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DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT B: STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES
FISHERIES
FISHERIES IN SWEDEN
NOTE
This document was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries.
AUTHOR
Irina POPESCU Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail: [email protected]
EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE
Virginija Kelmelyte
LINGUISTIC VERSIONS
Original: EN Translations: DE, FR, IT, PL, SV.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe to its monthly newsletter please write to: [email protected]
Manuscript completed in April 2010. Brussels, © European Parliament, 2010.
This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies
DISCLAIMER
The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament.
Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy.
DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT B: STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES
FISHERIES
FISHERIES IN SWEDEN
NOTE
Abstract
This note was requested by the Committee on Fisheries for its Delegation to Sweden (25/05-27/05/2010). The note provides a review of the main characteristics of the Swedish fisheries sector, with a focus on issues such as the legal and institutional framework, fisheries management, catches, the fishing fleet, fishing industry, trade, employment, the fish market and marine research.
IP/B/PECH/NT/2010-03 April 2010
PE 438.579 EN
Fisheries in Sweden
CONTENTS
Contents 3
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5
LIST OF TABLES 6
LIST OF FIGURES 7
LIST OF MAPS 8
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9
1. INTRODUCTION 13 1.1. The Baltic Sea ecosystem 17 1.2. The West coast ecosystem 18
2. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 21 2.1. Law 21 2.2. Institutions 22
3. FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 25 3.1. Background 25 3.2. Management measures 27 3.3. Fishing rights 28 3.4. Closures 30 3.5. Marine Protected Areas 32
4. CATCHES 33 4.1. Sea fisheries 33 4.2. Inland fisheries 39 4.3. Aquaculture 40
5. FISHING FLEET 43 5.1. General characteristics 43 5.2. Fishing gear 44 5.3. Fishing ports 47 5.4. Evolution of the fishing fleet 49
6. PROCESSING INDUSTRY, TRADE, EMPLOYMENT 51
3 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
7. FISH MARKET 55
8. MARINE RESEARCH 59
REFERENCES 63
ANNEX 1: SWEDISH FISHERIES – A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 65
ANNEX 2 67
ANNEX 3 69
FISH SPECIES - DICTIONARY (ENGLISH-SWEDISH) 71
4 Fisheries in Sweden
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
BSPA Baltic Sea Protected Areas
CFP Common Fisheries Policy
EFF European Fisheries Fund
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
HELCOM Helsinki Commission
ICES International Council for the Exploration of the Seas
IQ Individual Quota
ITQ Individual Transferable Quota
MPA Marine Protected Areas
MSC Marine Stewardship Council
OSPAR Oslo-Paris Commission
RBM Rights-Based Management
SPA Special Protection Areas
SBF Swedish Board of Fisheries
SCI Sites of Community Importance
TAC Total Allowable Catches
TURF Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries
5 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Key data 9
Table 2: Catches by fishing areas in 2008 33
Table 3: Catches in sea fisheries in Sweden by fishing area in 2008 (live weight) 36
Table 4: Catches in inland Swedish waters by commercial fishermen, 2008 39
Table 5: Value of the catches in inland Swedish waters by commercial fishermen, 2008 40
Table 6: Swedish production of fish for consumption in 2008 41
Table 7: Characteristics of the average fishing vessel in Sweden, 2010 43
Table 8: Main fishing gear used by the Swedish fleet, 2010 45
Table 9: Fishing gear used by the Swedish fleet (main gear - subsidiary gear), 2010 46
Table 10: The main fishing ports in Sweden 48
Table 11: Trade figures in the fisheries sector in Sweden (in million EUR) 51
Table 12: Employment by fisheries sub-sector, region and gender, 2005 53
Table 13: Landings of sea fisheries in Sweden by coastal region (landed weight), 2008 69
Table 14: Landings of sea fisheries in Sweden by coastal region (value), 2008 70
6 Fisheries in Sweden
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: The biomass of cod, sprat and herring in the Baltic Sea 18
Figure 2: Organisation of the Swedish Board of Fisheries 23
Figure 3: Catches in sea fisheries by fishing area, 1999-2008 33
Figure 4: Landings of fish for consumption of the Swedish sea fisheries in 2008: A. Landed weight B. Value of the landings 35
Figure 5: Cod in the Kattegat: fishing mortality, spawning biomass, landings and recruitment 37
Figure 6: Norway lobster: Landings and discards 38
Figure 7: Swedish production of rainbow trout (regnbåge), other fish for consumption (övrig matfisk) and blue mussels (musslor) 41
Figure 8: The Swedish fishing fleet by length category, 2010 43
Figure 9: Evolution of the gross tonnage of vessels using the main fishing gears, 1995-2010 44
Figure 10: Evolution of the Swedish fishing fleet in terms of number of vessels, gross tonnage and engine power, 1995-2010 50
Figure 11: Evolution of the trade balance in the fisheries sector in Sweden 52
Figure 12: Employment in fisheries and aquaculture in Sweden, 2005 53
Figure 13: Total 2008 Swedish fresh and processed fish market by product 55
7 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
LIST OF MAPS
Map 1: Sweden and its location in the EU 13
Map 2: Sweden: counties and provinces 14
Map 3: Sweden’s maritime territory 15
Map 4: Bottom salinity around Sweden 16
Map 5: Seafloor bathymetry around Sweden 17
Map 6: The fleet capacity in the Swedish counties (% of the total gross tonnage), 2010 47
Map 7: Location of the main fishing ports in Sweden. The gross tonnage is indicated. 49
Map 8: Swedish fishing zones and corresponding ICES divisions and sub- divisions. Nordsjön=North Sea, Östersjön=Baltic Sea 67
8 Fisheries in Sweden
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Sweden is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula. The East Swedish coast borders the semi-enclosed Baltic Sea, with its peculiar ecosystem mixing freshwater and marine species. To the west, the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund form the gateway between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Stratification of waters in both areas is a cause of oxygen deficiency, with critical effects on biodiversity and fisheries.
Sweden is a member of the European Union since 1 January 1995. The Swedish fisheries policy is thus covered by the EU Common Fisheries Policy. The Government authority responsible for the conservation and exploitation of Sweden's fish stocks is the Swedish Board of Fisheries.
Fisheries management is based on the Total Allowable Catches and quota system, accompanied by other measures such as effort regulation, technical conservation measures, management/recovery plans and stock enhancement operations. Sweden has a number of rights-based management systems in place: Individual Quotas and Individual Transferable Quotas, territorial use rights in fisheries, and limited non-transferable permits/licences.
Sweden has established a large number of Marine Protected Areas around its coasts, and is involved in major networks such as the marine component of Natura 2000, the OSPAR network and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Protected Areas.
In 2008, Swedish catches from marine fisheries reached a total of 229 726 t (live weight). The Baltic Sea is the most important fishing area, with 72% of the total national catches, while the remaining volume comes from the North Sea (14 %) and from the Kattegat and Skagerrak area (14%).
Fisheries in the Baltic Sea and Öresund are dominated by the catches of sprat, herring and cod. In the Skagerrak and Kattegat, most of the fish catches consist of herring, followed by sprat, saithe, weever, cod and plaice. Crustaceans are particularly significant, mainly the deep-water prawn and the Norway lobster. The main catches in the North Sea are herring and sandeel, but also mackerel, saithe and cod.
Table 1: Key data
Area 449 964 km2 Population 9 349 059 (at 28/02/2010) Flag
Capital Stockholm Coastline 13 567 km West coast Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund South and East coast Baltic Sea
Source: Diverse
9 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Out of the total 229 726 t live weight (weight of fish as caught), the landed weight (weight of fish as landed) represented 218 956 t. The landed weight includes fish for consumption (43%), fish for reduction (56.9%), as well as roe and liver (ca. 0.1%). Nevertheless, fish for consumption provides the major part of the total value of the landings (81%). Roe and liver are also high value products (1.4%) while fish for reduction represent 17.5% of the landings value.
