3.13.11 Salmon and Sea Trout
3.13.11.a Overview
Salmon below the 50 % production level and they were considered to be outside safe biological limits. However, There are 40–50 rivers in the Baltic with significant wild mainly due to stricter fishing regulations in since 1995 salmon smolt production (Figure 3.13.11.a.1). Reared and a strong brood-year-class in 1990, the status of fish are released in many of these rivers, which makes it populations in most of the rivers have improved and the difficult to assess whether the salmon populations are number of smolts is expected to increase in 2000-2001. self sustaining or not. Many rivers have been dammed However the smolt production is expected to decrease and spawning and nursery areas have been completely again in 2002-2004. The numbers of spawners returning or partially destroyed. To compensate, hatcheries have to other rivers continues to be very low and some of been built on these rivers where fish are reared to the these populations are close to extinction. In the Main smolt stage before release. These fish feed in the sea and Basin about 15 wild populations still exist. The migrate back to rivers as spawners, where they are used populations in this area are generally considered to be in as broodstock to a varying extent. In some rivers with a better state than those in the Gulf of Bothnia, but compensatory releases some homing salmon succeed to quantitative data on individual populations are often reproduce so that there is small amount of natural insufficient to assess their status. reproduction. A total of 6.5 million hatchery-reared smolts were released in rivers and at coastal release sites In the management area consisting of Gulf of Finland in 1999. This includes the estimated number of smolts (Sub-division 32), there are wild salmon populations in originating from releases of earlier life stages. It is 11 rivers. Eight of these populations are close to estimated that the wild production in 1999 was about 0.6 extinction. In three other rivers natural reproduction million smolts, which was about 8% of the total smolt occurs as a consequence of large long-term releases and production of 7.0 million. A major part of wild and there are no national plan for these populations to attain reared smolt production takes place in the Gulf of self-sustainability. Bothnia in the northern part of the Baltic Sea. In 1992–1996 the M74 syndrome caused high mortality While feeding in the sea, salmon are caught by drift nets among yolk-sac fry of sea-run females (M74 was well and long lines and during the spawning run they are described in the ACFM report in 1995). The incidence caught along the coast, mainly in trap nets and fixed decreased in 1997 and 1998 but increased again in 1999. gillnets and to a minor extent in a trolling fishery. Where It is possible that the incidence of the syndrome may fisheries are allowed in the river mouths, set gillnets and continue to fluctuate rapidly, without any possibility of trap nets are used. In Sweden and Finland there is also a predicting its level. traditional recreational angling and gillnet fishery in some of the rivers. In Sweden there is a considerable Increased seal population deteriorates operational and broodstock fishery in rivers having reared populations. economical preconditions of the salmon fishery in sub- The offshore fishery and most of the coastal fisheries divisions 29-32. exploit both wild and reared salmon. Wild salmon can normally not be distinguished from reared fish in the Sea trout fisheries, and it is therefore only possible to exploit reared fish separately during the homing migration when salmon approach their release sites near rivers, which do There are wild sea trout populations in approximately not support wild salmon populations. 