1 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ICES CM 2001/Y:01 MANAGEMENT OF FISH RESOURCES IN TWO DIFFERENT CITY ARCHIPELAGOS Hans Ackefors1and Christer Olburs2 1Department of Zoology, Stockholm university, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden, +46-8-164020, fax +46-8-167715, e-mail:
[email protected] 2WWF Sweden, Ulriksdals Slott, SE-17081 Solna, Sweden, +46-8-6247417, fax +46-8-851329, e-mail:
[email protected] The objectives of this paper are to describe the basis for management of fish resources in two different archipelagos, outside densely populated regions on the east-coast and west-coast of Sweden. The coastal zone of Stockholm area with more than 1 ½ million inhabitants and Gothenburg area with about 1 million have a great impact on the coastal zones. The areas that drains into the coastal waters of both regions are very large with many industries, agriculture, forestry and urban areas. The sea areas outside the two cities are of different characters, one with marine water of high salinity and the other with brackish water, resulting in ecosystems with very different fish faunas. On the west-coast the marine fish and shellfish species dominate with more than 30 species of some commercial interest. On the east-coast the fishfauna is a mix of species of marine and fresh water origin. In total there are 10 species of commercial interest. The marine species, cod and herring and sprat, dominate the catches in the Baltic. During the last 50 years the diversity of highly migratory species, especially in the west-coast area, has declined.