Baltic Sea Fishermen Face Uncertain Future

ON THE BALTIC SEA, GERMANY - AUGUST 13: Freshly-caught cod lie in a tub on board the fishing boat of veteran fishermen Reinhard Lay and Klaus Raack on August 13, 2010 in the Baltic Sea near Poel Island, Germany. Lay and Raack are both semi-retired but continue to fish from their wooden boat for herring, cod, plaice, flounder and sea trout. Both men have children, none of whom they say has chosen to go into commercial fishing. "There's no future in it," says Raack, now 60 and who has been a fisherman since he was 15. The men cite declining fish stocks, warming waters (which, through the spread of algae, depletes oxygen levels in the water), low fish prices, increased regulation and bureaucracy and higher costs as all making it more difficult for them to make a living. The commercial fishing industry as a whole in Europe is tightly regulated by the European Commission, which sets regional fishing quotas every year in order to counter over-fishing. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)