ESTONIAN FISHERY 2013 FISHERIES INFORMATION CENTRE Estonian Fishery 2013 Compiled by: Toomas Armulik & Silver Sirp Authors: Redik Eschbaum, Heiki Jaanuska, Ain Järvalt, Janek Lees, Tiit Paaver, Katrin Pärn, Tiit Raid, Aimar Rakko, Toomas Saat, Silver Sirp & Väino Vaino Edited by: Toomas Armulik & Silver Sirp Translated by: Päevakera OÜ Layout: Eesti Loodusfoto OÜ Cover photo by: Markus Vetemaa Issued by: Kalanduse teabekeskus, 2014 www.kalateave.ee ISSN 2228–1495 Estonian Fishery 2013 Fisheries Information Centre Pärnu 2014 Contents Foreword 6 Abbreviations 8 Distant-water fishery 9 9 Fleet 10 State of fish stocks and fishing opportunities 12 Catches 15 Outlook Baltic Sea fisheries 16 16 COASTAL FISHERY IN THE BALTIC SEA 20 Dynamics of coastal fishing catches in different parts of the Baltic Sea Gulf of Finland 20 High seas 21 Väinameri Sea 22 Gulf of Riga 23 Pärnu Bay 24 34 TRAWL FISHERY IN THE BALTIC SEA 34 Stocks and catches of herring, sprat and cod, and future outlooks Herring 34 Central Baltic herring (subdivisions 25–28.2 and 32) 35 Gulf of Riga herring 38 Sprat 41 Cod in subdivisions 25–32 (Eastern Baltic) 46 47 ESTONIA’S TRAWL FLEET IN THE BALTIC SEA 47 General overview of sector 51 Basic indicators of 12–18 m length class trawlers 51 Basic and economic indicators of 24–40 m length class trawlers Inland fisheries 53 53 Lake Võrtsjärv fishery 58 Lake Peipsi fisheries State of fish stocks 58 Fisheries management 59 Catch and its value 60 Recreational fishing 66 66 Recreational Fishing Information System 67 Fishing with up to three hook gears 67 Fishing card 69 Number of recreational fishermen and receipts of fees for fishing rights Aquaculture 70 70 Overview of sector 72 Aquaculture Strategy 2014–2020 73 Fish restocking 73 Research and development Estonian fish processing industry 74 74 General overview of sector 75 Basic and economic indicators and trends of companies whose main business is fish processing 76 Production and sales 77 Aid granted to fish processing industry Grants 79 References 87 Foreword Dear reader, The Fisheries Information Centre has prepared yet another survey – the fourth already – of Estonian fishery. Previously, the Information Centre has published fishery surveys for 2010, 2011 and 2012. This yearbook, whose structure fol- lows that of its predecessors, gives an overview of the state of Estonian fishery in 2013 and compares it to previous years. By contrast to the preceding yearbooks, this one lacks the chapter on “Ichthyologic and fishery-related research projects” at the end of the book, because the Information Centre has published “Aasta- tel 2008–2013 valminud kalandus-uuringud” (Fishery Research 2008–2013) as a separate book, which is available to all interested parties, both in hard copy and on our website at www.kalateave.ee. Fishery is a sector where, in addition to the general economic climate, the environment plays a major role, and hence the success of the sector largely depends on natural conditions. Shrimp has been the most profitable species for Estonian distant-water fishing companies over the years. However, natural stocks and catches of shrimp in the North West Atlantic are declining. The recession of stocks has led to the reduction of fishing quotas for many ocean fish species. All the more reason, then, to rejoice that Estonia has a distant-water fishing company to which a MSC certificate has been issued for shrimp fishing! The number of coastal fishermen was roughly the same in 2013 as in earlier periods – 1860. As this figure has remained stable over the past couple of years, there is reason to argue that the proportions of those quitting due to old age and young fishermen just starting out are balanced. However, the trend of only a few people being able to earn a year-round living from fishing persists. Time and again coastal fishermen have to show ingenuity and think of ways to add value to their catches and to find alternative earning opportunities from coastal tour- ism or other sea-related activities. Support from the European Fisheries Fund has played an invaluable role in the implementation of such projects, e.g. in the renovation and modernisation of a number of small ports, the construction of seaside accommodation and the development of small enterprises to add value to catches. Perch and herring continued to be the main sources of income for coastal fishermen in 2013. There was significant growth in perch catches, but the decline in the first-sale prices of perch compared to 2012 was a fly in the ointment. 6 The largest catches are still being landed by the trawling segment, which accounts for nearly 80% of the Estonian commercial fishing sector. 