Fishermen to block Rømø dam in protest over trawling ban

Fishermen on the Danish island of Rømø plan to stage a protest on Friday, blocking the Rømø dam with tractors, lorries, and on foot, public broadcaster DR reports.

The demonstration targets a recently enforced ban on bottom-trawling in parts of the Wadden Sea, imposed by the Danish Agency for Emergency Management to prevent disturbance of unexploded World War II mines. The restriction covers key spring fishing grounds for horse shrimp, which local fishermen say account for 90% of their seasonal catch.

Pau Schramm, a third-generation fisherman and chair of the Rømø Fishermen’s Association, accused policymakers in Copenhagen of ignoring the impact on coastal communities. “We’re all being crushed by a system that doesn’t understand what it’s dumping on people,” he said.

The ban also affects fishermen in Esbjerg and Hvide Sande further up the west coast. Thomas Rahbek Sloth, chair of the Southwest Jutland Fishermen’s Association, warned that vessels could face bankruptcy if the closure persists into the autumn season. Last year, horse shrimp worth DKK 64 million were landed in Denmark, with DKK 17 million coming from the now-closed areas.

Danmarks Fiskeriforening, the national fishermen’s association, has said the local industry and its processing plants could collapse if the ban is not reversed. Neither the emergency management minister nor the agency responded to DR’s requests for comment.