Danish authorities are lifting the ban on bottom-trawl fishing off Rømø, Mandø and Lister Dyb, allowing brown shrimp fishing to resume from Saturday. The area becomes a warning zone instead, where fishing is permitted at the fisherman’s own risk.
DR reports that the Danish Emergency Management Agency, Beredskabsstyrelsen, is revoking the prohibition on fishing with bottom-towed gear in the waters off Rømø. From Saturday, boats may again fish for hesterejer, or brown shrimp, in the area. The shrimp fleet had been idle since late May 2026.
The Minister for Societal Security and Preparedness, Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen of the Socialist People’s Party, told DR that Beredskabsstyrelsen and the Defence Command spent the summer examining whether there was still a professional basis for the ban. She said she is following the agency’s recommendation now that the review is complete. According to the minister, the risk in the area is judged to be no greater than in other places where only warnings apply.
A 1984 notice behind the closure
The original shutdown came after the Danish Society for Nature Conservation drew attention to a notice from 1984. That notice bans fishing in the area because unexploded mines may lie on the seabed, according to DR. Beredskabsstyrelsen chose to follow the notice, even though it had not been enforced for decades.
The affected waters will now be designated as warning areas, or advarselsområder. Authorities will continue to advise against bottom fishing there, but it will no longer be prohibited. Fishermen who operate in the zone do so at their own risk, DR reports.
The Fishing Daily reported that the Rømø fleet had been grounded since May 29. The outlet put the size of the restricted zone at 352 square kilometers. It described the closure as based on theoretical safety risks from unexploded naval mines from the Second World War.
The same outlet reported that the ban prompted protests from local fishers. It said the minister ordered a review after the dispute became high-profile, which helps explain the political attention around the decision.
The fishermen will not receive any compensation for income lost during the summer closure, according to DR. The exact legal instrument establishing the new warning zone has not been detailed in the reporting so far.
The waters in question lie within the Wadden Sea, off the island of Rømø and neighboring Mandø. Brown shrimp fishing is a small-scale trade in the area, carried out by a limited number of local vessels. Similar disputes have arisen elsewhere in Danish waters, including a mussel fishing stoppage in the Limfjord.