As regards landings of fish for consumption, they are dominated by a small number of species: herring (more than half of the landings of fish for consumption and ca. 23% of the total landings), sprat, cod, mackerel and saithe, as well as deep-water prawn and Norway lobster. In terms of value, crustaceans and cod have a higher share of the landings (24% and 19% of the value of the total landings respectively), and several other higher value species have significant contributions, mainly eel, plaice and witch.
In 2008, freshwater inland catches amounted to 1615 tonnes, with a value of 77,9 million SEK. Most of these come from four major lakes in southern Sweden: Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren and Hjälmaren. The main species targeted in inland waters are pikeperch, vendace, perch, pike, whitefish, eel and cray fish. Inland catches are largely dominated by pikeperch, which represents 32.9% of the total catch by volume and 44.1% by value. Vendace and vendace roe account for 16.2% of the catch by volume and represent 8.2% of the value. Vendace roe is the highest value product in the fishery. Crayfish, mainly fished in lake Vättern, represents 10.8% of the catches and 24.6% of the total value.
The main aquaculture species in Sweden are rainbow trout, arctic char, trout, salmon and eel, as well as crayfish, blue mussel and oyster. The yield of Swedish aquaculture in 2008 was 5667 tonnes of fish for consumption, which when converted to live weight is the equivalent of 6676 tonnes. In addition, 1911 tonnes blue mussels were cultivated. The total value of the aquaculture production of fish for consumption amounted to SEK 224 million. Rainbow trout has been the dominating species in Swedish aquaculture since the 1980s. In 2008, rainbow trout represented ca. 87% of the total production of fish for consumption in terms of volume, and ca. 70% in terms of value. Arctic char is also a significant aquaculture species, with ca. 10% of the production volume and ca. 18% of its value, as well as eel - 2.6% and ca. 6% respectively.
At the beginning of 2010, the Swedish fishing fleet comprises 1454 fishing vessels with a total capacity of 39 688 GT and 200 953 kW. The average fishing vessel has a gross tonnage of 27.5 tonnes, an engine power of 138.2 kW, and is 10 m long and 31 years old. The Swedish fleet can be roughly separated into three main groups:
Fishery with pelagic trawls and seines for herring, sprat, mackerel, vendace and blue whiting. Fishery with bottom trawls for cod and other demersal species such as sole, prawns and Norway lobster. Fisheries with passive gear (nets, fish pots, cages and longlines) mainly for cod, salmon, whitefish, Norway lobster, eels, lumpfish, dogfish, turbot, plaice, flounder, zander, pike, perch, mackerel and herring.
As concerns fishing gear, most Swedish vessels use fish traps (pots) - 38.6% of the boats, and set gillnets - 33.4%. Nevertheless, in terms of gross tonnage, the main fishing gears are bottom otter trawls and midwater otter trawls, followed by purse seines and set gillnets: vessels equipped with bottom otter trawls represent 14.9% of the total number of
10 Fisheries in Sweden
vessels, but dominate the capacity of the Swedish fleet (37.1% of the gross tonnage and 32% of the engine power), while midwater otter trawls (present on 3.4% of the vessels) also account for a significant part of the total capacity (36% of the gross tonnage and 20.2% of the engine power). More than half of the fishing vessels (51.6%) are considered to be specialised. This category represents ca. 70% of the gross tonnage of the Swedish fleet and includes most of the vessels equipped with midwater otter trawls and bottom otter trawls. The remaining 48.4% declare several types of gear. The most common main gear - subsidiary gear combination is fish traps - set gillnets (11.3% of the vessels), followed by set gillnets - hand lines (6.7%) and set gillnets - fish traps (5.3%).
The most important Swedish fishing ports are on the West coast, which concentrates most of the fishing fleet capacity (86% of the gross tonnage), in the counties Västra Götalands (69%), Hallands (10%) and Skåne (7%). The main Swedish fishing port in terms of fleet capacity is Fiskebäck, which accounts for ca. 22% of the total gross tonnage of the Swedish ports. Other significant ports are Rörö and Fotö in the Skagerak area (with 5.6% and 5.2% of the gross tonnage respectively), Träslövsläge in the Kattegat area (5.9% of the total gross tonnage), and Simrishamn, Skillinge and Nogersund on the South coast. Several Danish harbors, such as Skagen and Hanstholm, are also important for landing Swedish catches. There is a general decreasing trend in all Swedish fishing ports as regards the number of vessels and their overall capacity.
The fish processing industry in Sweden was dominated by a small number of large companies mostly located on the Swedish West coast. Their main output consist of herring and cod products, but they also process prawn, salmon, mackerel and haddock products.
As concerns Sweden's trade, imports and exports of fish and fish products increased over the period 1990 – 2006. In 2006, Sweden’s import amounted to 406 737 tonnes with a value of 1622 million EUR. Exports represented a total amount of 478 535 tonnes, with a value of 1244 million EUR. The trade balance in terms of value is negative, with an increasing trend during the last decade. Most of imports come from Norway, followed by Denmark, both in terms of volume and of value.
Employment in the fisheries sector has significantly decreased during recent years. In 2005, 3955 people were employed in the sector in Sweden (3082 men - 78%, and 873 women - 22%). Of these, 1912 were employed in the catching sector (48%), 200 in aquaculture (5%), and 1885 in the processing industry (47%). Employment in fisheries is focused in the NUTS-2 regions Västsverige (59% of the national figure) and Sydsverige (18%).
In 2008, Sweden made up 2% of the total West European fresh and processed fish market, with a value of 1482.2 million EUR. Out of this, fresh fish represents 21%, canned fish - 25%, frozen fish 31% and other processed fish (i.e. dried, smoked and salted fish) - 23%. Within the fresh and processed fish sector, the retail market is worth 1194.6 million EUR (81%), and the catering market 287.5 million EUR (19%). The 2008 per capita consumption of fish products in Sweden was 21.28 kg.
In Sweden the main eco-labelling organization is KRAV, which is an incorporated association with, at present, 27 members, representing farmers, processors, trade and also consumer, environmental and animal welfare interests. The amount of products on the market from KRAV-labelled fisheries is now increasing strongly. First there were prawns, then herring and then came KRAV-labelled frozen cod, haddock, saithe, cage-caught marine crayfish and a number of processed products in rapid succession. Products with the label of the Marine Stewardship Council are also available to Swedish consumers.
11 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
The Swedish Board of Fisheries is involved with marine research through three research units: Institute of Marine Research in Lysekil on the west coast of Sweden, with its branch the Baltic Research Laboratory in Karlskrona on the Baltic coast, Institute of Coastal Research in Öregrund on the Baltic coast, and Institute of Freshwater Research in Drottningholm close to Stockholm.
There are also a number of institutes and university marine stations which undertake research in relation to the marine environment and/or to fisheries, such as the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences, Askö Laboratory of the Stockholm Marine Research Centre, Klubban Biological Station at Uppsala University, and the newly created Marine Environment Institute.
12 Fisheries in Sweden
1. INTRODUCTION
Sweden (Sverige), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Konungariket Sverige), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula (Map 1). It has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 1995. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and with Finland to the northeast, and water borders with Denmark, Germany and Poland to the south and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia to the east. Sweden is also connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.
Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union after France and Spain (449 964 km2)1 and has a population of ca. 9.3 million inhabitants (9 349 059 at 28/02/2010) 2. Sweden has a low population density of 22.6 inhabitants per km2 but a considerably higher density in the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas, and this figure is expected to rise as a part of the ongoing urbanization.
