involve stakeholders in activities. The overview of the seminar and the presentations are available in the dedicated event page .

This project and work on industrial animal farms are supported by Nordic Council of Minsters funds.

International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise

Sun, 17 May 2015 13:19:00 GMT

Baltic Harbour Porpoise Needs Protection

The Harbour Porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) is the only species of cetacean native to the Baltic Sea. It is estimated to consist of approximately 450 animals and is classified by the Swedish Species Information Centre (Artdatabanken) to be critically endangered. Porpoises are also listed in the EU Habitats Directive and protected by UNEP (the United Nations Environment Programme) under the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic – ASCOBANS .

Courtesy of Olga Caprotti

In 2002, ASCOBANS declared the third Sunday in May of each year as the “International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise” (IDBHP) in order to raise awareness of the critical situation.

The main threats to the Harbour Porpoise

The significant decline is largely due to human activities. Despite imposed measurements such as the EU banning drift-net fishing in the Baltic Sea in 2008 as well as commanding the use of ¨pingers¨ – acoustic porpoise detectors – on fishing gear, by-catch is still considered the greatest threat through the entanglement in fishing nets.

Other severe threats include underwater noise (for example due to boat traffic and construction of wind farms and gas pipelines), over-fishing and habitat degradation (for example due to oil extraction). Also, being a top predator, porpoises are vulnerable to the increasing levels of environmental toxins – harmful substances – such as flame retardants and surface coatings.

Data on distribution and abundance

During 2011 to 2013, a research project called SAMBAH (Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoise) identified the breeding and feeding grounds of the porpoises through acoustic monitoring across the Baltic Sea. The results are shown on this map:

The data discovered that during the summer breeding season, when females give birth and mating takes place, the Baltic population has been found to be concentrated mainly around the Midsjö offshore banks southeast of Öland. That is, their reproduction takes place mainly in Swedish waters. This kind of information is crucial in order to determine which measures should be taken to ensure their effective protection.

CCB proposals for action

Urgent action is needed to save the Baltic Harbour Porpoise from extinction and raising public awareness plays an important role in supporting effective conservation action. CCB has published brochures , summarizing the critical situation of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise and proposals for action. Here are some of the needed actions:

Youth Declaration on the Protection of the Gulf of Finland

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 08:31:00 GMT

After studying specific features of the Gulf, current problems and possible ways to solve those problems, schoolchildren from Russia, Finland and Estonia developed a declaration that was adopted on 27 July 2014 in Helsinki:

We believe that the Gulf of Finland is exposed to a high human-caused load and that all of us need to join efforts to reduce negative impacts on the environment.

WE PROCLAIM THE DECLARATION

and call upon the youth, politicians, all decision-makers, businessmen, scientists, teachers, public organizations, farmers, fishermen, tourists, mass media and all population of the region to follow our principles and facilitate the implementation of our proposals

OUR PRINCIPLES:

Below are links to the Youth Declaration in Finnish, Russian, Estonian and English.

Youth Declaration (Finnish)
Youth Declaration (Russian)
Youth Declaration (Estonian)
Youth Declaration (English)

CCB seminar on Industrial Animal Farming

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 07:38:00 GMT

CCB organized a seminar on Industrial Animal Farming on March 31 ^st in Vilnius. CCBs work has been made possible with support from EU and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Following are the presentations of the participants:

Jakub Skorupski – CCB Report on Industrial Livestock Farming in the Baltic Sea Region

Gunnar Norén – Best practices for Intensive Rearing of Animals

Albertas Gapšys – Alkiaulininkystės Sektorius Ekonominiame ir Politiniame Lietuvos ir Europos Kontekste

Vytautas Krušinskas – Aplinkosauginiai Reikalavimai Intensyvios Gyvulininkystės Įrenginiams

Ksawery Kuligowski – Environmentally Friendly Technologies of Animal Fertilizers Utilization

Viooltje Lebuf – Requirements for sustainable manure management in Flanders

Algis Baravykas – Kiaulių augintojų požiūris į šiuolaikinius rinkos ir reguliuojančių institucijų iššūkius

Rimantas Braziulis – Intensyvios gyvulininkystės ūkiai – problema be sprendimo

New facts on harbour porpoise

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 08:32:00 GMT

CCB has made a new brochure containing fresh scientific data on the amount -and location of Baltic harbour porpoises. The situation for the local population of porpoises is critical and measures to further protect them are badly needed. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive is together with the Habitat Directive is the key EU legislation aiming to protect but also improve the status of this endangered species. New data from the SAMBAH project gives all Members States important and reliable facts on where the porpoises are and therefore also where actions should be prioritized. The implementation of the MSFD Program of Measures (PoM) must make use of the data and include measures for porpoise now.

According to the very robust data from the project SAMBAH, we have around 450 porpoises left in the Baltic Sea, and they spread out of large parts of the Baltic Proper. The main area for porpoise reproduction seem to be in Swedish waters, south and south-west of Gotland island. However, clear hot-spots are also found along the coastlines of Germany, Poland and also Latvia! Several of theses areas already have protected areas and these should without further delay also be specifically made into protected areas for harbour porpoise.

Read the publication here

New CCB Report on Industrial Livestock Farming

Mon, 25 Aug 2014 12:08:00 GMT

The CCB project report on Industrial Livestock Farming – Environmental Protection Context in the Baltic Sea catchment area is now available on-line. The report contain information on overall characteristics of the industrial farm sector in the Baltic Sea Region, an inventory of existing industrial livestock farms (with a size that require permits according to national legislation and IE Directive). The focus is on installations in Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Russia and Ukraine, but information will also include description of the situation in Czech Republic, Finland, Norway and Slovakia. It also include recommendations for important steps needed for a better implementation of existing legislation and regulations.

