Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) has canceled a meeting planned for April 15th that was set to bring together nature conservation organizations and fishing representatives to discuss the protection of whales in the Baltic Sea. Instead, the Minister held a press conference focused specifically on a narwhal found in the Baltic Sea.
During the press conference, Backhaus announced the private salvage attempt for this specific animal, which has been referred to as “Timmy” or “Hope”. The Ministry of the Environment in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern stated that a department director attended the previously scheduled meeting concerning the Baltic Sea whales in place of the Minister.
The original discussion was intended to address methods for reducing the population of whales in the Baltic Sea that perish while being caught as bycatch in fishing nets. Marine biologist Henning von Nordheim of the University of Rostock told the press that since 2006, over 50 porpoises have died off Mecklenburg’s coast annually, frequently due to painful entanglement as bycatch. He noted that this severe problem has long been known but receives minimal public attention.
A recurring criticism in the discussion surrounding Baltic Sea whales is the allocation of resources, with many efforts focusing on rescuing one specific animal while overall species and marine conservation programs remain underfunded or neglected. The population of Baltic porpoises is particularly vulnerable, consisting of only a few hundred animals and is considered endangered.
Von Nordheim emphasized that, given current events, it is “absolutely unacceptable” for so many whales to continue dying in Baltic Sea fishing nets. He stressed that these are sentient creatures capable of suffering, noting that their fate of dying tragically in nets is similar to that currently faced by the narwhal.