Map 1: Sweden and its location in the EU
Source: Wikipedia
1 Source: Eurostat 2 Source: Statistics Sweden
13 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Sweden's capital city is Stockholm, which is also the largest city in the country (with a population of 1.3 million in the urban area and with 2 million in the metropolitan area). Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into 21 counties (län): Stockholm, Uppsala, Södermanland, Östergötland, Jönköping, Kronoberg, Kalmar, Gotland, Blekinge, Skåne, Halland, Västra Götaland, Värmland, Örebro, Västmanland, Dalarna, Gävleborg, Västernorrland, Jämtland, Västerbotten, and Norrbotten (Map 2). Each county has a County Administrative Board (länsstyrelse) appointed by the government, and a separate County Council (landsting) elected directly by the people. Sweden also has 25 provinces (landskap), based on culture, geography and history (Map 2). While these provinces serve no political or administrative purpose, they play an important role for people's self-identification. The provinces are usually grouped together in three large lands, the northern Norrland, the central Svealand and southern Götaland.
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy in which King Carl XVI Gustaf is head of state. The nation's legislative body is the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag), with 349 members in one chamber, elected every four years. The parliament approves the selection of a Prime Minister who forms a Government (Regeringen). The Government is assisted in its work by the Government Offices (including 12 ministries), which formulate policy in their respective fields, and supervise ca. 300 government agencies, which enforce government regulations and the laws enacted by Parliament.
Map 2: Sweden: counties and provinces
AB: Stockholm County Counties of Sweden Provinces of Sweden
AC: Västerbotten County BD: Norrbotten County C: Uppsala County D: Södermanland County E: Östergötland County F: Jönköping County G: Kronoberg County H: Kalmar County I: Gotland County K: Blekinge County M: Skåne County N: Halland County O: Västra Götaland County S: Värmland County T: Örebro County U: Västmanland County W: Dalarna County X: Gävleborg County Y: Västernorrland County
Z: Jämtland County
Source: Wikipedia
14 Fisheries in Sweden
Map 3: Sweden’s maritime territory
Source: Almesjö and Limén (2009), after Swedish Maritime Administration
Territorial waters around Sweden extend to 12 nautical miles. Map 3 shows Sweden’s maritime territory, where the area inside the baseline comprises internal waters and the area outside comprises territorial waters. The area between the territorial waters boundary and the dotted line constitutes Sweden’s economic zone. The shelf area down to 200 m depth is 165 295 km2 (FAO).
The Swedish coastline is 13 567 km long3, and its archipelago contains tens of thousands of islands (the archipelago outside Stockholm alone contains over 24 000 islands and rocks). Ca. 40% of the Swedish population lives within 5 km of the coast. Sweden’s coastline borders fundamentally distinct marine areas, varying from almost limnic conditions in the northern Baltic, through brackish waters with a salinity of ca. 6‰ in the southern and central parts of the Baltic Sea, to completely marine conditions in the bottom waters along the West coast (Map 4).
3 Source: European Commission, Eurosion Study. Calculation is based on cartography of all continental and insular coasts excluding islands less than 1 km2 and with a population less than 50 inhabitants, as well as inland shores and fjords where the mouth is less than 1 km wide.
15 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Map 4: Bottom salinity around Sweden
Source: EU Project Balance http://balance-eu.org
To the east, the Baltic Sea4 has a varied seafloor topography, with a maximum depth of 459 m and large areas less than 25 m deep (ca. 30% of the basin). Several deeper basins are separated by shallow thresholds (Map 5), which limits the water exchange and influences the hydrographical and ecological characteristics. Water is stratified (permanently in the Baltic Proper, temporarily in the Bothnian Bay) with colder and more saline deep water layers. As a result, lack of oxygen (anoxy) can occur in the deep basins, with critical consequences on benthos as well as on the survival of cod egg and larvae. Eutrophication has also become a problem in the Baltic Sea which, amplified by the anoxic bottom conditions, causes seasonal hypoxia in shallow waters, thus affecting coastal biodiversity and recruitment of coastal spawning fish species.
To the west, the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund form the transition area between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Sea bottom gradually deepens northward, and hydrographic conditions are strongly influenced by the run-off of freshwater from the Baltic Sea and input of Atlantic water through the North Sea. Waters in the Kattegat and Öresund are also stratified vertically, and a sharp pycnocline separates low salinity surface water from saline bottom water. Oxygen deficiency may occur, exacerbated by large scale eutrophication of coastal waters.
Saltwater inflows through the Skagerrak-Kattegat-Öresund gateway strongly influence the hydrography of the Baltic Sea, as they provide oxygen-rich waters into the Baltic and limit the extent of anoxic bottoms.
4 The Baltic Sea is divided on the Swedish side into the Baltic Proper and the Gulf of Bothnia (which is further separated into the Bothnian Sea and the Bothnian Bay), see Map 3.
16 Fisheries in Sweden
Map 5: Seafloor bathymetry around Sweden
Source: EU Project Balance http://balance-eu.org
1.1. The Baltic Sea ecosystem
The Baltic Sea has a unique mix of marine and freshwater organisms that interact. The species composition changes from south to north, due to diminishing salinity and colder temperature, i.e. the fraction of marine species decreases northward along the Swedish coast, whereas the fraction of freshwater species increases.
The Baltic Sea fish community is relatively simple, with few dominating species. The commercial marine fish species with the northernmost distribution range are cod, herring, sprat and flounder.
Among the non-commercial are eelpout, sand goby, the smaller sand eel and pipefish.
The coastal water in the Baltic is dominated by freshwater species such as perch, pike and roach. The species distribution is primarily a function of salinity and temperature tolerance, but the fish community is also affected by anthropogenic factors such as eutrophication and fishery.
Seals and fish-eating birds are important top predators, together with large predatory fishes. Three species of seals live in the Baltic Sea: grey seal, ringed seal and harbour seal. Among the birds in the Baltic Sea, cormorant has been rapidly increasing and is considered to have an impact as fish predator.
17 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Figure 1: The biomass of cod, sprat and herring in the Baltic Sea
Source: Almesjö and Limén, 2009 (based on ICES data)
Rapid changes in the ecosystem (known as regime shifts) can be found all across the Baltic Sea. The most dramatic recent regime shift occurred in the late 1980s in the Baltic Proper, from a fish community dominated by cod and herring to one dominated by sprat (Figure 1), and was accompanied by a change in the abundance and composition of zooplankton. This shift was brought on by an excessive fishing mortality which reduced the spawning biomass of cod to an unsustainable level (Almesjö and Limén, 2009) 5.
1.2. The West coast ecosystem
The West coast marine areas are the most species rich and productive coastal regions in Sweden, and provide habitat for a great variety of commercially important fish species. The fish community includes many of the species found in the North Sea. Pelagic species like herring, sprat and mackerel are fished in these regions, as are demersal species like cod, haddock and various flatfish. Norway lobster and shrimp are also fished on a large-scale.
The fish community in the Kattegat has changed over time. Some species, e.g. haddock, are now extremely rare, and the size composition of species such as cod and plaice has decreased during the 20th century. In the case of cod, biomass has fallen nearly continuously for 20-30 years and is presently below safe biological limits. The decline of the cod stock in the Kattegat has shown associations with the disappearance of separate spawning aggregations/subpopulations in the Kattegat area (Svedäng and Bardon 2003). Herring biomass has also decreased in the 2000s.
Sea surface summer temperatures in the Kattegat-Øresund region have increased by 2°C during 1984-2001. This increase is much faster than that expected as a result of global
5 For a historical overview of the Swedish fisheries, see Annex 1.
18 Fisheries in Sweden
warming (ca. 3°C over the next 70-100 years), and is likely contributing to some of the ecological changes seen in the Kattegat. Temperatures are now as high or higher than at any time since the start of measurements by ICES in 1921 (ICES, 2007).