The authors of this paper explore central questions, looking for possible answers, hoping to make the present report the first such comprehensive study of the issue ever made in the Baltic Sea Region Questions are: What is the scale of intensive livestock industry in the region? What is the current status of the implementation of the agriculture-oriented Annex III to the Helsinki Convention? What are the main problems connected with industrial livestock production in the Baltic Sea catchment area? Are there any methods to prevent negative impact of industrial livestock farming to make it, if not friendly, then perhaps neutral to the natural environment?

Download report here

The present report is built on the foundations established in the CCB Report on industrial swine and cattle farming in the Baltic Sea catchment area published by the Coalition Clean Baltic in 2007.

Coalition of NGO demands effective measures to reach MFSD goals

Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:49:00 GMT

A large coalition of NGOs including CCB has produced a statement with clear demands on improved commitment and ambition in Member States implementation of the MSFD. The final stages of implementing the Directive is now under way and the Program of Measures is central to both reaching the already set targets and last chance to improve and finalize new targets with indicators. CCBs and the Commissions review of Member States performance from 2012-2014 show a great gap between the ambitions of the Directive and achievement so far. Poor integration and joint work in regional seas jeopardize the possibilities to reaching Good Ecological Status by 2020.

Read the joint statement here: NGO joint statement on priorities for MFSD PoM 2014

Read CCB review of MS performance from 2014

CCB options for a new multispecies management plan for Baltic fish stocks

Fri, 08 Aug 2014 10:30:00 GMT

CCB has together with Fisheries Secretariat developed a position paper on what we consider important aspects to include in a new ecosystem-based multispecies management plan for the Baltic Sea. In principle, we support multi-species management but such a plan must consider broad biological interactions. Discussions and proposals from various actors and scientists have so far had too strong focus on optimising overall catch volumes. Measures to minimise the impacts of fisheries and help maintain the ecological functions of the Baltic Sea ecosystem must be included and a central part of management. Read the CCB/FISH report on Baltic ecosystem based multispecies management (pdf) .

Legal implications Natura 2000 and Common Fishery Policy (CFP)

Wed, 18 Jun 2014 14:25:00 GMT

An ongoing discussion in EU is how to solve legal conflicts within the EU legislation, not least between environmental legislation and policies such as agriculture and fisheries. CCB has tried to summarize a few of the main issues regarding N2000 and fisheries management in a short paper. The topic is highly relevant as there is an ongoing process to form guidance on fisheries management in N2000 areas in the EU.

Download and read the paper here: Fishing and Natura 2000 CCB

The Baltic Harbour Porpoise more widely distributed than previously known

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:14:00 GMT

CCB has produced a new brochure on the problems and needs of the Baltic harbour porpoise population. It is crucial that all Member states that has the porpoise in its waters take full responsibility to protect the porpoise and and introduce both monitoring and measures within the framework of the MSFD, and of course also the Habitat Directive.

CCB has collaborated with the research project SAMBAH to produce a new brochure with fresh data from the project on where the porpoises seem to live and travel in the Baltic Sea. It seems clear that porpoises are present in many areas and almost all national waters of the Baltic Sea states. Previous areas where porpoises have been sighted and bycaught are confirmed by the new data, but some areas in Sweden are of particular interest.

The bruchure can be downloaded here and printed copies are available at the CCB secretariat.

CCB statement on sustainable aquaculture

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 08:41:00 GMT

CCB has developed a joint paper on what NGOs think are relevant requirements on sustainable aquaculture in the Baltic Region.

The Baltic Sea cannot sustain more operations that add to nutrient enrichment. CCB believes that several key problems, well known from Norwegian examples, must be solved before any more small or large scale aquaculture can be given operational permits. Feed and alternative feeds, effects on wild stocks, eutrophication and nutrient loss, local impacts on bottoms are main issues that have or may have solutions but none are available for practical application today. Download and read the report here .

CCB position paper on sustainable aquaculture in the Baltic Sea region

Thu, 13 Mar 2014 08:59:00 GMT

CCB member organisations has worked together to create a statement on what the potential and limits to growth the aquaculture sector has in our region. Proper risk management and not jeopardizing existing goals in legislation such as CFP, MSFD and HELCOMs BSAP are important elements. To keep pushing for new technique and feeds must be a regional ambition. CCB does not favor placing open cage systems in the marine environment as this is connected with too many problems that can’t fully be controlled today. It’s important that national aquaculture strategies adhere to common goals and principles shared by all countries in the Baltic Region.

Read the full statement

CCB report on Baltic EU Member States implementation of MSFD

Mon, 10 Mar 2014 10:43:00 GMT

The MSFD is an important EU legislation for our seas. If fully and coherently implemented, MSFD can be a powerful tool to monitor and improve EU seas and the Baltic Sea in particular.

CCB has during 2013 worked on a joint project to review the Baltic Member States implementation of this Directive. The results show a quite disappointing level of ambition from our region and also poor coordination among member states. Cooperation and coherent actions are the key to reaching a better marine environment and CCB believes that all Member States in the region can and must do better. The report is available in a short version and long version with detailed annexes:

Short version (30 pages)
Long version with annex (83 pages)

European Commission review of all EU Member States implementation (article 12 review) is available here:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/eu-coast-and-marine-policy/implementation/reports_en.htm

Seminar “Reducing Nutrient Runoff from Large-Scale Animal Production in the Baltic Sea Region”

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:04:00 GMT

On December 6, 2013, in Warsaw, Poland, Coalition Clean Baltic, together with Green Federation Gaja, Baltic Manure and the Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding of the WestPomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, organized the Seminar “Reducing nutrient runoff from large-scale animal production in the Baltic Sea Region”. More than 60 people participated.

