The Baltic Herring

In recent years, there has been an intense discussion about pelagic fishing in the Baltic Sea. Warnings of overfishing of herring have been repeated, as well as concerns about the following impact on archipelagic and coastal fishing. In July 2020, the pelagic herring fishery was MSC-certified. During 2020 this certification received a great deal of media attention and intensive action on social media.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry is an independent network organization for the advancement of the green and blue industries. Our mission statement reads: The task of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry is to promote agriculture and forestry and their related fields with the support of science and practical experience and in the interest of society.

The committee on the Baltic Sea has a 3-year mandate, 2020–2022. The scope of the committee is to highlight challenges and opportunities for revitalization and renewal of the coastal communities of the Baltic Sea. The committee includes the following members: Gunilla Brattberg chair, Sture Hansson secretary, Henrik C Andersson, Tove Ellingsen, Ragnar Elmgren, Sune Fogelström, Christina Gestrin, Louise Hård af Segerstad, Anders Kiessling, Eva Thörnelöf and Eva Ronquist (section secretary, co-opted).

The roundtable discussion will include only invited speakers and the members of the committee. The discussion will be recorded and documented for internal use only, hopefully with a summary that everyone can agree upon.