Section 3.13.1
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3.14 Stocks in the Baltic 3.14.1 Overview (Including overview of Salmon and Sea trout) The main fisheries for cod in the Baltic use demersal fishing mortality rate of 0.6, and for the Western trawls, high opening trawls (operating both pelagically stock 1.0, both for appropriate age groups as and demersally), and gillnets. There has been an defined by ICES. increase in gillnet fisheries in the 1990s and the share of the total catch of cod taken by gillnets has in recent 3. Should the SSB fall below a reference point of years been about 35-50%. The Baltic herring is 240 000 tonnes for the Eastern stock and 23 000 exploited mainly by pelagic trawls and demersal trawls tonnes for the Western stock, the fishing mortality and, during the spawning season, by trapnets/pound- rates referred to under paragraph 2 will be nets in coastal areas. The herring trawl fishery is largely adapted in the light of scientific estimates of the a mixed herring and sprat fishery where the share of conditions then prevailing, to ensure safe and rapid herring varies significantly by Subdivisions and recovery of spawning stock biomasses to levels in seasons. The main part of the sprat catch is taken by excess of 240 000 tonnes and 23 000 tonnes, pelagic pair trawling and are used for industrial respectively, for the Eastern and Western stocks. purposes. There has been an increase in catches of sprat in the most recent years, and 1997 catches were at a 4. For allocation purposes, a combined TAC will be record high of 529 000 t for the whole Baltic. The sprat established. The Contracting Parties agree to catches have since decreased continuously to 342 000 t further collaborate, inter alia, through bilateral in 2001. Baltic salmon is exploited by drift net, trapnet, agreements to ensure an efficient management of and longline fisheries. the cod stocks. An overview of catches of fish in the Baltic until 2000 5. The exploitation pattern in the fisheries for cod and as officially reported to ICES, is given in Section in particular, the selectivity shall be improved in 3.14.2. the light of new scientific advice from ICES with the objective to enhance the spawning biomass of For Baltic cod there is one management unit covering cod and reduce discards. all Subdivisions 22–32. ICES considers the stocks in Subdivisions 22–24 and Subdivisions 25–32 as separate 6. Additional technical measures including, inter alia, stocks, however, and advice is provided on them further limitation on effort, restrictions on fishing separately. days, closing of areas and/or seasons, obligation to change fishing ground in case of high abundance of juveniles, special reporting requirements, and ICES reiterates its advice that the cod stocks should be other appropriate control measures should be managed separately in order to better adapt the considered. exploitation to the present development in the two stocks. 7. The IBSFC shall, as appropriate, adjust management measures and elements of the plan on IBSFC has in September 1999 adopted a Long-Term the basis of any new advice provided by ICES. Management Strategy for the Cod Stocks in the Baltic Sea: A review of this arrangement shall take place no later than year 2003. The IBSFC agreed to implement a long-term management plan for the two cod stocks, Eastern and IBSFC has in September 2001 adopted a Recovery Western stocks, as defined by ICES, which is consistent Plan for the Baltic Cod: with a precautionary approach and designed to ensure a rational exploitation pattern and provide for stable In conformity with the Long Term Management Strategy and high yield. The plan shall consist of the following for Baltic Cod the Contracting Parties agree to elements: establish a recovery plan for the Baltic cod. They also took note that the spawning biomass of the Western 1. Every effort shall be made to maintain a minimum stock is above the agreed Bpa. The plan shall include the level of Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB) greater following elements. than 160 000 tonnes for the Eastern stock and 9 000 tonnes for the Western stock. 