Stakeholders from Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Russia, Ukraine and Sweden took the floor to present the situation of the large-scale animal production in their country. Some experts presented the impact of such farms on the environment of the Baltic Sea Region. Other stakeholders focused their presentation on manure management and animal fertilizers. The cape between the current practices and the environmental friendly technologies of animal fertilizers available today was highlighted.

The Seminar gave an overview of the large-scale animal farms situation in the Baltic Sea Region. One important conclusion was that stronger regulations and control is needed for big animal farm, to mitigate the eutrophication problem of rivers, lakes and the Baltic Sea environment. Finally, the participants exchanged concrete experiences and brought home some good practices to be shared with the local farmers.

Polish Illegal Salmon Fishing: Reduced Quota for 2014

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:06:00 GMT

Documented illegal salmon fishing occurs in Poland and the European Commission have now decided to reduce their quota for 2014.

As reported by the European Commission on November 29th, 2013, A Commission Regulation providing for a reduction of the annual salmon quota allocated to Poland was issued to recover salmon quota overfished by Polish fishermen in 2012.

Related documents:
Commission Regulation providing for deduction from salmon fishing quota allocated to Poland in 2013 and subsequent years in ICES subdivisions 22-31 on account of overfishing.

Seminar “Common Agricultural Policy for 2014-2020: Challenges and perspectives in implementing environmental commitment “

Mon, 11 Nov 2013 09:07:00 GMT

To prepare CCB´s participatin in the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2013, Gunnar Norén (CEO of CCB) and Maria Staniszewska (Polish Ecological Club) participated first at the seminar Agricultural Policy 2014-2020: challenges and perspectives in implementing environmental commitment. The seminar was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, one day before the Annual Forum. It was arranged under the Lithuanian EU presidency and organized by the Lithuanian Fund for Nature.

Agenda
Presentation – Ambition to reduce nutrients , Gunnar Norén
Presentation – Agriculture measures in Poland , Maria Staniszewska
Outcomes of the seminar

Concerns before European Parliament plenary vote on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

Thu, 17 Oct 2013 07:13:00 GMT

On October 14-15, representatives from environmental NGOs, students and a Swedish commercial fisherman met in Brussels to do lobby work related to the European Parliament (EP) plenary vote (on October 23) on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The lobbying event was organised by Pew Environment Group and the Swedish NGO, the Fisheries Secretariat (FISH).

On the 15 th the participants were divided after nationality and in total almost 20 meetings with MEPs or their assistants held. Aside of discussions, the MEPs were invited to a symbolic vote where they had to choose between “MORE FISH” or “MORE BOATS”. Generally, the MEPs voted for “more fish” and understood our concerns. Hopefully, they are going to vote in a favourable way during the European Parliament (EP) plenary on October 23. This will be checked and monitored by NGOs.

For now, we are concerned by several proposals and measures.

First, the French rapporteur in the EP Fisheries Committee (PECH), Mr Cadec (PPE), has managed to include detrimental amendments and measures to the EC proposal. Mr Cadec’s proposals include subsidises to construct new vessels to increase and modernise the overall capacity of EU fisheries (e.g. subsidies to new engines). CCB and other organisations advocated against this since the reintroduction of a subsidy to build new vessels has been proven to contribute to overfishing and was phased out by the 2002 CFP reform. Furthermore, reintroducing this subsidy would contradict the EU’s Rio +20 commitments and undermine its position in the WTO negotiations. Aid for vessel construction has maintained or even increased overfishing and there is no evidence that this type of subsidy leads to greater socio-economic or environmental benefits. Often this only leads to that the fishermen become encumbered with debts, since they do the majority of the big investment themselves, and are forced to fish even harder on fish stocks that are in bad state – which naturally risk to lead to illegal fishing etc.

There is an urge for increasing funding to enhance control, enforce measures and improve data collection. Of the almost 90 EU stocks that scientific advice on landings are given for, half are considered to be data-poor. In fact there is not enough knowledge of these stocks to enable scientific advice for specifics amount that can be landed by the fisheries on an annual basis – only advice for if catches should increase, decrease or remain at same levels can be given. For other stocks, data are quite often shaky and ought to be of higher quality – especially if multi-species considerations are taken into account in the management plans. Regarding control and enforcement, improvement of these regulatory tools are keys for the planned implementation of discard bans in several EU fisheries.

Furthermore, CCB is concerned by the proposals to limit the participation in Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) to fishermen and producer organizations; according to the proposal only financial support should be directed to RAC participants that make a profit from the utilisation of public resources, serviced by publicly funded research, control and enforcement etc. If such measure is adopted on October 23, the interest of millions of citizens and consumers would be moved aside as many environmental NGOs and other organizations would be financially restricted in their future RAC commitments

Read the joint NGO EMFF briefing sent to MEPs

Race To Save the Baltic Campaign 2013

Thu, 03 Oct 2013 13:11:00 GMT

CCB together with the NGOs FISH and OCEANA with support from Zennstrom Philantropies now launch a campaign targeting the decision-makers in the Baltic Sea region. One of the campaign aims is to gather public support for proper implementation of the policies we already have.

Our message is: We have agreed on the targets. Now we call on you to take action! We can’t wait any longer; it is time to fulfill the HELCOM commitments to restore the health of the Baltic Sea.

To show our commitment, we will bike around the Baltic Sea this summer, visiting 9 countries and riding around 3 500 km in 3 months. Collecting signatures from the public and relevant stakeholders, we intend to hand over a letter to the Ministers of Environment when they meet in Copenhagen on 3 October asking them to move forward now!