Oxygen depletion events in the Kattegat and neighboring fjords and estuaries occur due to the interaction of eutrophication with specific hydrographic events. Such oxygen- depleted bottom areas have increased steadily in the Kattegat since the 1970s. These events reduce the size of habitat for benthic fish species and kill benthic prey for fish species (ICES, 2007 and references therein).
19 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
20 Fisheries in Sweden
2. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
2.1. Law
Swedish fisheries systems and policies sit within the context of both regional and international fisheries agreements. The international framework is provided by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982), FAO Conference Resolution 15/93 and the UN agreement of 1995 (Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks). The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries 4/95 has no legal force but it has political implications for the management systems.
Since 1 January 1995, when Sweden joined the EU, the Swedish fisheries policy and management come under the umbrella of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Key EU legislation includes:
Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the CFP; Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms (as amended); and Council Regulation (EC) No 2369/2002 amending Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 laying down the detailed rules and arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector. The main fisheries laws in Sweden are:
The Fisheries law (Fiskelag) SFS 1993:787 on rights to fisheries, including fisheries within Sweden’s sea territory and Sweden’s economical zone, and The law concerning EC Regulations on the CFP (Lag om EG:s förordningar om den gemensamma fiskeripolitiken) SFS 1994:1709.
These laws have granted the Government of Sweden large secondary legislative powers. On the basis of these competencies, the Government adopted a united national implementation Regulation of fisheries, aquaculture and the fishing industry (Förordning om fisket, vattenbruket och fiskerinäringen) SFS 1994:1716. Pursuant to this Regulation, the implementation of both EC and national fisheries legislation is the task of the Swedish Board of Fisheries (Fiskeriverket), which issues more detailed secondary normative instruments called orders (föreskrifter) in its own series of legal publication, FIFS (Fiskeriverkets författningssamling).
The overall guiding principles of fisheries management are modified yearly in the Regulation Announcement, which defines the rules governing the different fisheries for the following year. This announcement sets out the principles regarding how to implement the Fisheries Law, as well as the outcome of the EU negotiations in terms of limitations on catches and effort. Following upon the Regulation Announcement some more specific management regulations are determined throughout the year and announced in so-called Supplement 6 communications.
21 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Some fishery regulations have been determined with the support of the Environmental Code (Miljöbalk) 1998:808 on sustainable development with respect to the environment, which includes general rules for sea and coast, shore protection and hydraulic operations, building in water and water regulations. This applies primarily to certain prohibitions on fishery and aquaculture operations within nature reserves, but may also have been prescribed by the Government or the Environmental Court in conjunction with construction activities in the water. Examples of the latter include fishing bans below hydroelectric power dams.
Through the Co-management Initiative (Samförvaltningsinitiativet), the local fisheries management co-operatives which manage individual waters, can to some extent take decisions on fishery regulations within their areas. There are three cases of coastal co- management experiments in Sweden (MRAG Consortium, 2009):
Shrimp fisheries in the Koster/Vädarö area (West coast of Sweden, ICES IIIa); Shrimp fisheries in the Gullmarsfjorden (West coast of Sweden, ICES IIIa); Vendace fishery in the Bay of Bothnia (ICES IIId).
The long-term strategy for development in the Baltic region is laid down internationally in the Baltic 21 agreement. The Baltic 21 agreement was adopted by eleven Baltic states and the European Commission in 1998. The primary objective is to implement sustainable development in a range of areas. In the fisheries sector, the objectives are in the form of long-term strategies for major fish stocks (cod, salmon, herring and sprat), restoration of habitats important to fish and fisheries in inland waters and achieving sustainable aquaculture.
2.2. Institutions
The Swedish Board of Fisheries (SBF) is the government authority responsible for the conservation and exploitation of Sweden's fish resources. The SBF is a separate entity with decision-making competencies of its own. Nevertheless, in general policy matters it is subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture (Jordbruksdepartementet), which bears the overall responsibility for the fisheries policy and the development of national legislation in this field. The Board was set up in 1948, and is headed by a Director General who also chairs the Advisory Council. It has ca. 300 employees based in 12 different places in Sweden. The headquarters is in Göteborg. In addition to the executive office and staff unit, the SBF is organised in three departments (Figure 2):
The Research and Development Department enhances knowledge of fish and fishing grounds and develops selective fishing methods. The Resources Management Department works to ensure long-term sustainability in the utilisation of fish resources and to develop the fishing industry. The Department of Fisheries Control ensures that Swedish quotas are not exceeded, and is responsible for official statistics management. The SBF contributes to the international effort by addressing cross-border fisheries issues, taking part in negotiations and drawing up proposals for new legislation and long-term management plans. It carries out research on fish, fishery conservation and fishing and develops new methods and new gear. The Board also has overall responsibility for the control and supervision of Swedish fisheries. As such, it represents the control authority in structural, licensing and vessel legislation matters.
22 Fisheries in Sweden
Figure 2: Organisation of the Swedish Board of Fisheries
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
The vessel data mainly come from the Swedish Register of Shipping (Sjöfartsregistret), which includes the Register of Ships (a "ship" being defined as a vessel at least twelve metres long and at least four metres wide), as well as the Register of Boats (vessels other than "ships"). Since 1 January 2009 the Register is administrated by the Swedish Transport Agency (Transport Styrelsen), the authority responsible for the checking and measuring of all vessels. The Swedish Transport Agency operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications (Näringsdepartementet).
While the SBF is responsible for administrative controls and control of landings, the Swedish Coast Guard (Kustbevakningen) is responsible for fisheries control at sea. The Swedish Coast Guard is a civilian authority operating under the Ministry of Defence (Försvarsdepartementet). Fisheries monitoring together with border control have been defined as priority tasks for the Swedish Coast Guard. Its central administration is located in Karlskrona. There are 26 coast guard stations under the supervision of four regional headquarters located in Härnösand (Region North), Stockholm (Region East), Karlskrona (Region South) and Göteborg (Region West). There is also a separate flight command.
In addition to the aforementioned entities, the Swedish Customs (Tullverket) carry out controls of imports of fish and fish products from third countries.
The National Food Administration (Statens livsmedelsverket) also takes part in control of fisheries products intended for human consumption. This authority is responsible for the control of hygiene in the landing of fish, on board fishing vessels, at landings and when importing and transporting fish. The administration has municipal inspectors for control work based at inspection stations over the country.
23 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
24 Fisheries in Sweden
3. FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
3.1. Background
Fisheries policy in Sweden, like in all EU Members states, is covered by the provisions of the CFP. As such, the main topics focus on protection of resources and limiting the environmental impact of the fishery, structural measures for managing the fleet, joint organisation of the market and definition of links with the outside world. The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) is the instrument for fisheries under the EU financial framework for 2007-2013. The EFF provides funding to facilitate reform of the CFP, and to support necessary measures associated with the sector's development.
To receive financial support, Member States must draw up a national strategy and an operational programme.
The current Swedish National Strategic Plan for the fisheries sector 2007-2013 was designed around several strategic objectives:
To achieve the established environmental objectives by means of an eco-system- based approach in management; To develop rural areas and create and maintain employment; To improve the profitability of enterprises in the fisheries sector; To increase understanding, knowledge and experience exchange; To have well-informed consumers. In order to achieve the strategic objectives, interim targets are specified for a number of areas such as the catching sector, information gathering, biology and environment, fisheries control, aquaculture, processing industry and trade, recreational fishing and enterprises in fishing tourism.
The Operational Programme for the Swedish Fisheries Sector for the period 2007-2013 has a total eligible public expenditure of 104 774 205 €, with EU assistance through the EFF providing to 54 664 803 €. The programme covers the entire territory of Sweden which is designated as a whole as a non-convergence region. The new programme for 2007-2013 aims at promoting an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable fisheries sector in Sweden by:
Creating a balance between fishery resources and fleet capacity, Increasing profitability in the fisheries sector, Promoting employment in rural areas associated with the fisheries sector, Decreasing the negative environmental impact of fishing, and Ensuring environmental sustainability and sustainable natural fish stocks.
