Low Impact Fisheries in the Baltic Sea – modified and alternative fishing techniques

1. Low Impact Fisheries in the Baltic Sea – modified and alternative fishing techniques Gustaf Almqvist The Fisheries Secretariat (FISH)

2. LIF/LIFE (Low Impact Fuel-Efficient) aim to mitigate Direct effects of fishing: Effects of target species (selectivity) Bycatch, Habitat impacts, Vulnerable species Indirect effects of fishing: Carbon emissions – Fuel efficiency Opportunity for LIF/LIFE CFP: Regionalisation (co-management) Funds available for gear changes MSY Discard ban: selectivity Seas At Risk 2009: “Moving towards Low Impact Fisheries In Europe” WWF 2007: “Towards Low Impact Fisheries” FAO 2012: “Barriers to achieving low-impact fuel-efficient fishing” Suuronen et al 2012. ”Low impact and fuel efficient fishing —looking beyond the horizon” Fisheries Research 119– 120: 135– 146 Baltic conditions:

3. Baltic pilot area, LIF Good climate for co-operation Limited no. of countries All EU MS, besides Russia (7% tot. catches) Not significant inequality among Baltic MS International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission (IBSFC) BALTFISH Example of co-management Favourable ecological conditions Low biodiversity Clean fisheries Recovering fish stocks HOWEVER

4. Susceptible to overfishing 5 of 7 stocks fished above FMSY levels Unbalanced status of Baltic fish species Seals and cormorants Exposed to other anthropogenic stresses Pollution Nutrition load - Eutrophication

5. Constitute > 80 % of Baltic fish biomass & >90% of landings Environmetal impact reduced →

6. LIF(E) can be achieved e.g. by shifting to new techniques or by modifying existing techniques. Active gears: Bottom trawls, Danish seines, pelagic trawls Purse seine nets, Passive gears: Gill nets, trap nets, longlines, pots Jigging machines

7. Bottom trawls- Otter trawls cod, flatfish Bacoma Effects of target species (selectivity) T90 Illustration by Niels Knudsen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg from Korsgaard et al. (2007). Ramp trawler Illustration from FAO and SEAFDEC, in Suuronen et al. 2012 Stern trawler Sidetrawler vessel drawings are from Tschernij & Suuronen (2002)

8. Bottom trawls- Otter trawls cod, flatfish Bycatch Discard: Undersized cod 8% Flatfish (plaice, Baltic flounder) Salmon Habitat Impacts on sea floor and benthic species not well studied in the Baltic Sea Resuspension of contaminants Suspended materials – effects on pelagic fish eggs (e.g. cod, flatfish)? Vulnerable species - Illustration from FAO and SEAFDEC, in Suuronen et al. 2012

9. Danish seines flatfish, cod – only marginally used today Scottish seining – fly-shooting More catch/fuel efficient Effects of target species (selectivity) Mixed information: Knowledge and experience of fishermen For herding species – poor selection Bycatch Discard: Undersized cod 1% Knowledge and experience of fishermen Modified illustration by Niels Knudsen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg from Korsgaard et al. (2007). Habitat Resuspension of sediment and contaminants Fuel efficient Vulnerable species -

10. Pelagic/midwater trawls sprat & herring Effects of target species (selectivity) High mortality of clupeids that escape Unaccounted discard Scattering school of pelagic species Illustration by Niels Knudsen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg, from Korsgaard et al.(2007). Bycatch Mixed catches of sprat & herring salmon, juvenile cod Fuel efficient volume/ semi efficient value Habitat - Vulnerable species -

11. Purse seine nets shoaling pelagic species clupeids – usage in the Baltic Sea? Effects of target species (selectivity) Selective but depend on knowledge and experience of fishermen Large catches; ecological consequences Bycatch Knowledge and experience of fishermen Slipping (mortality up to almost 30%, Tenningen et al. 2012) Illustration by Niels Knudsen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg from Korsgaard et al. (2007). Habitat Bottom contact, ”purse lines” (wire) Vulnerable species harbour porpoises (can be mitigated) Fuel efficient

12. Gill nets cod, flatfish, salmon/seatrout & coastal sp. Effects of target species (selectivity) size range selective trammel nets less selective larger meshes than minimum allowed unaccounted discard? Bycatch non-commercial fish species Illustration by Niels Knudsen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg from Korsgaard et al. (2007).

13. Gill nets cod, flatfish, salmon/seatrout and coastal species Effects of target species (selectivity) size range selective trammel nets less selective larger meshes than minimum allowed unaccounted discard? Bycatch Undersized cod 7% non-commercial fish species Illustration by Niels Knudsen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg from Korsgaard et al. (2007). Habitat >12 m: 13.4 km (nets combined); <12 m: 9.9 km Effects on bottom structure during retrieval of the gear Ghostnets Vulnerable species Birds, harbour porpoises (drift net ban 2008)

14. Steller’s eider caught in a net. Photo: .Markus Vetemaa, in LIFE 05 NAT/LV/000100 Map showing cumulative numbers of the total annual bird bycatch in the Baltic Sea. From Žydelis et al., 2009.