Helcom Ministerial Declaration 2013: Environmental ministers severely delay deadlines to restore the Baltic Sea

Thu, 03 Oct 2013 09:15:00 GMT

Today, Baltic Sea Environmental Ministers signed a HELCOM Ministerial Declaration, reviewing the progress on targets agreed in the 2007 HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), in Copenhagen , Denmark . The environmental NGOs, Coalition Clean Baltic, FISH and Oceana, welcome the Ministers’ agreement to continue to fully implement the BSAP by 2021, but are concerned about the lack of action and the many delayed deadlines.

The coalition of NGO’s issued the following joint statement: “Today’s outcome shows that these countries aspiration for an improved status of the Baltic Sea is not anywhere near ambitious enough. What we have here is a nice document with good intentions, but to see the change by 2021, we should already be putting the 2007 agreements into action .“

Rather than a firm recommitment to the 2007 agreements, today’s declaration might ultimately make it impossible to reach good environmental status in the Baltic Sea by 2021 – the overarching target of the BSAP.

“Despite a focus on eutrophication – the most serious and complex threat facing the Baltic Sea – no substantial improvements were made on the reduction of nutrient discharge from the agricultural sector, making the Declaration much weaker than we had hoped ”, says Gunnar Norén, General Secretary for Coalition Clean Baltic.

The fisheries sections fared a little bit better in the final negotiations, and were actually strengthened in the final Declaration.

“We are pleased to see that the target of rebuilding stocks now includes the 2015 deadline, which was agreed as part of the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy ”, says Niki Sporrong , Director at FISH. “ The inclusion of a range of measures to address the critical status of European eel, including lowering the fishing mortality in line with ICES advice, is also good to see .”

There is still a widespread lack of proper protection for species, habitats and biotopes in the Baltic Sea region. It is regrettable that Germany and Denmark have postponed the publication of the HELCOM Red List for Baltic Sea species and habitats, because of commercial interests regarding cod.

“The hesitation and lack of commitment we have witnessed are blocking the progress of the Baltic Sea Action Plan implementation, including the development of an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas. This network was meant to be ready in 2010, but has now been pushed to 2020 ” , Hanna Paulomäki says, Oceana’s Baltic Sea project manager.

Baltic countries must begin the very real work that now remains. The current delays not only jeopardize reaching the goal of the Action Plan, but also the implementation of many EU directives, like the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which heavily rely on effective regional coordination.

Read the pressrelease

Wavering commitments threaten the restoration of the Baltic Sea

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 09:18:00 GMT

Over the past two days, government representatives met in Copenhague, Denmark, to review progress against the targets in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP). Conservation NGOs, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), FISH and Oceana are dissapointed by the lack of action and the hesitation to recommit to targets and review the deadlines.

Read the full joint press release

Diverging views between governments put the future of the Baltic Sea in jeopardy

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 09:21:00 GMT

Baltic Sea Environment Ministers will put pen to paper and sign the review of the Baltic Sea Action Plan in less than a month. Surprisingly, Sweden seems to be blocking any real progress, changing positions on a number of key issues.This week, representatives from the Baltic Sea countries met in Copenhagen to review environmental targets […]

Letter to Ministers – HELCOM

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 07:24:00 GMT

Until tomorrow the Helcom Heads on Delegation meeting is taking place in Copenhaguen. This meeting gathers key actors of the Baltic Sea Region and it aims to prepare the HELCOM Ministerial meeting on 3 October.

Taking place in the discussion, Coalition Clean Baltic together with The Fish Secretariat and Oceana sent a letter to the ministers of the Baltic Sea region, asking them to secure the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP).

Letter to Ministers HELCOM – September 2013

The company CSC “Saerimner” trying to establish new large pig-farms in Lithuania and get renewed permit, with help of false information

Sat, 27 Jul 2013 07:39:00 GMT

An IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) permit was renewed on the basis of false information about the distance between the place of the construction and the local housing areas. The company tried to avoid consultation with neighbouring citizens, but a court of appeal stopped the permit.

Such examples show that there is a need for much better control of animal farms in Lithuania. Intensive rearing of animals installations are usually important point sources for harmful nutrient pollution, via overfertilization with manure. Pollution with nitrogen and phosphorus give groundwater pollution and Eutrophication of rivers, lakes and the Baltic Sea.

Eutrophication is a major environmental problem in the Baltic Sea Region, which give algal blooms in summer season.We need nutrient-balanced fertilization practices on farmland, and mandatory nutrient bookkeeping.

Such regulations have already been agreed upon within the Intergovernmental Baltic Sea environmental cooperation- HELCOM- but is not implemented.

Are politicians and decisions-makers in Lithuania ready to set up such requirements?

Wild salmon in Venta river , Latvia– a weak stock that need better management

Thu, 25 Jul 2013 07:42:00 GMT

2/3 of all Baltic salmon river populations are threatened. Venta river is one of the 10 wild salmon rivers in Latvia. It is a weak salmon population that need much better management to become stronger, but effective actions are missing so far. A strong Venta salmon population can become an important natural resource for recreational fisheries and tourism, and for the local economy in the future.

We need financial resources to be allocated:

– To restore overgrown spawning and breeding areas for Venta salmon, to give better possibilities for reproduction. To insure a better monitoring to follow the salmonid populations in Venta river

– To support more salmonids to pass the waterfall in Kuldiga. An old channel located east of the waterfall could be restored. It would give to the salmoids an easiest fishway going upstream without touching anything of the beauty of the natural waterfall. Investing in such restoration would rise up the number of jumping salmons and sea-trouts in Venta river. In a close future, it would give Kuldiga region the opportunity to attract many tourists and recreational fishermen to the region, and give considerable income from accomodation and for local businesses. Local and regional decision-makers should support such development politically and financially.

