Scientist: 400 years to restore Baltic Sea environment

To restore the Baltic Sea environment, a 30% reduction in nutrient discharges is needed, which will take about 400 years according to Stiig Markager, a marine environment professor at Aarhus University. The Bornholm and Christiansø Fishing Association has recently dissolved due to a shortage of fish, particularly cod. Phosphorus and nitrogen contribute to algal growth, and when these algae die and sink, they deplete oxygen in the water, preventing cod eggs from hatching. Markager states that agriculture has damaged the fishery with nutrient pollution, and overfishing by the fishers themselves in the 1980s has also contributed to the problem.