“No wind power on our fishing grounds” demands Swedish fishermen

Swedish fishermen are protesting today against their government’s plans to ram through offshore wind farm developments without including the fishing sector in consultations.

Swedish fishermen, like many fishermen across Europe are being ousted from their livelihoods in order to facilitate offshore renewable energy (ORE) developers and the investment money it brings along with it.

Fishermen are demonstrating today in Gothenburg, Varberg and Lomma are particularly aimed at the political decision to develop the Kattegat Syd and Galene wind farms in the Kattegat. The decision means that in the future it will be difficult for the Swedes to operate commercial fishing in the Kattegat as the sites are valuable traditional fishing grounds. About 50 Swedish small businesses will become deprived of the basis of their livelihood, and fishermen are concerned that the Swedish government has not announced anything about compensation.

In a press release the Swedish Fishermen’s Producers Organisation (SFPO) wrote:

Sveriges Fiskares PO (SFPO) is Sweden’s largest organization for professional fishermen and represents approx. 250 fishing vessels operating in demersal fishing (fish and shellfish).

SFPO has recently experienced problems in the relationship with the Swedish Maritime and Water Authority, which through its actions does not contribute to the Swedish marine food production. With the government’s decision on permits for marine wind farms in the Kattegatt, that is enough. [1]

Today, Friday, June 16, the first demonstrations against wind power are taking place at Swedish fishing’s most important fishing grounds. Demonstrations take place in Gothenburg, Varberg and Lomma. The theme of the demonstrations is “No wind power on our fishing grounds”.

The government’s decision to quickly allow the establishment of the wind farms Kattegatt Syd and Galene in the Kattegatt is a rare bad decision made without preparation and with political overtones. The wind farms, with proper and functional preparation and a different location, could have been erected without harm to anyone.

The decision means that in the future it will not be possible to conduct commercial fishing in the Kattegatt. About 50 Swedish small businesses – marine food producers – are deprived of the basis for their livelihood. The government’s decision does not state anything about compensation for the commercial fisheries suffering damage.

At the same time that politicians often talk about the need for national self-sufficiency, decisions have thus been made that put aside the bones of marine food production in Halland. In Denmark and Norway, plans are being made for wind power so that fishing can continue.

Of all the marine wind power projects, there is not a single wind power company that started a dialogue with Swedish fisheries before choosing a location for their projects. In the near future, a handful of wind power projects in the northern North Sea will be tested for permits. If these obtain a permit, shrimp and crayfish fishing will be completely eliminated.

SFPO’s chairman Peter Ronelöv Olsson: “If society wants wind power, build wind power, but don’t build marine wind farms on the best fishing spots for Swedish fishing, because then you kill the basic industry of Swedish professional fishing and the Swedish marine food production”.