2013 saw a slight increase in our sprat quota, which was used up almost completely thanks to favourable weather conditions. Since Estonian fishermen have three producer organisations equipped with state-of-the-art cold stores, they can store their catches and sell the fish when the price is acceptable. Some new fish farms started activities in the aquaculture sector in 2013. This, however, did not lead to a significant increase in production. Production vol- umes reached the levels of 2009 again, but many modern recirculation systems are still not operational, and the fish farms established with the support of the EFF have been unable to meet the prescribed levels of production. We hope that the implementation of the Estonian Aquaculture Development Strategy drawn up in 2013 will lead to the domestic production of farmed fish reaching consum- ers in growing volumes and that companies farming new fish species in addition to the traditional rainbow trout and carp will also prove viable. Although recent assessments indicate that the realistic number of recrea- tional fishermen is lower than that mentioned in the previous yearbooks, nearly one hundred thousand “anglers” is still an impressive result for a small nation – almost every tenth person is involved in fishing as an active recreational sport in Estonia. The number of companies whose core business is the processing of fish and other seafood has declined somewhat, but the aggregate sales revenue of the sec- tor has increased. The strength and viability of the fish processing industry of Estonia is evidenced by the fact that the majority of fish processing companies closed the financial year at a profit, and new jobs were also created. When browsing through the ‘Estonian Fishery 2013’ yearbook, dear reader, you might get the impression that this sector is all dry numbers and dull tables and figures. Nothing could be further from the truth – each and every number refers to the hard day-to-day work of thousands of lively and active people. For many of them, fishing has been a source of livelihood for generations. Estonia was, is and always will be a maritime country where fishery has a specific eco- nomic and social role. We all can contribute to the fulfilment of this role by con- suming Estonian fishery products. Toomas Armulik Head of Fisheries Information Centre 7 Abbreviations ARIB Agricultural Registers and Information Board Blim The biomass limit, reaching which should be prevented by fisheries management, as below this level the risk of stock collapse increases Estonian FisheryEstonian 2013 significantly CPUE Catch per unit effort i.e. yield; for example kg/h or kg/net EFF European Fisheries Fund EIC Environmental Investment Centre EIER Estonian Institute of Economic Research EU European Union EULS Estonian University of Life Sciences EULS IAE Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the Estonian University of Life Sciences EULS IVA Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences at the Estonian University of Life Sciences F Fishing mortality rate Fmed The fishing mortality rate which secures a balanced ratio of spawning stock and recruitment FMGT International management plan-based fishing mortality rate target level FMSY Maximum fishing mortality for sustainable yield FPA Sustainable mortality rate i.e. maximum sustainable exploitation intensity (fishing mortality precautionary approach) Fsq Fishing mortality status quo GT Gross tonnage ICES International Council for the Exploration of the Sea M Natural mortality MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoE Ministry of the Environment NAFO Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization NEAFC North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission NIPAG Joint NAFO/ICES Pandalus Assessment Working Group NPUE Number per unit effort RFMO Regional Fisheries Management Organisation SE Statistics Estonia SL Standard length; the length of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the end of scale cover SSB Spawning stock biomass STECF European Commission’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries TAC Total allowable catch TL Total length; the length of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the caudal fin TW Total weight of a fish UT EMI Estonian Marine Institute of the University of Tartu WPUE Weight per unit effort Z Total mortality 8 Distant-water fishery FISHERY DISTANT-WATER Distant-water fishery means fishing outside of the Baltic Sea. Distant-water fish- ing vessels flying the Estonian flag have fishing rights on three fishing grounds: Svalbard; North West Atlantic (NAFO); and North East Atlantic (NEAFC). After acceding to the European Union, Estonia retained fishing rights as a member of these international organisations on the basis of the principle of relative stability and as a share of the fishing quota of the European Union (Aps et al., 2005). Fleet The distant-water fishing fleet still consists solely of trawlers on board which fish or shrimp undergo primary or final processing. In general, demersal trawls are used. However, pelagic trawls are occasionally used as well. A crew typically con- sists of around 20 people. According to the data of the Estonian Fishing Vessel Register (as at 31 Decem- ber 2013), there were five vessels in the distant-water fishing segment.