Danish shrimp trawlers face prosecution over decades-old Nazi mine ban

Danish authorities are preparing to report shrimp trawlers to police for violating a long-ignored prohibition on bottom trawling in the Wadden Sea due to unexploded World War II mines, state broadcaster DR reports.

The Danish Emergency Management Agency confirmed it will enforce a 2005 regulation—rooted in 1984 rules—that bans trawling in designated zones to protect fishers from leftover ordnance. “The agency will monitor compliance, and violations will be reported to police,” officials stated.

The move follows pressure from the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, which argues bottom trawling harms biodiversity by killing juvenile fish. The group’s president, Maria Reumert Gjerding, called the lack of prior enforcement “absurd” but welcomed the crackdown as “a major step for nature protection.”

Fishermen dismiss the threat. Pau Schramm, chair of the Rømø Fishermen’s Association, called the mine risk “ridiculous,” noting no incidents in decades of trawling. “If they close these areas, there’ll be no shrimp fishing left in Denmark,” he said, accusing authorities of targeting his industry.

The disputed zones cover 352 square kilometers, overlapping heavily trawled areas. While the Wadden Sea holds eight layers of environmental protections—including UNESCO World Heritage status—bottom trawling remains contentious. Authorities declined to explain why the rules went unenforced for years.