No other Baltic Sea Region country has so many wild salmon rivers as Latvia, giving Latvia a special responsibility to guarantee safeguarding of Baltic salmon. Latvia should take its responsibility to implement measures for “active protection of threatened salmon populations”, signed in 2007 within the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.

As we speak, the people working with salmon in Latvia is doing a good job. But there is very few people in Latvia working on salmon management, and the financial resources is peanuts compared to the great values Latvia has with so many threatened wild salmon rivers, e.g in Saka river, Barta river.

But is Latvian institutions willing to provide the resources needed for the active protection of Venta river salmon? And the other salmon rivers?

Helcom Heads of Delegation Meeting, 17-18 June 2013, Helsinki, Finland.

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:49:00 GMT

Helcom Heads of Delegation meeting, preparing for the decisions for Baltic Sea region environmnetal minsters in October, was not very encouraging. Governments did not show strong interest to fully implement the actions for Baltic Sea environment protection that was decided on in 2007. Some countries rather seem to try to get away from the concrete actions, time-lines etc.

One positive outcome of the Helcom meeting was to establish a correspondence group, to go through the whole sections related to fisheries management, and see the need for new ministerial decisions to fully implement actions agreed upon in 2007. The Swedish delegation made such proposal after some CCB-interventions, that pointed out that present draft proposal for the ministerial declaration would not secure the implementation of the fisheries management actions from 2007.

The practical implementation Ecological Recycling Agriculture on the Baltic Sea catchment area helps solve Europhication problem

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 11:14:00 GMT

Agriculture is the single most important contributor to the euthrophication of the Baltic Sea. It’s responsible for 59% of the anthropogenic nitrogen and 56% of the phosphorous emissions (HELCOM 2005). The specialized agriculture with its separation of crop and animal production results in a high load of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Baltic Sea. This agricultural specialization has resulted in farms with a high density of animals and great surpluses of plant nutrients concentrated to certain regions.

This trend of increasing products per animal and per hectare on fewer farms and a higher surplus of nutrients of each of them is continuing in Nordic countries and is likely to spread to new to new EU member countries within the Baltic drainage area with the probable consequence of increasing nutrient loads.

One of the solutions of this serious threaten of the Baltic Sea is Ecological Recycling Agriculture (ERA). ERA is defined as an agriculture system based on local and renewable resources, that integrate animal and crop production on each farm, or farms in close proximity. As a result a large part of nutrient uptake in the fodder is effectively recycled. This in effect means that each farm strives to be self-sufficient in fodder production , which in turn a limits animal density and ensures a more even distribution of animals geographically.

The key elements in BERAS Implementation project are the BERAS Information Centers which are introduced ERA ideas into the practice and create link between farmers and society. They are also the base of sustainable food system. This system has capacity to increase consumption of organic products, strengthen local economies and raise awareness of agriculture and environmental impacts of food.

Maria Staniszewska,

Polish Ecological Club / Coalition Clean Baltic

Polish Ecological Club is Partner of the project.

Coalition Clean Baltic is Associated Partner

CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2013 & CCB General Meeting, 17-19 May 2013, Tallinn, Estonia

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:17:00 GMT

The CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2013 and CCB General Meeting was held in Tallinn, Estonia, between 17-19 May 2013.

CCB Annual Conference 2013 focused on:

Aquaculture: Development and sustainability in the Baltic Sea Region

Presentations were conducted by several actors coming from Aquabest, the Estonian Ministry of Agriculture-Fisheries department, Aquafima and CCB.

The aquaculture is a modern and ongoing subject. The intense debates which took place during the conference showed the strong interest of many organisations of the Baltic Sea region and CCB member organisations. Aquaculture is a field requiring more discussions and analysis so the pros and cons of such activity can be correctly known and assessed.

Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) – Implementation in the Baltic Sea Region

Presentations were conducted by several actors coming from the Estonian Ministry of Environment, HELCOM and CCB.

The presentations about the Marine Strategy Framework Directive underlined the complexity of implementing the directive on the field however, the deadlines are getting closer. Assuring a good coordination between scientific assessment and concrete action field is often underlined has being a key for success.

The Annual Conference 2013 was also a good opportunity for Barbara Jackson from Race For The Baltic to introduce the 2013 summer campaign to the CCB network and other organisations involved in the Baltic Sea region. Race For The Baltic is a cycling campaign around the Baltic Sea, visiting 9 countries and riding around 3 500 km in 3 months. Collecting signatures from the public and relevant stakeholders, we intend to hand over a letter to the Ministers of Environment when they meet in Copenhagen on 3 October asking them to move forward now!

Presentations Aquaculture:
Aquabest Project, Eskelinen
Aquaculture Estonia, Koitmaa
Aquafima Project, Kontautas
Aquaculture, G. Norén

Presentations MSFD
MSFD, HELCOM
MSFD in Estonia, Vahtra
MSFD, CCB presentation, G. Norén

Belarusian and Polish NGOs share experience of Wild Salmon Protection

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 09:31:00 GMT

A team from the Neman Environment Group in Belarus, visited Polish colleagues in Szczecin region, Poland, to learn from their experience of salmon protection.

Read the article

Development of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) policy

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 11:20:00 GMT

The implementation of the MSFD is on-going. In July 2012, EU Member States are supposed to present their plans with:

-Initial assessment of the marine environment and whether the “Good environmental status” of its marine environment has been reached.

-Targets and indicators for the 11 marine descriptors.

CCB, Seas at Risk and the Mediterranean Information Office have developed a Handbook for NGOs on how to work with the MSFD. Factsheets related to the various marine descriptors have been developed jointly by several European environmental NGOs.

The handbook and fact-sheets are available under statements dated March & April 2012

CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2012 & CCB General Meeting, 1-3 June 2012, Ratomka, Belarus

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:26:00 GMT

CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2012& CCB General Meeting,

1-3 June 2012, Ratomka, Belarus

The CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2012 and CCB General Meeting was held in Ratomka, Belarus, between 1-3 June 2012.

