As the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries jointly published February 2 with the Ministry of Environment, Denmark plans to establish six marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Kattegat. The total area, in which it will be forbidden to fish with
bottom towing gear, covers 590 km2. Sweden in its part of the Kattegat also plans new MPAs.
In these six selected areas, Flora and fauna should have better conditions to live and develop undisturbed in the future. More than half of the area consists of specific and vulnerable soft ground habitats, easily damaged by ground-trawling. The selected areas represent 7% of the entire Kattegat’s soft ground habitat and 4% of the total Danish Kattegat area. The MPA plans are seen as a compromise between different interests.
Denmark developed the Kattegat MPA plans together with Sweden and Germany as all three countries have fishery interests in the area. The joint plan first has to be approved by the EU Commission before it can be implemented.