The programme contains five priority areas in which it is possible to apply for support to develop and/or diversify activities:
25 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Adjustment of the fishing fleet This priority aims to adjust the Swedish fishing fleet to the situation of the fish stocks, and to improve the profitability of fishing companies. Measures include support for permanent or temporary cessation of fishing activities, investments in modernisation on board vessels including engine replacement to improve energy efficiency, and the introduction of more selective fishing methods. Socio-economic measures are expected to facilitate the entry of young fishermen into the sector and to provide compensation for jobs lost when fishing vessels are permanently withdrawn from fishing activities. Measures to improve training for fishermen and diversification into areas other than fishing also come under this priority.
Sustainable development of aquaculture, inland fishing, processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products The objective of this priority is to contribute to long-term employment in the aquaculture and processing sectors by developing sustainable aquaculture and by enhancing the competitiveness of fisheries products on the market. This is mainly done through productive investments, but also using aqua-environmental measures, and animal health measures. For inland waters, the goal is to achieve a balance between fishery capacity and current fish stocks.
Measures of common interest This priority supports measures of common interest that help to meet the objectives of the CFP and that have a broader scope than measures normally undertaken by private enterprises. Special focus is placed on protection and development of aquatic fauna and flora, development of fishing ports and landing locations, promotion of marketing measures and pilot projects, and collective actions, including support for training opportunities and exchange of experience and knowledge on fishery issues.
Sustainable development of fisheries areas This priority aims at facilitating the sustainable development of fisheries areas and creating new jobs through initiatives taken by local fisheries groups. To achieve these objectives, support is given in the framework of local development strategies for the diversification of activities, the development of fishing tourism and recreational fishing, measures to increase the value added to fisheries products, the dissemination of innovation, promoting the quality of the coastal environment, protecting natural and architectural heritage and natural and cultural values, and training for employees in the fisheries sector.
Technical assistance Under this priority support is provided to ensure that the management, control, monitoring and evaluation systems of the Operational Programme function efficiently and that support from the EFF is used in an appropriate manner.
The responsibility for various functions rests with different authorities. The SBF is responsible for managing the programme, controls, processing, computer systems, evaluation, annual reports and providing assistance to the monitoring committee. The SBF also acts as decision-making authority, together with county administrative boards, and as paying authority and certifying authority. The Swedish National Financial Management Authority (Ekonomistyrningsverket) was appointed the auditing authority and checks the administrative and control systems. A Government committee was appointed to monitor and evaluate the programme.
26 Fisheries in Sweden
3.2. Management measures
The basic conditions for Swedish fisheries management are determined by the CFP. Central in this overall framework are the Total Allowable Catches (TACs). TAC proposals are drawn up by the European Commission, after advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) on appropriate levels of catches if stocks are to be maintained. Once the TACs are agreed they are divided between Member States according to a system of "relative stability" under which each receives a national quota for individual stocks.
In addition to the TAC/quota system, effort regulation is used to control the activity of individual fishing vessels. This is primarily to support the cod recovery plan in the North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat. The regulation determines the number of days at sea each Sweden fishing vessel is allowed to operate, based on the fishing gear and mesh size used by the vessel.
Technical conservation measures provide a complementary management tool. The measures include setting minimum landing sizes for different species; requiring the use of specific mesh sizes; in some circumstances, obliging the use of separator/selective devices; putting restrictions on what fishing gear can be used; and, closing some areas to certain types of fishing, permanently or some times of year. Although most measures are designed to protect juvenile or spawning stocks, some are also aimed at reducing impacts on non- target species and habitats. Most measures are adopted at EU level, with some supplementary measures adopted by Sweden, particularly concerning the inshore fishery.
According to the CFP, EU recovery plans should be developed for overfished stocks and management plans for other stocks. Limitation of fishing effort within the plans is subject to case-by-case scrutiny. Plans are supposed to include so-called pre-determined harvesting rules, as a means of introducing a longer-term perspective in fisheries management (Agnew et al., 2009). Currently, Swedish fisheries are mainly affected by recovery and management plans for cod, but also for European eel and northern hake.
The long-term plan for cod adopted in 2008 covers, among other areas, the Kattegat, Skagerrak and Eastern channel, and the North Sea, and strengthens the previous 2004 recovery plan. A multiannual recovery plan for cod stocks in the Baltic Sea was adopted in 2007. The Swedish measures implemented by the SBF aimed to restrict cod fishing with limited impact on small-scale fisheries. The recovery plan for European eel stocks adopted in 2007 required Member States to define an Eel Management Plan. The Swedish plan covers the whole country and is based on three fundaments, namely reduced fishing mortality, restocking with glass eels from areas with local surplus (in this case, the River Severn in UK) and by improving conditions for eel migration, both up- as down stream. Other plans involving Swedish fisheries are the 2004 recovery plan for Northern hake (which covers the same areas as the 2008 cod plan), and the multiannual plan for North Sea plaice and sole stocks adopted in 2007.
In addition to management restrictions, extensive stock enhancement operations are employed to assist in rehabilitating and maintaining fisheries. A significant number of sea trout and salmon fry are regularly released in rivers running into the Baltic.
27 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Access to fishing is limited by vessel permits and professional fishing licences issued by the SBF. Licences for professional fishing are granted for individuals and a vessel permit is required for all fishing vessels more than five metres in length.
3.3. Fishing rights
Sweden has a number of rights-based management (RBM) systems in place to manage its allotment under the CFP (MRAG Consortium, 2009).
Individual quota (IQ) allocations are made for herring (Norwegian Sea, North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and Baltic Sea), mackerel (Norwegian Sea and North Sea) and sprat (offshore). The main driver for this system is economic efficiency with a view to capacity reduction. The system of annual non-transferable IQs applies to the pelagic fishery only. It was introduced in 2007 as a replacement for a system where vessel quotas were allocated on a two-week basis and the pelagic fisheries closed down for all participants when the total Swedish quota was landed (which resulted in poor economic fleet performance). The allocation of IQs is based on historic track record from 2000-2004.
An Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) system for the pelagic sector was introduced on 1 November 2009. The system is aiming at capacity reduction, fleet modernisation and increased profitability in the pelagic segment. The ITQ system includes that each transfer must be approved by the government and that individual quota ownership is limited to maximum 10% of the total Swedish quota. The SBF decides on an annual basis how much of the Swedish national quotas will be ITQs and how much will be non-transferable.
ITQs for Swedish fisheries were introduced for:
Mackerel and herring: Norwegian Sea, North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat and western, eastern and northern Baltic Sea. Sprat: Skagerrak and Kattegat and Baltic Sea. Blue whiting, great sand eel and industrial species: the Norwegian zone in the North Sea.
There are special quota provisions for coastal vessels, i.e. vessels using gear not included in the ITQ system - gill-nets and trawlers less than 12 m. There is regional quota for Baltic Sea vessels and a quota for the Gulf of Bothnia.
Other EU Member States involved in the same pelagic fisheries include the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark. Non-EU States involved are Norway and Faroe Islands. There are differences in RBM systems between Member and non-Member States. Norway has a system of group quotas plus individual vessel quotas.
Territorial use rights in fisheries (TURF) systems are implemented in two different situations: in private inland waters and in public waters.
In private inland and coastal waters The TURF system in private waters manages salmon, trout, sea-trout, arctic char, pike, perch, pikeperch and crayfish, in coastal waters, lakes and rivers around Sweden. Private waters in Sweden form part of private property and belong to the owner in the same way
28 Fisheries in Sweden
as private land. Private waters are found in lakes and along the Swedish coast. Along the coast and in great lakes, private waters are limited to 300 metres from the coast.
