Since the reform of the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP – 2002) Danish fishing policy has also changed at the national level. A more individual quota management system, as well as a higher degree of ownership of fishing rights for individual fisherman, has been introduced. This reform follows similar regulatory reforms for pelagic and industrial fisheries.

Overall, capacity continues to fall and it is expected that this trend will continue as regulatory reform it possible to concentrate fishing rights among fewer vessels. Studies on the assessment of overcapacity in the fishery have confirmed that there is still some overcapacity in the short term. The European Union policy on fleet and fleet capacity has already been implemented using a tight entry-exit system. This has been made more flexible by allowing individual transfers of capacity rights.