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Vessels are idle · Families are losing their income

Help us
save the shrimp fishery

We have fished for brown shrimp in the Wadden Sea for generations. Now our livelihood has been taken away almost overnight. Your support can help us fight for our fishery and our future.

Support the fishers Why we need your help ↓
2026håndhævelsen begyndte
90%af forårsfiskeriet berørt*
352 km²omfattet ifølge DN

* Ifølge Rømø Fiskeriforening

01 The issue in brief

We risk losing
everything we have built.

We are brown shrimp fishers from Rømø. Our purpose-built vessels, gear and experience are dedicated to a fishery that local families have depended on for generations.

Executive Order no. 135 of 2005 prohibits fishing with bottom-towed gear in an area west of Rømø and Mandø. The stated reason is mines and other explosive objects on the seabed. After many years of known fishing activity, the authorities began enforcing the prohibition in 2026.

While the safety basis is being investigated, loan repayments, insurance and household bills continue. The Rømø Fishers' Association states that eight vessels are affected and that four recently established skippers under the age of 30 are among those hit hardest.

I want to help
02 How we fish

Specialised brown shrimp fishing

Small vessels.
Selective gear.

The permit conditions require a selective trawl with a sieve net that guides bycatch back out. Beam length is limited to 10 metres, chains may not be used in front of the ground rope, and sorting must take place under a continuous flow of water.

Catch that is not retained is returned directly to the sea. These are binding requirements for how the fishery operates — not merely intentions.

Four brown shrimp vessels from Rømø underway with their beams raised
Purpose-built vessels for brown shrimp fishing
Selective shrimp net hanging at the quay
Nets and sorting equipment designed for this fishery
Brown shrimp moving through the onboard sorting system
The catch is sorted onboard under running water

What does the research show? The Thünen report shows that the animal communities on the fine and medium sand habitats studied are resilient at low fishing intensity. Looking at the experiments as a whole, the researchers found no statistical accumulation of effects after fishing. Effects measured for individual species were calculated to last 13–20 days. The findings therefore point to a naturally dynamic marine environment that is resilient at low fishing intensity.

Det afgørende spørgsmål

Hvorfor blev vores fiskeri standset med øjeblikkelig virkning, mens undersøgelsen af sikkerhedsgrundlaget stadig var i gang?
Se dokumentationen ↗
02 Sådan endte vi her

Et gammelt forbud.
En ny virkelighed.

Forbuddet blev ikke indført i 2026. Det nye er den konsekvente håndhævelse efter årtiers kendt fiskeri.

  1. Reglerne kan spores tilbage

    Sikkerhedsregler begrænser blandt andet fiskeri med bundslæbende redskaber på grund af miner og andre eksplosive genstande.

  2. Den gældende bekendtgørelse udstedes

    Bekendtgørelse nr. 135 af 4. marts 2005 beskriver de konkrete forbudsområder vest for Rømø og Mandø.

  3. Fiskeriet fortsætter åbent

    Hesterejefiskeriet drives i området gennem mange år uden konsekvent håndhævelse af forbuddet.

  4. Forbuddet håndhæves

    Danmarks Naturfredningsforening offentliggør, at Beredskabsstyrelsen fremover vil håndhæve forbuddet.

  5. Ministerens svar

    Ministeren oplyser, at Beredskabsstyrelsen har igangsat en proces for at afklare, om reglerne bør tilpasses ændrede sikkerhedsforhold.

  6. Regningerne fortsætter

    Mens vi venter på en afklaring, mister fartøjer omsætning, medarbejdere deres arbejde og familier deres økonomiske sikkerhed.

03 The issue in one minute

One minute.
Understand the issue.

The prohibition is old. Consistent enforcement is new — and the consequences are already serious.

01 · An old prohibition

The rule concerns mines

The executive order refers to mines and explosive objects — not nature conservation.

02 · New enforcement

Decades of fishing stopped

The open and known brown shrimp fishery continued for many years. Enforcement began in May 2026.

03 · Immediate consequences

The fishers have lost their income

While the authorities assess the safety basis, the fishers must still pay for vessels, insurance and household bills.

04 The people behind the vessels

The Rømø Fishers' Association explains

These are not just boats.
This is our life.

Behind every vessel are families, loans, jobs and years of experience. For the youngest skippers, the closure came shortly after they had invested in a future at sea.

The association is not asking for special treatment. It is asking for a prompt, professional decision while there is still a local industry to save.

Conversation at the quay on Rømø

Pau Schramm · Chair, Rømø Fishers' Association

“We simply want a decision now.”

The fishers have worked in the area for decades without a mine incident, according to the Rømø Fishers' Association. They are asking for a swift decision and the opportunity to continue fishing while the authorities assess the safety basis.

Local demonstration on the Rømø causeway carrying the message Enough is enough
A local community stands together.Demonstration on the Rømø causeway.
05 Open evidence

Read the evidence
for yourself.

If you want to look beyond our account, the original documents are available here.

01
Danish legal information · current orderSee the prohibition and the Rømø–Mandø area in section 7
↗ 02
2026 fishing permit · conditions templateSee the requirements for selective trawls, beams and sorting
↗ 03
Thünen Report 107 · 2023Scientific study of the effects of brown shrimp fishing
↗ 04
Danish Parliament · June 2026Committee consultation on the future of the Rømø shrimp fishery
↗

Stand with us

Help us keep
the fishery alive.

Whatever the amount, your support gives the affected fishers time, hope and a real opportunity to fight for their livelihood.

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