Health of Baltic Sea worse, say experts

The Baltic Sea is facing unprecedented challenges because of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, with no improvement in the health of the sea recorded between 2016 and 2021, a report has warned, a situation aggravated by oil leakage from the recently damaged Marco Polo ferry that ran aground off the coast of Sweden on Oct 22.

Experts at the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, warned this week that fish populations have reached perilously low levels, and that persistent pollution, land exploitation, and resource depletion continue to strain the sea.

The commission's State of the Baltic Sea 2023 report revealed that overall conditions in the sea have not improved, with some indicators actually showing decline, reported The Guardian newspaper.

The Swedish coastguard has extracted around 50 cubic meters of oil spilled in the Baltic Sea after the ferry ran aground off the country's southern shore, and aims to salvage the vessel this week to prevent further leaks.

Jannica Haldin, deputy executive secretary of the commission and coordinator of the report, said: "The findings serve as a sobering reminder that the Baltic Sea faces critical challenges stemming from human activities. The importance of transboundary cooperation, a shift toward genuinely environmentally sustainable practices, and long-term commitment cannot be overstated."

In 2021, the commission devised an action plan that calls for an improvement in the overall health of the Baltic's ecosystem.

"Still, the current assessment results suggest that the recovery rate for biodiversity today is too slow," Haldin said. "The deteriorated status presented in this report is directly linked to the activities and priorities of us as a society.

"Ensuring that the Baltic Sea ecosystem maintains and improves its function is entirely dependent on how well we can manage our activities to ensure that they are truly sustainable and enhance the resilience of the ecosystem, both in the near future and long term."

Last month, the European Union reached an agreement on fishing catch quotas for the Baltic Sea next year.

Virginijus Sinkevicius, the EU's commissioner for the environment, oceans and fisheries, said the agreement on fishing opportunities was important, but that the bloc must "not shy away from addressing our most pressing challenge: the environmental status of the Baltic Sea".

"Our fishers are awaiting concrete actions from their countries to improve the condition of the Baltic Sea," he said. "I have said it at the ministerial meeting in September in Palanga and repeated it again to ministers: it is time to save the Baltic Sea. Fish stocks and biodiversity will continue to suffer if we do not start addressing its environmental situation now."