ABSTRACT
Conflicts concerning fisheries attract broad public attention and have in recent decades become more common, between stakeholders in the fishing sector, the fishing industry, management, non-governmental organisations and the public. These conflicts also relate to the different ways in which ‘nature’ is interpreted. The conflicts in this chapter are illustrated through the development of the Swedish fishing sector, which has a long history of self-management, through the paternalistic EU management and through the conflicts with environmental NGOs. The chapter outlines the development of the fisheries industry, the fisheries management, along with the environmental challenges related to the fish stocks. The focus is on the Baltic with the complex development of the Eastern Baltic cod stock and, in recent decades, conflicts between the fishery and environmentalists, due to increasing numbers of grey seals.