We now have the pleasure to invite you to Belarus for the CCB Baltic 2012 Conference and General Meeting!

This year the CCB Baltic Conference will be held in Ratomka, Belarus. The programme starts on Friday evening with registration and social event and ends on Sunday afternoon. A CCB General Meeting, working group discussions on CCB Priority Areas and an excursion will also be held during the weekend.

Further details and programme for the weekend will be provided soon.

Important information about participation

Due to the fact that CCB has lost important funding for 2012 the financial resources for this year’s CCB Annual Conference are very limited. Because of this, unfortunately only a reduced number of participants can attend this year’s conference.

For this reason we urge member organisations to cover the travel expenses for their participants! Please inform the CCB Secretariat about your possibilities to cover, full or parts of, travel costs by own means. This will save CCB resources and can give possibilities to bring more participants.

In general, not more than one participant from each CCB member organisation can participate at this year’s conference.

We would prefer your contribution to pay for own travel costs and CCB would pay for your stay in Belarus.

Conference Venue

The Conference will be held at “Hotel Ratomka”. The venue is situated in Ratomka, about 20 km from Minsk.

The address is: st. Korickogo, 34, village Ratomka, Minsk district.

Phone number of the hotel is: +375 17 502 22 56

More details on how to get there will be provided soon.

Poster Presentations

All participants are welcome to present their work connected to CCB Priority Areas with posters. If you plan to bring posters, please send in requests for exhibition space to the CCB Secretariat.

Language

The working language of the Conference will be English.

Expenses

No admittance fee is charged for the actual conference. However if you cancel less than ten days in advance you have to pay your own costs for meals and accommodation if no alternate is arranged. We also welcome your contribution to pay for accommodation (room + food) if possible. Estimated cost for the whole conference (1-3 June) is 80 EUR/person.

Travel Costs and Reimbursement

As mentioned above, we urge member organisations to cover the travel expenses for their participants.

Participants from Ukraine and Belarus: The travel expenses will be covered from Sida-funding. Reimbursement will only be paid for the most non-expensive and convenient way of travelling.

Participants from Russia: There will be some funding available for a limited number of participants from Russia.

Beyond that, there are very limited funds for reimbursement of travel costs for participants from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland.

All reimbursement claims from all countries must be confirmed by the CCB secretariat!

No travel reimbursements will be made without confirmation given in advance! The travel costs will be reimbursed after the conference when you submit to the CCB secretariat a reimbursement form and all your original receipts of your travels.

Please note that you have to state your requested total amount for travel reimbursement (SEK/EURO), local transport and potential Visa cost included, in the application form. To keep the budget-line for the Baltic 2012 conference, CCB can only guarantee that you will get the amount that you have stated in the application form.

When booking your travels please be aware of the CCB environmental travel policy that states that all journeys shorter than 400 km must be undertaken by bus or train. Air travel can only be considered if the distance is longer than 400km.

Application

Fill in the registration form and send it by e-mail to Sara Nilsson at the CCB International Secretariat (secretariat@ccb.se). Latest date: 4 th of May There will be no reimbursements granted after the last day of registration (due to administrative constraints) so for those of you that want to apply for reimbursement it is essential to meet the deadline of May 4th. Indicate in the form if you apply for reimbursement or not.

Please note that we only have room for a limited number of participants. We will confirm to all applicants on their possible participation in the Conference, so do not book your ticket before you have your participation confirmed by the CCB International Secretariat!

Visa Application

Most Baltic countries need a visa to go to Belarus. For those of you who need visa please provide your passport data and home address to the CCB Secretariat as soon as possible (page 2 of the registration form), so that an invitation can be sent to you for the Visa application.

(Normally it is possible to get a visa at Minsk airport, but usually to a higher price than if you apply with the Belarusian embassy or consulate in your country.)

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the CCB secretariat or Eugeniy Lobanov!

CONTACT INFORMATION

CCB Secretariat        E-mail: secretariat@ccb.se
Östra Agatan 53       Phone: +46 18 711 155
SE-753 22 UPPSALA     Fax: +46 18 711 175
SWEDEN

Eugeniy Lobanov
Center for environmental solutions (CES)
E-mail: lobanow@ecoidea.by
Mobile: +375 29 658 74 45
Phone/Fax: +375 17 334 53 23
We wish you a warm welcome to Belarus!
Center for environmental solutions (CES) and Coalition Clean Baltic

Presentations & related documents upon requests.

Lomonosov town – pearl at the sea shore or port and industrial zone?

Tue, 01 May 2012 05:43:00 GMT

Coastal residents who care about the town and the Gulf of Finland visited the Friends of the Baltic information action within the Oranienbaum Marine Festival, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of Lomonosov.

Read the article .

Subsidies fuelling overfishing must end

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:30:00 GMT

Subsidies directed towards the fishing sector is one of the key problem areas regarding the overfishing and overcapacity in Europe’s fishing fleet. The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) was designed to balance fishing activities at sustainable levels but it has actually done the reverse. Ship owners have been able to get subsidies to increase the capacity and fishing power of their vessels, adding to fleet overcapacity. It is time to stop the blind spending of taxpayers money!

CCB is a member of the campaign organisation OCEAN2012 dedicated to change the European fishing policy (CFP) to a greener and truly sustainable policy.

CCB Seminar on the future of Baltic salmon management, 8-9 December 2011, Älvkarleby, Sweden

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:37:00 GMT

The CCB salmon seminar held in Älvkarleby, Sweden, focused on the EC Baltic Salmon Management Plan, important measures for salmon river management and lessons learnt in efforts to restore salmon rivers and reintroduce salmon.

