01 · An old prohibitionThe rule concerns mines
The executive order refers to mines and explosive objects — not nature conservation.
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.
2026enforcement began
90%of the spring fishery affected*
352 km²covered according to DN
* According to 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 case is being assessed, loan repayments, insurance and household bills continue. Rømø Fiskeriforening 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 help02 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.
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.
The central question
Why was our fishery stopped with immediate effect while the safety assessment was still under way?See the evidence ↗
02 How we reached this point
An old prohibition.
A new reality.
The prohibition was not introduced in 2026. What is new is its consistent enforcement after decades of open, known fishing activity.
The rules have a long history
Safety regulations restrict bottom-towed fishing gear in certain areas because of mines and other explosive objects.
The current order is issued
Executive Order no. 135 of 4 March 2005 defines the prohibited areas west of Rømø and Mandø.
Fishing continues openly
Brown shrimp fishing continues in the area for many years without consistent enforcement of the prohibition.
The prohibition is enforced
The Danish Society for Nature Conservation announces that the Danish Emergency Management Agency will now enforce the prohibition.
The minister responds
The minister states that the Danish Emergency Management Agency has begun a process to determine whether the rules should be adapted to changed safety conditions.
The bills do not stop
While we wait for a decision, vessels lose revenue, crews lose work and families lose their financial security.
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
02 · New enforcementDecades of fishing stopped
The open and known brown shrimp fishery continued for many years. Enforcement began in May 2026.
03 · Immediate consequencesThe 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
Rømø Fiskeriforening 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 stoppage came shortly after they had invested in their future at sea.
The association is not asking for special treatment. It is asking for a swift, evidence-based decision while there is still a local industry to save.
Conversation at the quay on Rømø
Pau Schramm · Chair, Rømø Fiskeriforening
“We simply want a decision now.”
Rømø Fiskeriforening states that fishers have worked in the area for decades without a mine incident. They are asking for a swift decision and the opportunity to continue fishing while the authorities assess the safety case.
05 Open evidence
Read the evidence
for yourself.
If you want to look beyond our account, the original documents are available here.
1975
New historical archive · original documents and explanationExplore the two studies of the brown shrimp fishery off Rømø
→
01Danish legal information · current orderSee the prohibition and the Rømø–Mandø area in section 7
↗
022026 fishing permit · conditions templateSee the requirements for selective trawls, beams and sorting
↗
03Thünen Report 107 · 2023Scientific study of the effects of brown shrimp fishing
↗
04Danish Parliament · June 2026Committee consultation on the future of the Rømø shrimp fishery
↗
Stand with us
Help us keep
the fishery alive.
Choose whether your donation should provide direct financial support to the affected fishers or fund legal assistance. Each collection has its own MobilePay number and bank account.
Emergency support
MobilePay115583IBANDK20 9827 8851 0402 35BIC/SWIFTBBRODK21
Support the legal case
MobilePay115015IBANDK42 9827 8851 0402 27BIC/SWIFTBBRODK21