Salmon in perspective : Salmon in the Baltic - proposals for short-term and long-term measures

Abstract

Goals The opinion of the National Board of Fisheries is that the following goals should apply for salmon conservation in the Baltic Sea: a) The short-term goal is to eradicate the acute threat to genetic impoverishment or in certain cases actual elimination, which the majority of wild salmon stocks face today. b) The long-term goal is to utilize the entire natural reproduction potential in every salmon carrying river or part of river. An interim goal set by the Baltic Sea Fisheries Commission is that a level of 50 % of the reproduction capacity in each salmon carrying river should be achieved before the year2010. c) The growth potential in the sea should be made better use of than at present. The state of stocks Most of the wild salmon stocks in the Gulf of Bothnia are in a precarious situation. The outbreak of the so-called M74 syndrome in the early nineties has aggravated the position. The syndrome has now caused extensive mortality over a period of five years and shows no signs of abating. The presumption here must therefore be that the level of mortality will continue to be much the same ashitherto. Strict protection measures are therefore required. The EU's so-called Lassen Report recommends on its part a ban on salmon fishery in the Baltic Sea for the year 1997. The advice of ICES (the ACFM report) concerning recommendations for salmon fishery in 1997 is not available until later this year. In the current report the National Board of Fisheries has among other things acted on biological source material similar to what the ICES Baltic salmon working group has had access to. Measures during 1997 a) Total allowable catch (TAC) On account of the critical situation for the majority of stocks of naturally reproducing salmon in the Baltic Sea, where the M74 syndrome will as far as can be judged remain for a number of years to come, a substantial reduction in catches of such salmon is of vital importance. In view of this and bearing in mind the predetermined interim goal that a level of 50 % of the natural reproduction capacity in each salmon carrying river should be achieved before the year 2010, and also observing established Finnish regulations and proposed Swedish measures in the Bothnian Bay, the Nationa lBoard of Fisheries has worked out alternative TAC levels; 206 000, 262 000 and 314 000 salmons respectively, depending on the efficacy of the coastal fishery regulations decided on by Finland and those now proposed by the National Board of Fisheries. With regard to the uncertainty in these calculations, it would seem appropriate to make to choose a TAC for 1997 at the lower end of the stated interval. This assessment assumes that the coastal fishery regulations mentioned are implemented to the full. The National Board of Fisheries also shows what effects an increased share of catches in the Gulf of Bothnia - within an unchanged total Swedish quota - would have on the exploitation of wild salmon stocks. Any such change would entail reduced exploitation of wild salmon, at all events withthe implementation of the new coastal fishery regulations, i.e. the Finnish ones decided on and the Swedish ones here proposed. Changes in the distribution of quotas between the northern and southern Baltic would also have political allocation consequences, for which reason the Board refrains from submitting a proposal on this matter b) Terminal fishing areas and closed areas In certain areas along the coast of the Bothnian Bay, outside rivers with reared stocks, it is intended to set up so-called terminal fishing areas. In these areas, where the proportion of reared salmon is considerably greater, and of wild salmon considerably smaller than average, extensive fishing canbe conducted on reared salmon over along season. In the terminal fishing areas substantial catches can be made of reared salmon which, with the reduced TAC level now proposed, will in futurere turn to spawn to a greater extent than at present. The proposal entails maintaining, or alternatively extending, existing closed areas outside rivers with wild stocks with a continued ban on salmon fishery for 1997. The intention is to ease the restrictionsas soon as the stock situation allows.The precise extent and limits of the closed areas and terminal fishing areas will be more closely defined in the autumn of 1996. c) Closed seasons etc. The National Board of Fisheries proposes differentiated closed seasons during the early summer for the coastal areas of the Gulf of Bothnia, which in this respect would be divided into three areas. The proposal has taken into consideration the recently approved Finnish regulations. Coastal fishery with a fixed open season, as in the Finnish regulations, has very varying effects in years with early and late spawning migration. For the closed seasons to have the greatest possible effect it is therefore intended to lay down an opening date every year which vairies within ± 10 days. This will be based on the close relationship between the winter-spring water temperature in the southern Baltic and the point in time when the salmon spawning migration starts along the coast of northern Sweden. A forecast of the spawning migration period can be made 1-2 months before the fishery starts in the Gulf of Bothnia. d) The National Board of Fisheries intends to reintroduce a ban on fishing with salmon nets and salmon lines north of 59°30'N in the Baltic Sea, starting from the salmon fishing season in 1996. Such a ban prevailed up to the admission of Sweden to the EU. e) Adipose fin clipping The National Board of Fisheries proposes that all reared salmon released in the Baltic Sea area should be fin clipped for a period of preferably 4 years, or alternatively permanently, if the operationturns out well, as an aid to the management of wild and reared salmon. Adipose fin clipping should be formulated as an international project so as best to be able to synchronise the time-limited project and maximise the outcome for future management. f) Delayed release The National Board of Fisheries proposes that the trials with delayed release should now be intensified throughout the actual Baltic Sea. Danish trials off Bornholm have shown very favourable results. Sweden should be able to contribute know-how in the implementation of the trials. The Board is of the opinion that funds should be available from the EU for this matter. Measures from 1998 and onwards a) Implementation of the "salmon package" The National Board of Fisheries proposes that the so-called salmon package, with a central closed area in the actual Baltic Sea and fishing for reared salmon in accordance with the delayed release method, be implemented under joint international action. By this means it is possible both to preserve naturally reproducing salmon stocks and to maintain and in the long run to increase profitable professional fishing for salmon in the Baltic Sea. Moreover, the increased return migration of salmon to the natural salmon rivers will have a considerable effect on employment by facilitating the development of extensive fishing by tourists. b) Greater mesh size If the so-called salmon package is not implemented, a considerable increase in the mesh size of salmon nets is proposed (to a magnitude of 225 mm, similar to what has been proposed in Finland). Research and investigation needs It is proposed that the following projects be implemented: - To be able to minimise catches of wild salmon in the proposed terminal fishing areas, it is important that they are demarcated in the best possible manner. For this to be possible all available information should be utilized to the full. This means that tagging data, information on wild salmon migration etc must be compiled before the final formulation of these areas can take place in the autumn of 1996. - Plans should be drawn up for the implementation of enhancement releases to a greater extent than today if the proposed fishery regulations do not come into force or the measures do not have the desired effect on the size of stocks. The plans should be drawn up in 1996 -1997 and they should be implemented before the year 2000 if the size of stocks does not increase in the way intended. One fundamental objective is that the releases should be temporary. - It should be investigated whether the establishment of goals for the quantity of spawning fish (escapement) for individual wild salmon stocks is a suitable management instrument. It is partly a question of the theoretical background, but also the practical formulation, e.g. measuring how the goal is achieved and consequences for management dependent on whether the goal is achieved or not. - One or two Swedish salmon rivers in the Baltic Sea area should be established as so-called indexrivers, where the salmon stocks are followed particularly closely over a long period. This means among other things that return migration, parr production and smolt migration are monitored annually over a long succession of years. In these rivers survival during various phases of life can be studied closely.