The Race To Save the Baltic 2012 seminar was held in Stockholm on June 28, 2012, in connection with the inaguration of the ÅF Offshore Race 2012. The seminar was hosted by Zennström Philanthropies and Globe Sweden and organised in cooperation with CCB, Oceana and the Fisheries Secretariat. Baltic Water Status and Baltic Fisheries Management were the themes of the seminar.

Presentations & related documents upon request.

CCB debate on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), beyond 2013, 30 November 2011, Warsaw, Poland

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:39:00 GMT

The focus of the debate, held in Warsaw, Poland, was pros and cons of the new CAP legislative proposal and the aim was to elaborate a common NGO position statement.

Presentations & related documents upon request.

The 2nd EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Annual Forum and the 13th Baltic Development Forum Summit 2011

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:34:00 GMT

The Baltic Development Forum and the European Commission together organized the common event in Gdansk, Poland, on 24-26 October 2011, with cooperation of Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authorities of Pomorskie Region.

Read the article .

CCB statement regarding the European Commission proposal for a new multi annual management plan for Baltic Salmon

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:41:00 GMT

CCB conclude that the proposal has several good components but that amendments and clarifications are needed. It is important to quickly find answers to why young salmon die, to learn more about by-catch problems and to secure better knowledge about the unknown removal of salmon in the Baltic sea for any management plan to have a real effect.

Read the statement .

TAC setting for Baltic salmon 2012 and the current situation for returning salmon spawners in the Baltic Sea region

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:07:00 GMT

The numbers of returning salmon spawners show a strong negative trend in several important rivers and CCB urge Baltic region governments to apply a precautionary approach to salmon fisheries for 2012.

Read the statement .

Beaver dams in salmon and sea-trout rivers in Belarus

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:11:00 GMT

Beaver dams prevent salmon from reaching their spawning areas and are a main problem in most of the salmon and sea-trout rivers in Belarus. Neman Environment Group in Belarus decided, in co-operation with authorities, to remove beaver dams to increase the available spawning habitat to adult salmonids. With help from volunteers from the fishing club “Perekat” from Minsk, five actions have been organised on the Tartak, Senkanka and Dudka rivers, tributaries in the Nemunas/Neris river system.

See link to video from one of the actions below.

Video

Radioactive Steam Generators

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:17:00 GMT

Press release about the Proposed Shipment of Radioactive Steam Generators from Canada to Sweden.
Download .

CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2011 on Sustainable Coastal Development & CCB Extra Ordinary General Meeting, 6-8 May 2011, in Jurmala, Latvia

Fri, 06 May 2011 05:21:00 GMT

The CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2011 and CCB Extra Ordinary General Meeting was held in Jurmala, Latvia, between 6-8 May.

We now have the pleasure to invite you to Latvia for the CCB Baltic 2011 Conference and Extra Ordinary General Meeting!

This year the CCB Baltic Conference is organised together with Keep Latvia Tidy and Latvian Green Movement, in Jurmala, Latvia. The programme starts on Friday evening with registration and social event from 18.00 onwards and ends on Sunday afternoon with an excursion. An Extra Ordinary General Meeting will be held on Sunday morning.

On Friday there will be a separate conference on “Threats and Opportunities for Developing Tourism and Nature Protection” organised by Keep Latvia Tidy. Please note that this conference is not part of the CCB Baltic 2011 Conference. If you have a wide interest to participate, please contact Janis Matulis to find out more.

Sustainable Coastal Development in the Baltic Sea Region

is the theme for this year’s Conference. During the conference we will discuss different aspects of sustainable coastal development. The draft programme can be found below.

Extra Ordinary General Meeting

A CCB Extra Ordinary General Meeting will be held on Sunday morning due to the need for election of substituted ordinary and alternate Board members for some countries, from the 2-year election period 2010-2012.

Working Group Discussions on CCB Priority Areas

On Sunday before lunch there will be Working Groups about CCB priority sub-areas. The outcome of the discussions will be the base for the CCB Work programme 2012.

Poster Presentations

All participants are welcome to present their work connected to the theme of the Conference on a poster. Also posters presenting other implemented activities connected to CCB Priority Areas are welcome. If you plan to bring posters, please send in requests for exhibition space to the CCB Secretariat.

Language

The working language of the Conference will be English.

Excursions

On Sunday afternoon there will be an excursion organised in cooperation with Environmental Protection Club of Latvia (VAK) . More information will follow.

Conference Venue

The Conference will be held at “Baltic Beach Hotel” in Jurmala

(www.balticbeach.lv/en). Accommodation and meals are provided at the same location. Jurmala is situated on the Baltic coast 25 km west of Riga.

Expenses

No admittance fee is charged for the conference. However if you cancel less than ten days in advance you have to pay your own costs for meals and accommodation (approx 100 LVL) if no alternate is arranged.

For participants from CCB member organisations and associated partners, CCB will cover the costs for accommodation and meals.

Travel Costs and Reimbursement

We urge member organisations to cover the travel expenses for their participants.

Participants from Ukraine and Belarus : The travel expenses will be covered from Sida-funding. Reimbursement will only be paid for the most non-expensive and convenient way of travelling.

Participants from Russia : There will be funding available for a limited number of participants from Russia .

Beyond that, there are very limited funds for reimbursement of travel costs for participants from Latvia , Lithuania , Estonia and Poland.

All reimbursement claims from all countries must be confirmed by the CCB secretariat!

Please note that you have to state your requested total amount for travel reimbursement ( SEK /EURO), local transport and potential Visa cost included, in the application form. To keep the budget-line for the Baltic 2011 conference, CCB can only guarantee that you will get the amount that you have stated in the application form.

