Collapse of Political and Economical System as a Cause for Instability in Fisheries Sector: An Estonian Case

The transition process from the Soviet economical system to the market economy in fisheries has received relatively little attention from fisheries researchers. This study analyze how overall changes in political and economical life of Estonia during the last decade have affected the complex system of the environmental, economic, social and legal issues connected to the coastal fishery of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of the nineties the possibility to export fish to the European market appeared. Opening of this new and highly profitable market outlet resulted in rapidly increasing pressure to the fish resources, both in terms of the number of fishermen and in their effort. Some of the most important coastal fishery resources have been over-fished because of high export market demand coupled with insufficient resource management, and not effective enough control and enforcement capacity. The costs connected to fishery have grown much more than the first buyer prices. Additionally, dynamic development of the Estonian economy has yielded in substantial increase of wages in other sectors of economy and therefore the well-being of fishermen has steadily worsened. This has resulted in increasing social problems. The conclusion is that countries in transition may encounter serious difficulties in the fishery sector arising from privatization and rearrangement of financial system, which may affect the fishery even years after the establishment of new ruling principles

By-Catch of Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) in Baltic Fisheries-A Bayesian Analysis of Interview Survey

Peer reviewe

Reassessing the management criteria of growing seal populations: The case of Baltic grey seal and coastal fishery

The unintended consequences of marine mammal recoveries have created complex issues for resource managers to solve. In the Baltic Sea, the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population has increased rapidly during recent decades, and the conflict between seal conservation and fishery has escalated. Although the magnitude of economic losses varies depending on the type of fisheries, there is strong evidence that the grey seal population negatively impacts coastal fisheries and indirectly threatens the cultural heritage connected to it. The current management paradigm is biased towards the preservation of seal populations and it is failing to adequately consider socio-economic impacts of seal population. There is a need to strike a balance between seal conservation and the viability of coastal fisheries, taking into consideration local circumstances. This paper contributes to resolving this problem by assessing the existing governance arrangement. We conclude that the inconsistencies between and within different regulatory frameworks in HELCOM recommendations and European Union law are a structural constraint to tackling the problem. Further to that, some of the existing management criteria applicable to Baltic grey seal population need to be revisited by giving more consideration to regional conditions within the Baltic Sea. For instance, if the data shows that the Baltic grey seal population in its core distribution area has reached a sustainable status and is no longer at risk, then the use of peripheral areas as an indication of inadequate state of the entire Baltic Sea grey seal population is questionable

Competition for the fish - fish extraction from the Baltic Sea by humans, aquatic mammals and birds

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Essential coastal habitats for fish in the Baltic Sea

Many coastal and offshore fish species are highly dependent on specific habitat types for population maintenance. In the Baltic Sea, shallow productive habitats in the coastal zone such as wetlands, vegetated flads/lagoons and sheltered bays as well as more exposed rocky and sandy areas are utilized by fish across many life history stages including spawning, juvenile development, feeding and migration. Although there is general consensus about the critical importance of these essential fish habitats (EFH) for fish production along the coast, direct quantitative evidence for their specific roles in population growth and maintenance is still scarce. Nevertheless, for some coastal species, indirect evidence exists, and in many cases, sufficient data are also available to carry out further quantitative analyses. As coastal EFH in the Baltic Sea are often found in areas that are highly utilized and valued by humans, they are subjected to many different pressures. While cumulative pressures, such as eutrophication, coastal construction and development, climate change, invasive species and fisheries, impact fish in coastal areas, the conservation coverage for EFH in these areas remains poor. This is mainly due to the fact that historically, fisheries management and nature conservation are not integrated neither in research nor in management in Baltic Sea countries. Setting joint objectives for fisheries management and nature conservation would hence be pivotal for improved protection of EFH in the Baltic Sea. To properly inform management, improvements in the development of monitoring strategies and mapping methodology for EFH are also needed. Stronger international cooperation between Baltic Sea states will facilitate improved management outcomes across ecologically arbitrary boundaries. This is especially important for successful implementation of international agreements and legislative directives such as the Baltic Sea Action Plan, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Habitats Directive, and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, but also for improving the communication of information related to coastal EFH among researchers, stakeholders, managers and decision makers. In this paper, efforts are made to characterize coastal EFH in the Baltic Sea, their importance and the threats/pressures they face, as well as their current conservation status, while highlighting knowledge gaps and outlining perspectives for future work in an ecosystem-based management framework. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Kalakasvatusliku taastootmise programm : programm "Riiklikku kaitset vajavate ja ohustatud kalaliikide kaitse ja kalavarude taastootmine (2002-2010)"

