The abundance of plankton follows the long-term average.

The Ministry of Environment and Food is tracking developments and improving the knowledge base about plankton through monitoring (operational target).

The Ministry of Environment and Food contributes to regional work regarding establishment of threshold values and determination of good environmental status, and works to ensure that the status for biological diversity is in accordance hereto.

Need for protection initiatives for HELCOM and OSPAR Red List species is assessed. If there are any Red List species that are endangered or not sufficiently protected, the Ministry of Environment and Food will assess specifically the need for further initiatives in collaboration with relevant ministries. (Operational target)

The need for additional marine protected areas or other initiatives in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea is assessed, and a similar assessment is subsequently carried out for the Danish Straits. (Operational target)

The northern Sound is designated as a marine protected area pursuant to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and new licences to extract mineral resources are stopped. This will not result in any changes in relation to the existing fisheries regulation