Dr. Jesper Levring Andersen, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen
Dr. Jesper Levring Andersen is associate Professor and Executive Head of the Department of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen. He received a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Copenhagen in 1996 and a doctorate from the Royal Danish Veterinary and Agricultural University in 2005. He has an advisory role with the Public Sector Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, advising the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food on fisheries, and is involved in providing scientific advice to the European Commission on fisheries issues.
Fisheries development in Denmark
1.After Brexit, how can other EU member states better maintain their fishery in the exclusive economic zones of the United Kingdom? In what way should Denmark view the restrictions from the UK?
The agreement does not prohibit EU fishermen from fishing in the UK EEZ. They can do it as they have always done, but the available quotas have been reduced for specific species. Whether this will result in changed behavior by the fishermen in form of fishing more in the EU EEZ could be an outcome, but I don’t see any reason for such a behavioral change, unless the individual quotas become so small that it is not economically viable to sail so far in order to catch it. This also goes for the Danish fishermen.
2.The decision by the UK about leaving the European Union causes a range of negotiations, and these negotiations prolonged. During this period, has the Danish government taken any measures to make up for the economic losses?
No. During the negotiation period, things continued as normal. Some fishermen might have waited with investments in a new vessel or gear upgrades etc., but the daily fishery generally continued unchanged. After the agreement was reached, EU is currently setting up a compensation scheme. The actual scheme and its conditions is currently unknown to me.
3.In the context of global climate change, are there any suggestions for the sustainable development of Danish fisheries?
There are funds set aside for projects to reduce the environmental impact of fishing activities. Fishermen can apply for subsidies related to upgrading an engine for instance or introducing a new gear, which reduces environmental impact of eg. trawling.
4.In recent years, the Arctic has been gaining popularity. Does the Danish government have any plans for Arctic fisheries?
Greenland is a part of the Danish commonwealth of the Realm, but have their own sovereign government, which sets the management of the fishery around Greenland. I don’t know of any current official plans for developing the fishery in this area following opening of new fishing opportunities following increase sea temperatures.
Editor Assistant Research Fellow: Xianglin Gu
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