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CCB Sustainable Fisheries seminarGdynia, 10 - 11 May 2005

"Important aspects for development of Baltic Sea sustainable fisheries"

Gunnar NorénCCB executive secretary

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Environmental Impact of Baltic Fisheries

- Fish are key organisms in aquatic ecosystems “Ecological Key Role of Fish”

- Fisheries constitute the most important human impact on marine ecosystems. No other factor, such as nutrients and toxics, has had more far reaching impacts

- The most serious impact of fisheries is the massive killing of targeted fish species

- Baltic Cod stocks are outside “safe biological limits”

- The scientific advice from ICES on Baltic fish catch quotas is regularily exceeded

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- Half of the Baltic cod populations are killed in fisheries every year. Many of them without a chance to reproduce

- Serious mismanagement of Baltic common fish resources

- Bottom trawling ploughs vast sea-bed areas and harms bottom living species. Intensively trawled areas will be trawled up to four times per year or more

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CONCLUSIONThreats on Baltic marine ecosystem and “Ecological Key Role of Fish” is serious

POSSIBILITIES- New CFP ( December 2002 ) a new basic regulation for EU fisheries, “Regulation on conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources (2371/2002)”

· aims for sustainable use, more long-term resource management

· application of the precautionary approach

· sustainable exploitation, minimising the impacts of fishing on the marine ecosystem,

· progressive implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to management.

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Protection of wild Baltic Salmon

Wild Baltic salmon is threatened

- 80-85 % of all Baltic salmon are reared and released from fish-farms

- only 15-20 % are naturally spawning salmon

- Most of the Baltic salmon is catched in open-sea fisheries on mixed populations(catching both reared and wild salmon).

Each wild salmon river population represent a unique genetic resource, invaluable for the countries sharing the Baltic Sea

Very severe situation for the wild salmon in the Gulf of Finland

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Improper commercial fishing policies, and extensive artificial salmon stocking programmes threaten the naturally spawning Baltic salmon.

2/3 of all wild Baltic salmon river populations are threatened (26 river populations )

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Actions needed to save naturally spawning Baltic Salmon

- Safeguard all weak wild Baltic salmon river populations, and the genetic diversity

- Maximize production of naturally spawning Baltic salmon - Restrict salmon fisheries on mixed salmon populations/wild Baltic salmon

- Limit the extensive artificial salmon stocking programmes that threaten wild Baltic salmon

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Advice for fishing TACsSpawning stock biomass (SSB) assessments

1. How shall scientific based advice be developed ?

2. Who shall develop scientific advice ?

3. Requirements on advice developed ?

- ICES scientific advice

- Fishermen’s observations (anecdotal information from fishermen)Quality requirements on fishermen’s reported observation on fish stocks, in written format.

4. Shall assessments of SSB for fish species set up a absolute limitation for harvesting of fisheries resources?

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What kind of pelagic Baltic Sea fisheries do we want for the future?

1.Maximization of the Cod fisheries (which may limit herring and sprat fisheries)

2. Maximization of Herring and Sprat fisheries

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Precautionary approach

Shall fisheries management have a Precautionary approach ?

What shall be included in concepts of Precautionary approach ?

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Marine Eco-system approach for fisheries management

What factors-componentes shall be included into a Eco-system approach?

- Multi-species management (cod, herring , sprat together) ?- By-catches of harbour porpoises, seals- By-catches sea-birds (e g guillemot)- Discards of non-target fish species (what levels)- Impact on the sea-bottom by certain fishing gear

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Bottentrålning Bottom-trawling

• Changes of the Baltic marine ecosystem

©Marin Mätteknik AB (Göteborg) i samarbete med Tjärnö Marinbiologiska laboratorium

För bildrättigheter kontakta T

omas L

undälv, Tjärnö M

arinbiologiska laboratorium T

omas.L

undalv@tm

bl.gu.se Tel:0526-68667; 68608

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Bottentrålning

©Teknisk Geologi vid Lunds tekniska högskola

För bildrättigheter kontakta K

jell Andersson, Lunds tekniska högskola kjell.andersson@

tg.lth.se

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Bottentrålning

©Teknisk Geologi vid Lunds tekniska högskola

För bildrättigheter kontakta K

jell Andersson, Lunds tekniska högskola

kjell.andersson@tg.lth.se

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Relation Coastal and Open-sea fisheries

- How to balance the proportion of fisheries (TAC distribution) between Coastal fisheries (usually small-scale) and Open-sea fisheries (big fishing vessels)

- What kind of fisheries is more sustainable ? Coastal ? Open-sea ?

- Shall fisheries policies/subsidies focus on the more sustainable fisheries practicies ?