Danish mussel fishermen are returning to the Limfjord after Environment Minister Maria Reumert Gjerding said the rules on sorting mussel catches must be clarified. The dispute had halted operations at the Vilsund Blue plant on Mors.
DR reports that fishing is resuming after a new message from Gjerding, who represents SF. She wants the Danish Fisheries Agency, Fiskeristyrelsen, to revisit the demand for total sorting of mussel catches. According to the minister, the extent of the sorting requirement appears to have been misunderstood.
The conflict began weeks ago, when fishery inspectors visited the harbor in Nykøbing Mors. Inspectors were checking that Vilsund Blue sorted the entire catch delivered by the fishermen. Staff sat on red buckets and worked through a mound of mussels, shells and bycatch by hand.
Alongside mussels, workers separated starfish, periwinkles, gobies, sticklebacks, fjord shrimp, shore crabs and hermit crabs. Mussel director Poul Kærgaard called the task impossible, sent employees home and scrapped the catch. He also suspended dredging in the fjord.
Per DR, the plant can handle up to 500 tons of mussel catch a day. Kærgaard says the message from the inspectors was clear. As reported by DR, he states that they were told to sort the catch 100 percent, by species, and weigh it to within one gram.
Gjerding says a verbal instruction was given, and that she was not present when any misunderstanding arose. She has now asked the agency to produce a very precise written guide on what must be sorted and what must not. In addition, the guidance period, during which the agency helps the industry comply, is being extended by three months in the first instance.
Vilsund Blue is preparing to send vessels back onto the fjord. Kærgaard says opening tests will be carried out on Monday, with fishing expected to restart the following Sunday. He stresses that a permanent solution based on sample checks, rather than sorting entire catches, is needed.
The minister says she is working on that, but cannot promise it, since a sampling scheme requires EU approval. She also defends the purpose of the rules, saying authorities need to know how much is landed to track bycatch of different species and effects on marine nature. According to Vilsund Blue, about 60 percent of the delivered catch is mussels ready for sale, while 40 percent is bycatch, mostly old shells but also small fish, shrimp and starfish.
Mussels are gathered mainly by dragging heavy gear along the seabed. DR notes that life in the Limfjord is under pressure from oxygen depletion, chemicals, ship traffic, climate change and fishing. The Folketinget recently agreed with the minister to close mussel fishing in Isefjord, the western Baltic and the Belt Sea by autumn 2034 at the latest.
Gjerding says she is in dialogue with the sector about transition, including its wish for a vessel scrapping scheme, which EU rules make difficult. She is discussing possible exemptions with the EU fisheries commissioner. Around seven to eight percent of the mussels Vilsund Blue sells come from gentler line cultivation.