Exclusivity ranks high because the owner can exclude others from fishing. Ownership is permanent, well protected by law, and transferable by buying and selling property. One major difference between private waters and ITQ is that ownership not only includes the catches but also the habitats of the fish resources. This enables the owner to invest in the stock not only by precautionary fishing but also by stock enhancement and habitat management. The owner thus has the full responsibility for the management of the fish resources. However, even in private water areas, there is free access of everybody for rod fishing. Many owners of private waters see this as a problem because of the risk of overfishing.
As private waters are mainly found on the East coast and in lakes, they primarily concern coastal freshwater fish species. One species of particular importance in Sweden is crayfish. This species is sedentary which makes stocking and habitat improvements worthwhile. In addition to sale of catches, the commercial value of crayfish includes tourism values through recreational catches. Also, the free access for rod fishers to private waters would not threaten the crayfish resource.
No overall figures on the value of the landings from private waters are available, but it is believed to be rather low compared to other segments of Swedish fisheries. These rights are fully transferable, through an official market (independently administered), through the purchase and transfer of land ownership/tenure. There is no access of nationals of other Member States to fishing rights under this RBM.
In public waters The TURF system in public waters manages otter trawling for shrimp in Koster/Väderö and Gullmarfjord on the Swedish West coast. The Swedish government in 2004 requested the SBF to initiate a series of co-management experiments within regional/local fisheries. One of these initiatives, located in Norra Bohuslän is building upon the positive experiences gained from co-management in the shrimp fisheries in the Koster/Väderö area in Skagerrak (ICES IIIa). This fishery has been co-managed by fishers, researchers and municipal authorities and has a high level of legitimacy and recognised rights.
The Gullmarsfjord on the Swedish West coast was made a marine protected area (MPA) in 1983 and the trawl fishery in the area was abandoned in 1990. In 1999 the trawl fishery was reopened with restrictions on trawl gear and limitation on the number of fishing days. In a co-management arrangement with the SBF, the six vessels involved have, over the last seven years, developed a management system for the fishery which has successfully combined resource sustainability and economic profitability. In the Gullmarsfjord co- management fishery the access is restricted and based on historic fishing records.
The Koster/Väderö fishery is in principle open access for all holding a fishing licence and complying with the rules and regulations adopted. The co-management set-up is heading towards restricted entry through restrictions on fishing gears and requirements on training (a proposal that all fishers have to attend a training course in marine ecology is in the process of being codified).
The fisheries concerned are small-scale only. The Koster/Väderö and Gullmarsfjord shrimp fisheries only involve Swedish fishermen.
29 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Limited non-transferable permits/licences (LL) are issued for the pair trawl for vendace fisheries in the Gulf of Bothnia. Economic efficiency, community structure and stock conservation are the main policy drivers. A special permit is needed, and there are a maximum of 40 permits conditioned to resource status, historical record, fisher's age and economic dependence, and fishing gear. If there are more applicants, the fishermen’s organisation must be consulted.
Protection of small-scale fisheries is a major concern and there are restrictions on vessel numbers, size, engine power, gear size and professional record. The licence system conditions the fisheries to vessels less than 14 m with preference to local fishermen. Access by nationals of other member states is not permitted under this system.
3.4. Closures
Fishery closures used in Swedish fishery management are categorised into no-take areas (where fishing is completely prohibited), areas with year-round gear restrictions, and spawning closures. Spawning closures have a long tradition in Swedish management, and are numerically abundant but usually relatively small. Areas with year-round gear restrictions occupy large areas both in inland waters and coastal waters, the largest one being the trawl and seine free zone along the coast. A few no-take areas exist, but these have not been established primarily for fishery management purposes (Bergström et al., 2007).
No-take areas A 2007 SBF report shows that all studied no-take areas have denser stocks and larger individuals (Bergström et al. 2007). In two of the areas, however, Lake Vättern and Gotska Sandön, the period of protection was too short for any noticeable effects to be seen. In Lake Vättern, the use of fishing gear was previously limited to a certain extent. A further restriction on the use of fishing nets was introduced in 2005, and in addition, an area consisting of ca. 250 km2 (18% of the area of the lake) is completely protected from fishing. The waters around Gotska Sandön have been a no-take zone since May 2006. This was previously an area of intensive fishing, but fishing has been extremely limited in the last ten years. The no-take zone around Gotska Sandön stretches 4 nautical miles from the island and covers an area of ca. 350 km2 (Bergström et al., 2007).
Areas with gear restrictions In zones where gear restrictions are in force throughout the year, positive effects have been noted both in the size and in some cases in the density of fish. The most common restriction is a ban on trawling, which applies along the entire coast of Sweden (4 nautical miles from the baseline), in the Havstensfjord and the inner regions of the Gullmarsfjord in Bohuslän in western Sweden and in the Öresund region of Skåne in southern Sweden. In Öresund, the Havstensfjord and the Gullmarsfjord, clear positive effects have been noted in the distribution of cod, but also in species such as haddock, whiting, lemon sole and plaice. In these areas, the fish are larger and occur in some cases in higher densities than in areas subject to trawling (Bergström et al., 2007). In most of the Öresund, trawling and seine fishing have been banned since 1932, because of heavy shipping in the area. Fishing in the Öresund is primarily carried out using gillnets, which allows a high degree of selectivity as regards size and species when fishing. One result of the ban on trawling has been that more species, higher densities and larger individuals are found in the Öresund. Öresund can be regarded as a reference area in which the fish community is more "natural" in relation to areas where trawling occurs. Such
30 Fisheries in Sweden
reference areas are important for understanding how large-scale changes, for example climate change, affect natural fish communities, compared to those that are subject to heavy fishing pressure (Svedäng et al., 2004).
Spawning closures There are also a number of areas in Sweden where fish are protected during the spawning period. These protective measures include a total ban on fishing during the spawning of cod in the Bornholm Deep in the southern Baltic, as well as Skälder Bay and Laholm Bay in Halland; a ban on targeted fishing inside the trawling limit on the West coast and in estuaries of streams and rivers in southern Sweden; and a complete fishing ban in 17 spawning bays for perch and pike in the Stockholm archipelago. Further bans on cod fishing during the spawning period have also been introduced in the Gdansk Deep and the Gotland Deep in 2008. In cases where spawning areas have been protected for a sufficient period of time to enable them to be evaluated (such as the Bornholm Deep and estuaries of rivers and streams in southern Sweden), positive effects have been noted regarding the density of salmon and brown trout in southern Sweden. In order for protection during spawning to have a noticeable positive effect, it is important that the total fishing mortality is reduced – meaning that less fish is caught in total. If fishing is merely moved to another area during the spawning period, without a reduction in total catches, the positive effects on the protected fish species will be very small or completely lacking (Bergström et al., 2007).
New areas with permanent fishing bans A Government decision in connection with the environmental quality objectives and the Government’s National Marine Environment publication entrusted the SBF with the task of proposing the areas with permanent fishing bans, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) and the relevant County Administrative Boards (Almesjö and Limén, 2009). These areas are to include both coastal and pelagic areas of the Baltic and of the Skagerrak and Kattegat area, and will be established by 2010 and evaluated by 2015.
The SBF has presented the pelagic areas that are proposed to be completely free of fishing (Sköld et al., 2008). These areas are:
The south-eastern Kattegat for protection of cod; The southern Baltic for protection of maturing cod; The Gulf of Bothnia for protection of herring in coastal spawning grounds. Also, the following fishing-free coastal areas have been proposed:
The Havsten Fjord in Bohuslän for protection of turbot, cod and plaice; The Brunskär-Tanneskär region west of Göteborg for protection of lobster and demersal fish; The Stockholm archipelago for protection of perch, pike and pikeperch. With the exception of the south-eastern Kattegat, the delimitations of these areas are unclear, identifying only stocks targeted for protection rather than geographical areas.