Application

Fill in the registration form and send it by fax or e-mail to Sara Nilsson at the CCB International Secretariat (secretariat@ccb.se).Latest date: 12th of April There will be no reimbursements granted after the last day of registration (due to administrative constraints) so for those of you that want to apply for reimbursement it is essential to meet the deadline. Indicate in the form if you apply for reimbursement or not.

Visa Application

For those of you who need Visa please contact Janis Matulis. Please send your passport data and home address as soon as possible, so that an invitation can be sent to you for Visa application. Usually, you will be best off with a “Schengen Visa”, which will normally take up to a month to be granted.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the CCB secretariat or Janis Matulis!

CONTACT INFORMATION
CCB Secretariat        E-mail: secretariat@ccb.se
Östra Agatan 53       Phone: +46 18 711 155
SE-753 22 UPPSALA     Fax: +46 18 711 175
SWEDEN

Janis Matulis
E-mail:janis.matulis@keeplatviatidy.lv
Phone: +371 2653 8871
Fax: +371 6322 3273
We wish you a warm welcome to Latvia!
Keep Latvia Tidy, Latvian Green Movement and Coalition Clean Baltic

Presentations & related documents upon request.

Conference on “Threats and Opportunities for Developing Tourism and Nature Protection” organised by Keep Latvia Tidy on 6 May
Invitatation & agenda upon request.

Coalition Clean Baltic News

Tampering with EU Fisheries Policy would ‘open Pandora’s Box’, NGOs warn

CCB´s submission to the EU Call for Evidence on the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)

Job vacancy: Marine Policy Officer (parental leave cover) - closed

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

Profile

Travel

Contract Terms

Application Process

Equal Opportunities

CCB´s submission to the EU Call for Evidence on the Ocean Act

From a destroyed greenhouse to a growing public garden: how donations found new life in Lviv

A thoughtful redirection of support

The Green Bank: a new chapter

Who benefits and why it matters

Progress and impact so far

Strong partnerships for the future

From one greenhouse to a citywide impact

Too many concessions in agreed eel fishing closures makes measure ineffective

COP30 brings ocean and water to the center of climate policy

From the COP29 Water Declaration to the COP30 Enhanced Ocean Water Program

Task Force on Oceans and the Blue NDC Challenge

Blue Package and «Ocean Breakthroughs»

One Ocean Partnership and Belém Ocean Declaration

Baltic Sea Farmer of the Year Award 2025

Jury motivation

Pathway to Tox-Free Living: Policy and Action

CCB’s role and NGO perspectives

No catches of European eel in 2026 can be in line with scientific advice

Fisheries Ministers Risk Breaking EU Law, Jeopardising Baltic Sea Recovery

EU Council decision on 2026 fishing limits fails to implement legally required safeguards, jeopardising the fragile marine ecosystem

Breaking the law on herring stocks

Sprat: Reckless 45% increase despite uncertain recruitment forecast

Cod: recovery remains elusive with a too high bycatch quota

Further restrictions on salmon fisheries are necessary

Joint commitment offers hope, but action is needed now

The full joint PR is available here .

Petition launched to stop new oil and gas drilling in the Baltic Sea

(Closed) Job vacancy: Coalition Campaign Manager - Common Fisheries Policy

Job description

Qualifications & Skills required

Application

Damning new report: EU fish polluted with ‘forever chemicals’, while governments seek to delay action

NGOs Welcome Commission's Precautionary Baltic Sea Fishing Limits for 2026

Council Must Follow Commission's Lead to Protect Critical Small Pelagic Fish Populations

Alarming Stock Status Demands Precautionary Action

Critical Role of Baltic Sea Forage Fish

Council Must Resist short sighted decisions

First meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC)

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026

Over 200 NGOs Call for Urgent Action on Offshore Fossil Fuel Exploration Ahead of UN Conference in Nice

- More than 200 environmental organisations worldwide demand immediate ban on offshore oil and gas exploration to protect marine ecosystems

- Coalition urges world leaders to commit to transformative ocean protection measures at UN Ocean Conference 2025

- Open letter highlights critical window for action as Ocean faces unprecedented threats from climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss ﻿

NGOs to EU decision makers: Commit to a Genuine Baltic Sea Recovery Plan

Cod collapse requires continued zero catch

Higher catch advice, despite low herring biomass and sprat data uncertainty

ICES headline advice does not consider legal safeguards for two herring stocks

Scientists flag poor flatfish condition and call for habitat restoration

Ecosystem failure and data gaps demand more precautionary limits

EU Commission upholds Fisheries Law: Finland's 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota reduced after unjustified overfishing in 2024

CCB is looking for a Network Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat (closed)

The CCB Network Officer

Application and deadline

Attacks on NGOs: 570+ Organisations Join Forces to Defend Civil Society

Global Call on Governments to Commit Banning Offshore Fossil Fuel Exploration at UN Ocean Conference

Media contact

Publication

Notes to editors

CCB leaves the social media channel X

"Focus on the Coast” – The history and current best practices of coastal protection in the face of climate change

Protecting the Baltic Sea: Uncovering gaps in MPA management

CCB´s response to the Call for Evidence of the EU Oceans Pact

What is the Oceans Pact?

What CCB thinks is important to include in the Oceans Pact:

Letter to the German BALTFISH presidency for the protection of the Baltic harbour porpoise

CCB welcomed a new Member Organization!

Accelerating the Baltic Sea Action Plan Implementation: A Call to Action for a Healthier Baltic Sea

Joint civil society letter to EU Commission on EU LIFE funding

Tampering with EU Fisheries Policy would ‘open Pandora’s Box’, NGOs warn

- Open letter highlights critical window for action as Ocean faces unprecedented threats from climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss

Who are we?