Off the chalk coast of Rügen, Schneider searched for lost fishing nets at a depth of about six meters. These ghost nets, lost during storms or deliberately discarded in the past, pose a deadly threat to marine life and contribute to plastic pollution. The minister, who earned a diving license on vacation years ago, was underwater in the Baltic Sea for the first time.
The water was greenish and murky, the stones overgrown with brown algae. Apart from a dead round goby, Schneider saw no fish – and this in the Jasmund National Park, a strictly protected area. Activities such as shipping, sand extraction, and wind energy expansion are putting pressure on the Baltic Sea, along with climate warming and nutrients from agriculture.
Gernot Haffner, head of the Vorpommern National Park Authority, explained that the main problem is agriculture: nutrients from fertilizers enter the sea via streams and rivers, promoting excessive algae growth and depleting oxygen. Responsibility for fertilizer law lies with Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer (CSU), whose amendment has been under debate in the Bundestag for months. Schneider announced a pilot project called “Sea-Friendly Agriculture” to reduce nutrient inputs.
Schneider plans to launch a “Marine Action Plan” that includes, among other things, the recovery of 1.6 million tons of World War II munitions in the North and Baltic Seas. He described the rusting munitions as a “ticking time bomb.” The plan is to be passed by the cabinet by the end of the year, but there is resistance from the CDU and CSU in the Bundestag regarding marine protected areas, as they do not want to rule out domestic gas extraction.
Source: www.faz.net