31 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
3.5. Marine Protected Areas
In Sweden, no less than 474 coastal sites have been designated as nature reserves or nature conservation areas since the 1930s, virtually all along the Swedish coast (Wood et al., 2007). Sweden’s first marine national park was opened in September 2009 in the tiny Koster islands on the West coast: the Kosterhavet Marine National Park consists of 39 000 ha, most of it in the marine area around the islands. It will serve a double purpose: to protect unique environments and species such as coral reefs, the boreal deep-water sponge and brachiopods, as well as to promote outdoor recreation.
Sweden is also involved in a number of EU and international MPA designation initiatives:
Natura 2000 network (EU) Natura 2000 network consists of sites designated by the member states as Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the Birds Directive, and Sites of Community Importance (SCI) under the Habitat Directive. Until December 2009, Sweden designated 108 SPA and 334 SCI with a marine component, covering 4018 km2 and 7512 km2 respectively6. OSPAR network Sweden is one of the 15 states participating to the Oslo-Paris (OSPAR) Commission for the protection of the north-east Atlantic. Sweden nominated 6 MPAs for the OSPAR network, with a total area of 972 km2 (OSPAR, 2007). HELCOM network Sweden is also a contracting party of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (known as the Helsinki Convention). HELCOM is the governing body of the convention. In 2003, a joint work programme was initiated by the HELCOM and OSPAR for establishing an MPA network of Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPA). Sweden selected 21 BSPA sites, 9 of which on its West coast7.
6 Natura 2000 Barometer, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/barometer/index_en.htm.
7 HELCOM, http://www.helcom.fi/environment2/biodiv/en_GB/bspas/
32 Fisheries in Sweden
4. CATCHES
4.1. Sea fisheries
In 2008 Swedish catches reached a total of 229 726 t (live weight), the lowest value recorded during the last decade (Figure 3). The Swedish fishing fleet operates within an area stretching from the north-eastern Atlantic to the northern Gulf of Bothnia (Annex 2 - Map 8). Nevertheless, the Baltic Sea is by far the most important fishing area in terms of volume, with 72% of the total national catches (Table 2). The remaining volume comes from the North Sea (14 %) and from the Kattegat and Skagerrak area (14%). No catches were recorded in the north-eastern Atlantic in 2008. Unlike the Baltic Sea catches which remained at a virtually unchanged level since 2005, the volume of the catches on the western Swedish margin significantly declined in 2007 and 2008 (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Catches in sea fisheries by fishing area, 1999-2008 Thousand tonnes
Total
Baltic Sea, Öresund
North Sea, Kattegat, Skagerrak
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
Table 2: Catches by fishing areas in 2008
CATCHES CATCHES AREA ICES sub-divisions (t) (%)
Atlantic IIa 0 0
North Sea IVa, IVb 31856 14
Skagerrak and Kattegat IIIa 31614 14
Baltic Sea and Öresund IIIb, IIIc, IIId 166255 72
Total 229726 100
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
33 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Swedish catches by species and fishing areas in 2008 are presented in Table 3.
Fisheries in the Baltic Sea and Öresund are dominated by the catches of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) - 93 007 t, herring (Clupea harengus) - 59 362 t and cod (Gadus morhua) - 11 651 t. In the Skagerrak and Kattegat, most of the fish catches consist of herring - 21 454 t, followed by sprat - 2564 t, saithe (Pollachius virens) - 622 t, weever - (Trachinus draco) - 554 t, cod - 518 t and plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) - 356 t. Crustaceans are particularly significant, mainly the deep-water prawn (or Northern prawn, Pandalus borealis) - 2249 t, and the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) - 1511 t. The main catches in the North Sea are herring - 13 840 t and sandeel (Ammodytidae) - 12 405 t, but also mackerel (Scomber scombrus) - 3507 t, saithe - 1017 t and cod - 439 t.
Out of the total 229 726 t live weight (weight of fish as caught), the landed weight (weight of fish as landed) represented 218 956 t. The landed weight includes fish for consumption (43%), fish for reduction (56.9%), as well as roe and liver (ca. 0.1%; Annex 3 - Table 9). Nevertheless, fish for consumption provides the major part of the total value of the landings (81%). Roe and liver are also high value products (1.4%) while fish for reduction represent 17.5% of the landings value (Annex 3 - Table 10).
As regards landings of fish for consumption, they are dominated by a small number of species: herring (more than half of the landings of fish for consumption and ca. 23% of the total landings), sprat, cod, mackerel and saithe, as well as deep-water prawn and Norway lobster (Figure 4A). In terms of value, crustaceans and cod have a higher share of the landings (24% and 19% of the value of the total landings respectively), and several other higher value species have significant contributions, mainly eel (Anguilla anguilla), plaice and witch (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, Figure 4B).
Most of the catches are landed abroad (ca. 59%), particularly in Denmark. However, as this especially concerns low value fish for reduction, the landings abroad represent only 34% of the total value (Annex 3 - Tables 9 and 10). Meanwhile, the West Swedish coast holds 10% of the landed weight but 37 % of the value of the landings, as the quasi-totality of the high value deep-water prawn and Norway lobster is landed in this area. Sprat is landed mainly on the East coast.
Most of the cod is landed on the South coast of Sweden. Cod is caught with bottom trawls, as well as using gillnets and longlines. Gillnetting has declined during the last years with the diminishing abundance of large sized cod. The management of cod is separated on several stocks. The Swedish fishery targets four stocks, where the eastern Baltic stock is the most important one and the Kattegat stock the most vulnerable (see Box 1 and Figure 5). Ca. 90 % of the Swedish catches come from the Eastern Baltic stock (Fiskeriverket, 2009). Targeted cod fishery has been important in Sweden but is now significantly reduced. Cod is also a significant by-catch in the Norway lobster fishery (Box 2, Figure 6).
34 Fisheries in Sweden
Figure 4: Landings of fish for consumption in Swedish sea fisheries in 2008: A. Landed weight; B. Value of the landings
A. Landed weight
Cod Saithe Herring Sprat Mackerel Norway lobster Deep-water prawn Other species
B. Value Eel Plaice Witch Cod Saithe Herring Sprat Mackerel Lobster Norway lobster Deep-water prawn Other species
Data source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
35 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Table 3: Catches in sea fisheries in Sweden by fishing area in 2008 (live weight) SKAGERRAK BALTIC SEA TOTAL TOTAL SPECIES NORTH SEA KATTEGAT ÖRESUND (t) (%) Eel - 168 386 553 0,24 Salmon - 0 253 253 0,11 Trout - 0 25 25 0,01 Vendace - - 626 626 0,27 Whitefish - 1 142 143 0,06 Other freshwater fish - 0 157 157 0,07 Halibut 3 5 - 8 0,00 Plaice 20 356 159 535 0,23 Witch 19 260 - 279 0,12 Dab - 7 7 14 0,01 Lemon sole 3 15 0 18 0,01 Flounder 0 16 209 225 0,10 Common sole - 34 2 36 0,02 Brill - 28 2 30 0,01 Turbot 0 11 44 55 0,02 Other flatfish 0 0 - 1 0,00 Cod 439 518 11651 12607 5,49 Haddock 83 276 0 359 0,16 Saithe 1017 622 0 1639 0,71 Pollack 46 33 0 79 0,03 Ling 21 24 - 44 0,02 Tusk 1 3 - 4 0,00 Whiting 2 52 67 120 0,05 Hake 81 101 0 182 0,08 Other gadoids 12 0 - 12 0,01 Weever 1 554 0 555 0,24 Catfish 26 22 0 48 0,02 Sandeel 12405 110 - 12515 5,45 Gurnard 3 5 0 7 0,00 Lumpfish - 30 113 143 0,06 Anglerfish 76 51 - 127 0,06 Garfish - 0 2 2 0,00 Herring 13840 21454 59362 94656 41,20 Sprat - 2564 93007 95571 41,60 Mackerel 3507 152 2 3662 1,59 Sardine - - - 0 0,00 Dogfish 0 76 0 76 0,03 Other marine fish 97 69 38 204 0,09 Crab - 149 1 150 0,07 Lobster - 33 0 33 0,01 Norway lobster 26 1511 0 1538 0,67 Deep-water prawn 129 2249 - 2377 1,03 Oyster - 16 - 16 0,01 Mussel - 13 - 13 0,01 Other crustaceans and mollusks 0 27 - 27 0,01 Total 2008 31856 31614 166255 229726 100
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
36 Fisheries in Sweden
Box 1: Cod fisheries in the Kattegat
COD IN THE KATTEGAT Development of catch and stock parameters Cod is caught by Swedish and Danish fishermen mainly using bottom trawls, gillnets and Danish seine. This is a mixed fishery which in addition to cod targets other gadoids, flatfish and Norway lobster. The Swedish share of the cod catch is ca. 30%. Discards are not included in the assessment.
