WWF comments on the adoption of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy: “An important step towards a healthy Baltic Sea.”
WWF cautions governments around the Baltic Sea not to forget the environment as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is adopted by the European Council today. WWF believes the Strategy has the potential to become a major step towards a clean and healthy Baltic Sea if governments follow its original intentions.
New catch of young cod threatens the Baltic stocks
European fisheries ministers are about to adopt new measures that may put the recovery of the Baltic Sea cod stocks at risk. The proposal now on the table will reduce the minimum legal size of caught cod from 38 to 35cms. According to scientists, Baltic cod does not reach reproductive maturity until it is 42-50cms.
Baltic Sea protection by surrounding states still very poor- WWF report
Baltic Sea states are still failing to deal with decades of environmental mismanagement in the Baltic Sea, where intense human activity has made it one of the world’s most threatened marine ecosystems, WWF’s Baltic Sea Scorecards report shows.
WWF Scorecard: Countries lack the tools to save the Baltic Sea
The countries around the Baltic Sea have not yet developed the systems and institutions that are needed to deal with the complex problems of the Baltic Sea. This was revealed today when WWF released this year’s Baltic Sea Scorecard at its seminar held as a part of the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm.
Baltic Sea ports overlook cruise ship waste
Large amounts of sewage from cruise ships likely are being dumped into the Baltic Sea because major ports in the region have failed to upgrade their facilities to dispose of the waste.
Retailers around the Baltic Sea are selling products that contribute to eutrophication
“Retailers around the Baltic Sea have the future of the sea in their hands”, says WWF in letters sent to retailers around the Baltic Sea region, asking them to take detergents containing phosphates off their shelves.
WWF announces new ‘Baltic Farmer of the Year’ Award
Today WWF, together with the Baltic Farmers Forum for the Environment (BFFE) and farmers organizations around the Baltic Sea, launched a competition for a new “Baltic Farmer of the Year Award”. The competition will select one main regional winner from a pool of nine national nominees, representing each Baltic Sea country. A conference will be held at the end of the competition inviting the nine winning nominee farmers from each country to discuss ways in which to advance the application of environmentally friendly farming around the region.
Subsidies contribute to harming Baltic Sea instead of saving it
The majority of subsidies given to Baltic Sea fisheries and agriculture have a negative impact on the health of the sea, a new WWF report says.
New WWF report: “There is enough money to save the Baltic Sea four times over!”
A new report published by WWF today shows that despite good ambitions and some improvements, the lion’s share of public subsidies to the agriculture and fisheries sectors around the Baltic Sea still have a negative impact on the health of the sea. The report provides a detailed analysis of various forms of subsidies that have an influence on the state of the Baltic Sea. All in all, more than 14 billion euros of taxpayers’ money are distributed to the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the Baltic Sea region every year. Of this, at least 84 percent of the subsidies can be classified as either environmentally harmful, or not being used for public goods.
WWF: “Don’t miss this chance to save the Baltic Sea!”
WWF today urges the Swedish government not to miss the opportunity given by the EU Baltic Sea Strategy. The Strategy is today presented by the EU Commission in a communication to the European Council. As Sweden takes over the EU presidency 1 July, it will be the Swedish government who will have the responsibility for implementation of the Baltic Sea Strategy.