National fisheries profile Germany
2025
Barz, Fanny | Brüning, Simone | Döring, Ralf | Lasner, Tobias | Strehlow, Harry Vincent
Governance system German fisheries are regulated under the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). As a Federal Republic, Germany has five coastal federal states that collaborate to implement the CFP. These states are responsible for the implementation of structural policy measures – particularly those related to the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) – as well as for regulating coastal waters up to 12 nautical miles (nm). Every federal state has its fishery authority, responsible for inland fisheries, aquaculture, recreational fisheries, and marine fisheries in coastal waters. Management beyond coastal waters in the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) takes place at the national level through the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE). The utilization of the EEZ is governed by marine spatial plans, where fisheries have either no or minimal priority areas. One of the main management tools is the allocation of fishing quotas. Most of the fishing quotas in Germany are attached to fishing vessels. A permanent transfer of quota is only possible by purchasing or selling vessels. Nonetheless, short-term and non-permanent quota swaps between fishers within a season are possible. Furthermore, there are community quotas not allocated to individual vessels but open for all fishing companies licensed for those fisheries. Those quotas are mostly for managing by-catch species in fisheries on more important stocks where the vessels have individual quotas. Fishing rights of SSF can also be regulated through technical measures, such as the limitation of space for trap nets, a maximum length of gillnets, number of traps and hooks per fisher and area and through closed seasons or closed fishing grounds...
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