SAVE THE DATE: RecFishing Forum movie screening & policy debate: “A Baltic Salmon requiem FREE FALLING”

On 04 November our European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and aquatic environment is organising the movie screening of Emilie Björkman’s movie “A Baltic salmon requiem – FREE FALLING”. This event is hosted by MEP Niclas Herbst (EPP, Germany) and will take place inside the European Parliament (11:00 – 12:30 with lunch provided from 12:30 – 13:00).

The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) are pleased to invite you to the event “A Baltic salmon requiem – FREE FALLING” organised by the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environment.
This event will highlight the urgent challenges facing the Baltic Sea ecosystem, its dependent species such as the wild salmon and the many communities depending on the good husbandry of our aquatic ecosystems! It is organised in the context of the European Commission’s proposal to amend the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan (MAP) and the overall worrying situation of our seas and rivers.
The regional Multiannual Plans (MAPs) saw the light with the 2013 CFP reform and are an important tool for fisheries management that helps to ensure the sustainable exploitation of fish stocks. The Baltic Sea MAP (covering stocks of Herring, Cod and Sprat) was the first to be adopted. Upon the European Parliament’s pressure, the EU legislators included then the so-called 5% rule, a critical safeguard against annual quota decisions that would lead to overfishing and fish stock collapse.
Several attempts to set TACs above sustainable limits were prevented by this rule, that has sparked the outrage of some commercial fisheries stakeholders – which lead to a proposal by the European Commission in December 2023 to amend the Baltic Sea MAP to remove Article 4.6.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH) has launched the work on an Own-Initiative Report (INI) to address both the deteriorating state of the Baltic Sea and the implications of this Commission proposal.

Recreational fisheries are a major stakeholder on this topic, generating an annual economic revenue of €1.917 million EUR and support approximately 15,656 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, all with sustainable activities in the region’s marine & fresh waters. To highlight the EU recreational fisheries sector’s point of view, the EU angling community’s and the views of the many businesses depending on the angling experience, the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and aquatic environment is organising the movie screening of Emilie Björkman’s documentary “a Baltic salmon requiem – FREE FALLING”.

🎬 The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring representatives from EU institutions and key stakeholders, including the movie director Emilie Björkman.

If you wish to attend our event, please register here

Related News