Swedish Fishermen Vow to Fight-On Against Offshore Wind Developments

The Swedish Fisherman’s Producers Organisation (SFPO) has submitted an application for judicial review to the Supreme Administrative Court regarding the government’s decision on the Kattegat Syd (South) and Galene wind farms.

The action by the organisation follows on from the protests held in Lomma, Varberg and Gothenberg on 16 June last against the Swedish government’s decision to allow the construction of offshore wind turbines in the Kattegat, on valuable fishing grounds for the local Swedish fleet. The protest under the banner “No Wind Power on Our Fishing Grounds” was organised by the SFPO, the largest fishing organisation in Sweden.

Since the protests, it was announced by the Uddevalla Municipality Board that there would be two large offshore wind farms (Mareid and Poseidon) constructed off Bohuslän in the municipality which would have serious consequences for fishermen there.

On Saturday 08 July, Peter Ronelöv Olsson, Chairman of the SFPO and a professional fishermen by trade, reiterated his organisation’s stance that the construction of these wind farms would have catastrophic effect on coastal communities and food security for Sweden. With over 1,300 offshore wind turbines in the Swedish government’s plans, he believes that fishermen have been deliberately ignored and excluded from the process.

“If these plans are put into action, especially what is happening on the west coast right now, we will wipe out the rest of Swedish fishing. There is no chance of survival,” says Peter Ronelöv Olsson, whose members primarily fish for Norway lobster, shrimp, cod, and plaice in the selected areas..

He argues that both Norway and Denmark have marine spatial plans that ensure the fishing industry is not undermined.

“But in Sweden, it’s the complete opposite. They take either spawning grounds or the best fishing grounds. And that’s exactly what has happened in Halland.

“It is incredible that a county administrative board and a government can push this through without even talking to those affected by it.”

Lars Johannson, a professional fisherman in Kattegatt expressed his concernns over food security saying, “Unfortunately, much of the fish we eat in Sweden today is Russian-caught, and we don’t see that as a problem at all. But having your own fishing fleet that can supply Sweden with food, especially in times of crisis, is something nobody is interested in.

“They put this in the absolute best fishing spots we have. This is where all our fishing is conducted. But not just ours but all the boats’, so it’s a disaster for all of us in the Kattegatt.”

Peter Ronelöv Olsson confirms that SFPO and Vattenfall AB (the state-owned company behind Kattegatt Syd offshore wind farm) started an investigation into the possibility of conducting fishing within the facility, but emphasises that this work is far from finished, which is also evident in the consultation response. Nevertheless, the decision was made to approve the parks.

He further points out that the organisation’s basic point of view has always been that the wind farms should not be located where there is a national interest in fishing, and where it seriously damages the fishing industry – something they have been clear about in their answers.

“Is it then our task to point out where they should lie? The County Administrative Board should have initiated a discussion with us and the company about this early on. And it would have been even more appropriate if the company had had that discussion right from the start, he says, adding that the county administrative board makes it easy for itself by putting the responsibility on an industry with limited investigative capacity.

“The County Administrative Board in Halland has clearly not fully understood its mission or how the Swedish rules work. No wind power company can or wants to move a park after an application has been submitted.

“In the Marine Plans produced by, among others, the Energy Agency and the Sea and Water Agency, on behalf of the government, it appears that offshore wind power plants generally create major problems for the fishing industry. It also states that fishing for shrimp and lobster is economically important in the North Sea and that the establishment of wind farms can make it physically difficult or impossible for ships to fish in these areas.

“Furthermore, it is stated that the knowledge of how wind power affects fish and shellfish as well as migration and spawning is both incomplete and difficult to study, especially with regard to long-term and cumulative effects.”