TäistekstKäesolev programm on Eesti Vabariigi keskkonnaministri poolt käskkirjaga nr 352, 06.05.2002 kinnitatud juhend kalakasvatusliku taastootmise riikliku poliitika elluviimiseks Eestis, mis käsitleb kõigi praegu või eeldatavasti lähemas tulevikus Eesti veekogudesse asustatavate kalade taastootmise põhimõtteid ja näitab ära kaitset vajavate (ohustatud) kalade taastootmise riikliku finantseerimise prioriteedid ning kalapüügivõimaluste laiendamiseks vajalike kalade asustamiste toetamise prioriteedid. Programmis toodud asustusmahud ja kohad on soovituslikud ja lähtuvad 2001. aastal prognoositud reaalsetest võimalustest.Taustanalüüs. Kalavarud on tähtis taastuv loodusvara, mille kasutamine peab olema kooskõlas nii rahvusvaheliselt kui Eestis heaks kiidetud säästva arengu põhimõtetega. Eesti säästva arengu seadus sätestab, et loodusvarade säästva kasutamise eesmärgiks on tagada inimest rahuldav elukeskkond ja majanduse arenguks vajalikud ressursid elukeskkonda oluliselt kahjustamata ning looduslikku mitmekesisust säilitades. Kalade arvukuse säilitamise või suurendamise põhimõttelised võimalused on: 1) püügi reguleerimine kalapüügieeskirjas määratud piirangutega (keeluajad ja -piirkonnad, lubatud püünised ja alammõõt jne) ja püüniste arvu või kalakoguse limiteerimisega; 2) elukeskkonna (eeskätt sigimisvõimaluste) kaitse, parandamine või taastamine; 3) kalakasvatuslik taastootmine (kalakasvandustes üleskasvatatud noorkalade asustamine veekogudesse, edaspidi lühendatult taastootmine). Viimane on kulukas tegevus, mis eeldab pikaajalist planeerimist ja otstarbekuse analüüsi. Kalade kaitsemeetmed on sätestatud mitmetes õigusaktides ja dokumentides. Loodusliku mitmekesisuse kaitse huvides on Eestis vastu võetud mitmeid programme, mis puudutavad ka kalu. Igakülgsete kaitsemeetmete väljatöötamine jätkub seoses Eesti ja Euroopa Liidu keskkonnakaitse poliitika harmoniseerimisega. Tehistingimustes peetud loomade loodusesse laskmine (seega ka kalade asustamine kalakasvandustest) toimub loomastiku kaitse ja kasutamise seaduse § 19 järgi keskkonnaministri poolt kinnitatud programmi alusel. Käesolevas programmis on koondatud tähelepanu ohustatud ja majanduslikult kasutatavate kalaliikide arvukuse suurendamisele kalakasvatusliku taastootmise kaudu. Eesti 74 kalaliigist (Saat, 1992) on 8 inimtegevusest ohustatud (neist 4 on looduskaitse all), veel 4 liigi arvukus oleneb tugevasti inimtegevusest. Osa ohustatud liikidest on samal ajal kalanduslikult tähtsad ja neid püütakse pidevalt. Eestis on ka 7 liiki Euroopa Liidus (EL loodusdirektiivi alusel) ohustatuks loetud ja kaitstavaid kalu (sh kolm sõõrsuuliiki), mis on meil kas harva esinevad eksikülalised või pole siin otseselt ohustatud. Kalavarude suurendamiseks ja püügivõimaluste loomiseks taastoodetakse või on toodetud 5 mitteohustatud liiki. Majanduslikult kasutatavate veeorganismide hulka kuulub peale kalade ka inimtegevusest ohustatud jõevähk, mistõttu sellekohaseid probleeme käsitletakse käesolevas dokumendis koos kaladega. Sellise mitmekesisuse tõttu tuleb vaadelda Eestis riiklikku kaitset ja taastootmist vajavaid kalaliike rühmadena, mille suhtes rakendatavad meetmed ja riikliku toetamise vajadus on erinevad. Forelli ja siia liigisiseseid vorme käsitletakse nende ökoloogia erinevuste tõttu eraldi