280 rivers and streams in the Baltic. Similar to the situation for salmon rivers, sea trout rivers have been dammed and natural reproductive capacity has ceased. There are two IBSFC management areas for salmon in Reared smolts are released to compensate for these the Baltic: (1) Main Basin and Gulf of Bothnia (Sub- losses. Sea trout are also in many cases released to divisions 22-29 and 30–31, respectively) and (2) Gulf of provide recreational fishery on returning spawners. Finland (Sub-division 32). The offshore and coastal Hatchery-reared smolt production, including fisheries have been managed by a single TAC since enhancement of wild stocks, was approximately 3.8 1991. The overall management objective of IBSFC to million in 1999. The wild smolt production, which may increase the production of wild Baltic salmon is to attain be about 0.5 million, constitutes about 15% of the total at least 50% of the natural production capacity of each smolt production. Most of the stocks remain in the river with current or potential production of salmon by coastal area within about 150 km of the point of release, 2010, while maintaining the catch level as high as but a high proportion of those from Poland and some possible. from southern Sweden migrate further into offshore areas. Coastal populations are mainly taken in gillnets or There are 13 rivers with wild salmon populations in the trap nets. In the Gulf of Bothnia, they are caught as a Gulf of Bothnia. In earlier years all populations were bycatch in fisheries for whitefish. The stocks entering
W:\Acfm\Acfmwg\2000\May\Overviews\O-31311.Doc 1 the offshore area are exploited by salmon drift netting overexploited to the extent that they now exist mainly as and long lines. Sea trout are important for the non-migratory brown trout populations. The state of the recreational fishery in coastal areas and rivers. The populations in the remainder of the Baltic Sea is catches of sea trout have been quite variable in recent variable, but in general better than in the Gulf of years, but it seems likely that misreporting of salmon as Bothnia. sea trout in some years has influenced the statistics. Sea trout are affected by M74 to a much lesser degree IBSFC has not established any management objectives than salmon are. Populations in some rivers in the Gulf for sea trout. of Finland and the southern part of Gulf of Bothnia and northernmost part of the Main Basin have exhibited a The populations in the Gulf of Bothnia (Sweden and limited incidence of M74. The situation in the Main Finland), particularly those in Sub-division 31, are in a Basin is less well known. poor state. Several of these populations are
2 W:\Acfm\Acfmwg\2000\May\Overviews\O-31311.Doc Figure 3.13.11.a.1 Baltic salmon rivers divided into three categories (see figure below). Only lower parts of rivers with current salmon production or potential for production of wild salmon are shown. The presence of dams, which prevents access to areas, is indicated by lines across rivers.
Finland 7RUQLRQMRNLÃ 7R U Q H l O Y H Q 82. Kemijoki 6LPRMRNL 80. Kuivajoki 79. Iijoki 78. Kiiminkijoki 77. Oulujoki 76. Siikajoki 75. Pyhäjoki 82 74. Kalajoki 73. Perhonjoki Sweden 2 80 72. Kyrönjoki 7RUQHlOYHQÃ 5 71. Merikarvianjoki 7RUQLRQMRNLÃÃÃ 79 70. Kokemäenjoki 2. Sangisälven 78 69. Aurajoki 9 .DOL[lOYHQ ÃÃ 77 68. Paimionjoki 5nQHlOYHQ ÃÃÃÃ 10 76 67. Karjaanjoki 66. Vantaanjoki 5. Luleälven 3LW HlOYH QÃ ÃÃ Ã 75 65. Kymijoki cE\lOYHQÃÃÃÃ 74 %\V NH lOYHQÃ 73 9. Kågeä lven 14 10. Skellefteälven 5LFNOHnQÃ 18 17 72 6lY DU nQÃ Russia 19 1HYD Umeälven/ 20 FINLAND Ã/XJD 9LQGHOlOYHQ 71 14. Hörnån 62. Narva ÃgUHlOYHQÃÃÃ 38. Pregola /|JGHlOYHQÃ 37. Prochladnaja 70 17. Gid eälven 22 18. Moälven 19. Ångermanälven 23 65 69 66 RU SSIA 20. Indalsä lven 68 /MXQJDQ ÃÃ 24 22. Ljusnan 67 23. Testeb oån 58 24. Dalälven SWED EN 57 62 (P nQÃ ÃÃ Ã ÃÃ 26. Alsterån 0|UU XP VnQÃ Estonia 28. Helgeån 62. Narva ES TO NIA .XQGDÃÃÃÃÃ 6HOMDÃÃÃÃÃÃ /RREXÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃ 58. Valgejog i 57. Jä gala 3LULWDÃÃÃÃÃÃ LATVIA 26 47 .HLODÃÃÃÃÃÃ 9DVDOH PPDÃ 3lUQX 28 41 Latvia LITHUANIA 6DODFD 9LWUXSH 3HWHUXSH 3435 33 38 RUSSIA *DXMD Poland 32 37 30 31 36 'DXJDYD 29. Odra/ Drawa 47. Lie lup e 30. Rega Lithuania ,UEH 31. Parseta PO LA ND 45. Venta 32. Wieprza 9HQWD 4 2. Bartuva-Barta 29 8]DYD 33. Slupia 41. Sventoji 34. Lupawa 0LQLMDÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃ 6DND 35. Leba 1HPXQDV %DUWD%DUWXYD 36. Wisla/Drweca River names with a slash (/) show main river/tributary. River names with hyphen (-) show names in different countries.
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