15. Gill nets cod, flatfish, salmon/seatrout and coastal species Effects of target species (selectivity) size range selective trammel nets less selective larger meshes than minimum allowed unaccounted discard? Bycatch Discard: Undersized cod 7% non-commercial fish species Illustration by Niels Knudsen, Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg from Korsgaard et al. (2007). Habitat >12 m: 13.4 km; <12 m: 9.9 km Effects on bottom structure during retrieval of the gear Ghostnets Fuel consumption - varies Vulnerable species harbour porpoises, birds drift net ban 2008

16. Longlines – demersal & pelagic cod (flatfish), salmon/seatrout Effects of target species (selectivity) semi-selective –hook size Bycatch Undersized cod 12% (non-commercial species) Habitat Little effects Illustration from FAO and SEAFDEC, in Suuronen et al. 2012 Vulnerable species (birds?) Fuel consumption - varies

17. Trapnets Clupeids, salmonids, (cod) Effects of target species (selectivity) Depends on mesh size Escape panels Bycatch Non target fish species modified illustrations from LIFE 05 NAT/LV/000100 Habitat Little effects Vulnerable species - Fuel consumption - varies

18. Seal safe pontoon trap net Clupeids, salomonids Illustration Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute., in Suuronen et al. 2012

19. Cod pots cod Effects of target species (selectivity) selective Bycatch - Habitat - illustration from Furevik et al. 2008 Vulnerable species - Fuel consumption - ?

20. Jigging machines cod Effects of target species (selectivity) selective Bycatch - Habitat - Vulnerable species - Fuel consumption ? Illustration from: http://www.montereyfish.com/pages/methods/jigging.html

21. Technical improvements • Bottom trawls & Danish seines, • more focus on: • Selection not only in posterior part of trawl • Less bottom contact • Conduct studies on effects on sea floor • and ecosystem • Escapement panels/grids in the Baltic Sea • - examples from other areas

22. Less rigid and more flexible approach to gear tests • and development efforts The CRISP trawl, currently under development in Norway (Valdemarsen et al. 2011).

23. Pelagic trawls, more focus on: • Measures to reduce bycatch of salmon, cod • Scattering effects on target species • and predatory fish (also Purse seines) Sweden, smaller purse seine nets (<6 m) (350 m in length and 28 m in depth) 0.02 l/kg catch low bycatch rope instead of wire

24. Gill nets, more focus on: • Measures to reduce bycatch birds • Unaccounted discard?

25. Longlines, more focus on: • Circle hooks mandatory • Mitigate problems with Saduria entomon • eating the bait • Improve efficiency by looking at baits • (Cod pots)

30. Other measures • Improved zonation of the Baltic Sea and adjusted fishing, • e.g. Environmentally Sound Fisheries Management in • Marine Protected Areas (EMPAS) • Seasonal closures / real time closures (moving on practices) • Close coastal waters for trawlers • Environmental-impact assessment • Allocate more fishing opportunities towards LIF(E) (25%) Overlap of hotspot areas for undersized cod and areas commercially trawled for the first two quarters (a) and the last two quarters (b) of the year unpublished data from the LOT 1 project “Collaboration between the scientific community and the fishing sector to minimize discards in the Baltic cod fisheries”

31. Dziękuję bardzo

32. Documents referred to in the presentation • FAO (2012). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. FAO, Rome, 2012. • Korsgaard, K., Olrik, M. R. and P. Mandrup (2007). Fiskerilære, 2.udg., 2007. ISBN 87-90749-10-3. • Seas At Risk (2009). Moving towards Low Impact Fisheries in Europe: Policy Hurdles & Action. Report by Dr J. Gascoigne and E. Willsteed. • Suuronen, P., Chopin, F., Glass, C., Løkkeborg, S., Matsushita, Y., Queirolo, D. and Rihan, D. 2012. Low impact and fuel efficient fishing—looking beyond the horizon.Fisheries Research, 119–120: 135–146. • Tenningen, M., Vold, A., and Olsen, R.E. 2012. The response of herring to high crowding densities in purse-seines: survival and stress reaction. ICES Journal of Marine Science 69(8): 1523–1531. • Tschernij V, Suuronen P (2002) Improving trawl selectivity in the Baltic. Nordic Council of Ministers, TemaNord 2002, p 512 • Valdemarsen, J.W., Øvredal, J.T. and Åsen, A., 2011. Ny semipelagisk trålkonstruksjon (CRIPS-trålen). Innledende forsøk i august-september 2011 om bord i M/S “Fangst”. Rapport fra Havforskningen Bergen, Norway, Institute of Marine Research. nr. 18: 17. in Norwegian • Vetemaa, M. and L. Ložys. 2009. Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu LIFE Nature project “Marine Protected Areas in the Eastern Baltic Sea”, Reference number: LIFE 05 NAT/LV/000100. • WWF (2007). Towards Low Impact Fisheries –WWF Report on how to mitigate ecosystem effects of fishing by Katja Broeg. • Žydelis R., Bellebaum, J., Österblom, H., Vetemaa, M., Schirmeister, B., Stipniece, A., Dagys, M., van Eerden, M. and S. Garthe. 2009. By-catch in gillnets fisheries – An overlooked threat to waterbird populations. Biological Conservation 142: 1269–1281