2. A long-term management plan shall be implemented, by which annual quotas shall be set for the fishery on the Eastern stock, reflecting a 698 ICES Cooperative Research Report No. 255 I which a maximum of 5 per cent may be of undersized cod, 1. For 2002 the fishing mortality for the Eastern stock shall be reduced to below F and shall pa 10. Delete Fishing Rule 8.2, thereby prohibiting not be greater than 0.55 within a global TAC the landing of undersized cod; of 76 000 tonnes; 11. Request ICES to review all relevant data 2. Manage the fishery for Eastern cod stock in related to the selectivity of cod in the Baltic sea year 2003 and subsequent years with the and to revisit the mesh size of the diamond 130 objective of reducing the fishing mortality for mm mesh size with a view to establishing a Eastern cod stock to below Fpa in order to mesh size ensuring a similar selectivity as the ensure safe and rapid recovery of the spawning 120 mm BACOMA window; stock to levels in excess of 240 000 tonnes; 12. Request the Working Group on Fisheries Rules 3. Request ICES to evaluate the findings of the to consider additional technical measures and IBSFC Scientific Meeting on Technical provide proposals for amendments relating to Measures for the Fisheries on Baltic Cod fisheries rules that have an impact on cod with (Brussels 20 - 24 August 2001) and to provide the view to improving the recovery plan; advice and catch options for 2003 and subsequent years taking into account improved III selectivity and additional technical measures; 1. Establish a comprehensive and efficient II Control and Enforcement scheme (Action Plan) to support the cod recovery plan 1. Extend the summer ban to the period from 1 consisting of the following main elements: June to 31 August; a. Inspection Strategy. 2. Establish spawning area closures in the Bornholm Deep; b. Co-operation which will include, where practical, an exchange of 3. Establish additional spawning area closures in fisheries inspectors on a bilateral the Gdansk Deep and the Gotland Deep in the basis in 2002 and in subsequent case of new scientific information; years. 4. Fix the minimum mesh size for gill nets to 110 c. Evaluation of the efficiency of the mm to be implemented from 1 September 2002; measures taken. 5. Establish the maximum length of gill nets per 2. In order to enforce the implementation of the vessel fishing for cod : cod recovery plan the Parties will notify the Secretariat of IBSFC of the results of the A. For vessels with an overall length of up to Action Plan. The IBSFC Secretariat will and including 12 m limit the use of nets to present a Report of the Action Plan at the 28th a maximum length of 12 km; Session of IBSFC. B. For vessels with an overall length of more For cod, unusually strong year classes in 1976, 1979, than 12 m limit the use of nets to a and 1980 formed the basis for an increase in the stock in maximum length of 24 km; the eastern Baltic and an expansion in the fisheries. Catch levels more than doubled and the fishery attracted 6. Establish a soak time when fishing with gillnets vessels from other Baltic fisheries and from fleets of a maximum of 48 hours, the start and normally operating outside the Baltic Sea. , In almost all recovery time to be recorded in the fishing years landings have been far above the levels logbook; recommended by ICES. The decline in stock size and landings started around 1985 and continued up to 1992. 7. Improve the marking system and introduce a Fleet capacity and fishing effort have now been reduced tagging system for gillnets; to some extent, but fishing mortality increased as the stocks declined. Improved recruitment in the early 8. Review the minimum landing size for Cod in 1990s has resulted in spawning stock biomasses the Baltic in the light of experience with the increasing above the 1992 minimum, and this increase use of fishing gears with improved selectivity has been seen especially in the western Baltic cod stock. After a slight increase in 1994–1995, the SSB of the 9. Set the by-catch of cod (in weight) in the eastern Baltic cod stock has decreased again in 1999- herring and sprat fisheries at 3 per cent of 2001 to a historically low level. ICES Cooperative Research Report No. 255 699 The success of cod reproduction is, among other things, been observed since 1993. A continuous decreasing dependent on certain minimum levels of salinity and trend in mean weight at age has been observed in most oxygen concentration for the fertilisation and survival herring stocks in the Baltic since the mid-1980s. This of the eggs and larvae. The unusually long period with decline in mean weight at age partly explains the low influx of North Sea water from the late 1970s to the declining trend in biomass of the herring stock in early 1990s was in general a period of low recruitment. Central Baltic herring in Subdivisions 25–29, 32. At the The influx in 1993 resulted in improved environmental present the mean weight of herring remains at a low conditions, which allowed the possibility of improved level. Still, there have been some indications in the last recruitment but did not secure it. Since 1993 there have few years that the decreasing trend of the mean weight not been major influxes.