The Stralsund District Court will try two fishermen from Rügen who are accused by prosecutors of failing to take required measures to protect gray seals, which led to the death of at least five of these protected animals in autumn 2024. The accused, men aged 43 and 66, previously rejected penalty orders with fines issued by the prosecution. The date for the main hearing is not yet known. The case illustrates the conflict between fishing activities and species protection in the Baltic Sea.
Prosecution Charges
The Stralsund prosecutor's office accuses two fishermen of violating paragraph 17 of the German Animal Welfare Act, which involves causing significant pain, suffering, or harm to animals without justifiable reason. According to investigators, while fishing with floating trawl nets near the Thiessower Haken headland off the coast of Rügen, the men knowingly accepted the death of protected gray seals, which entered their equipment in search of fish and suffocated.
Court Proceedings
The case will go to court because the accused rejected penalty orders previously issued by the prosecution. These orders imposed on each fisherman a fine equivalent to three months of their salary. Filing an objection means the case must be decided in a regular trial before the Stralsund District Court. The date for the main hearing has not yet been set.
Species Protection Context
The gray seal, the largest seal species in the Baltic Sea, is under strict protection. Its population, decimated by mass hunting until the 1970s, is slowly recovering. Conflicts with fisheries, both over fish resources and accidental bycatch, remain a significant challenge for the conservation of this species in the region.
Two local fishermen from the island of Rügen will stand trial in connection with the death of at least five protected gray seals. The incident occurred in autumn 2024 near the Thiessower Haken headland. The Stralsund prosecutor's office accuses the 43- and 66-year-old men of violating paragraph 17 of the Animal Welfare Act. According to the indictment, while fishing with floating trawl nets, they failed to take legally required measures to protect the animals. The investigation revealed that during routine checks, the fishermen observed seals entering their equipment in search of fish and suffocating there. The gray seal, the largest seal species in the Baltic Sea, was massively hunted in the region until the 1970s, leading to a drastic decline in its population. Since the introduction of strict species protection in many countries, including Germany, its numbers have been slowly recovering, though it remains a concern for ecologists. Conflicts with fisheries, concerning both competition for fish resources and accidental bycatch, remain a challenge for the species' conservation. Previously, the prosecution issued penalty orders, imposing on each accused a fine equivalent to three months of their salary. The fishermen did not accept these orders and filed an objection. Under German criminal law, such an objection automatically means the case must be heard in a regular court proceeding. As informed by a spokesperson for the Stralsund District Court, the date for the main hearing has not yet been set. The case has attracted media attention, including from National Geographic, which previously reported on the autopsies of the dead seals. „Damit hätten sie den Tod der Tiere 'zumindest billigend in Kauf genommen'” (Thereby, they would have 'at least tacitly accepted' the death of the animals) — Stralsund Prosecutor's OfficeAll analyzed German press sources – Berliner Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, DIE WELT, and ZEIT ONLINE – provide consistent information regarding the basic facts: the number of accused, the amount of proposed fines, the nature of the charges, and the lack of a set trial date. The reports differ only slightly in style and level of detail. The case is an example of growing legal sensitivity to cases of harm to populations of protected marine species, especially when it occurs in connection with economic activity. The judiciary will have to assess whether the fishermen's actions, despite their routine nature, crossed the boundaries of acceptable risk and constitute a crime.