State of stock: ICES regard the catch statistics as too unreliable for a stock assessment and just look at the trends of the stock. The spawning stock is diminishing and near a historic minimum. Fishing mortality can not be estimated reliably. Recruitment has decreased since the 1970's and in recent years reached its lowest level.
ICES advice: No catch of cod.
EU Regulation for 2009: Total TAC is 505 tons. The Swedish quota is 147 tons.
Source: Fiskeriverket, 2009
Figure 5: Cod in the Kattegat: fishing mortality, spawning biomass, landings and recruitment
Source: Fiskeriverket, 2009
37 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Box 2: Norway lobster fisheries
NORWAY LOBSTER (Nephrops norvegicus) Development of catch and stock parameters
Norway lobster is fished mainly using bottom-trawls, but there is also a pot fishery. The Swedish catches are ca. 25% of the total in Kattegat and Skagerrak. By-catch of benthic fish is high with the trawl gear used at present, but can be considerably reduced using a sorting grid. Use of a sorting grid is now mandatory for trawling in designated areas inside the general Swedish trawling limit. However, large quantities of undersized Norway lobster are still discarded.
State of stock: The relative precautionary exploitation boundaries cannot be assessed. Commercial fisheries indices (landings per unit of effort) suggest that the stocks in the Kattegat and Skagerrak are exploited at a sustainable level.
ICES advice: Due to uncertainty of the available data, ICES is not able to reliably forecast catches. The recommendation is not to exceed the current levels of exploitation. Measures to ensure species selection (sorting grids) should be used to minimise the by-catch of cod and other benthic fish species.
EU Regulation for 2009: TAC in the Kattegat and Skagerrak is 5 170 tons. The Swedish quota is 1 359 tons. The limits on number of fishing days to reduce cod catches do not apply to vessels using sorting grids.
Source: Fiskeriverket, 2009
Figure 6: Norway lobster: Landings and discards
Source: Fiskeriverket, 2009
38 Fisheries in Sweden
4.2. Inland fisheries
Sweden has a large number of inland waters, with around 90 000 lakes over 1 hectare, and 300 000 km of water courses, providing significant potential for inland fisheries. In 2008, freshwater catches from lakes amounted to 1615 tonnes, with a value of 77,9 million SEK (Tables 4 and 5). There are four major lakes in the south of Sweden: Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren and Hjälmaren. Lake Vänern is the largest one, accounting for ca 41% of the total catch from freshwater fishing by volume and for 28% by value.
The main species targeted in inland waters are pikeperch (Sander lucioperca), vendace (Corregonus albula), perch (Perca fluviatus), pike (Esox lucius), whitefish (Coregonus lavaraetus), eel (Anguilla anguilla) and cray fish (Astacus astacus). Inland catches are largely dominated by pikeperch, which represents 32.9% of the total catch by volume and 44.1% by value (Tables 4 and 5). Vendace and vendace roe account for 16.2% of the catch by volume and represent 8.2% of the value. Vendace roe is the highest value product in the fishery. Crayfish, mainly fished in lake Vättern, represents 10.8% of the catches and 24.6% of the total value.
Table 4: Catches in inland Swedish waters by commercial fishermen, 2008
OTHER TOTAL SPECIES VÄNERN VÄTTERN MÄLAREN HJALMÄREN LAKES (t)
Salmon 24 4 1.1 - - 29
Trout 6 3 0 - 1 9
Char - 5 - - 3 8
Whitefish 97 4 0 0 3 104
Vendace 247 1 14 0 0 262
of which Vendace roe 13 - 1 - - 13
Pike 40 0 30 34 15 119
Pikeperch 136 0.01 175 162 59 532
Perch 49 3 6 73 9 142
Eel 22 - 47 23 20 113
Crayfish 0 146 - 27 2 175
Other 40 6 4 6 64 121
Total 662 172 278 325 177 1615
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
39 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Table 5: Value of the catches in inland Swedish waters by commercial fishermen, 2008
TOTAL OTHER SPECIES VÄNERN VÄTTERN MÄLAREN HJALMÄREN (thousand LAKES SEK)
Salmon 1160 272 62 - - 1494
Trout 285 144 0 - 56 485
Char - 298 - - 280 578
Whitefish 3264 125 1 0 98 3489
Vendace 5901 7 456 0 5 6368
of which Vendace roe 5900 - 378 - - 6278
Pike 678 9 680 559 293 2218
Pikeperch 8221 0 11646 10360 4157 34383
Perch 903 76 179 1047 305 2511
Eel 1213 - 2702 1276 1229 6421
Crayfish 0 15451 - 3405 316 19172
Other 428 72 74 25 219 817
Total 22054 16454 15800 16671 6958 77936
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
4.3. Aquaculture
The species currently cultivated in Sweden are rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), trout (Salmo trutta), salmon (Salmo salar) and eel (Anguilla anguilla), as well as crayfish (Astacus astacus), blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and oyster (Ostrea edulis). The yield of Swedish aquaculture in 2008 was 5667 tonnes of fish for consumption, which when converted to live weight is the equivalent of 6676 tonnes. In addition, 1911 tonnes blue mussels were cultivated. The total value of the aquaculture production of fish for consumption amounted to SEK 224 million.
Rainbow trout has been the dominating species in Swedish aquaculture since the 1980s (Figure 7). In 2008 rainbow trout represented ca. 87% of the total production of fish for consumption in terms of volume, and ca. 70% in terms of value (Table 6). Arctic char is also a significant aquaculture species, with ca. 10% of the production volume and ca. 18% of its value, as well as eel - 2.6% and ca. 6% respectively.
An important share of the aquaculture production of fish for consumption comes from mariculture: 34% of the rainbow trout production (i.e. 1981 tonnes), and the totality of the blue mussels production.
The production of fish for stocking in 2008 was estimated at 1276 tonnes, with a total value of 92.2 million SEK. Here again, the main species was rainbow trout (67% of the volume and 46% of the value), followed by trout (17% of the volume and 20% of the value) and arctic char (10% of the volume and 15% of the value).
40 Fisheries in Sweden
For compensatory purposes, 2.25 million fry of salmon and 0.66 million fry of trout were released in rivers running mainly into the Baltic Sea and in coastal areas.
In 2008, there were 118 facilities producing fish for consumption as well as mussels and oysters, and 153 facilities producing fish for stocking purposes (2008 figures for crayfish are not yet available). Whereas the number of facilities has remained roughly constant for most species during the last decade, the number of producers of rainbow trout for consumption declined from 132 in 1999 to 73 in 2008 (which does not correspond, however, to a production decrease).
The systems used are cages (643 in 2008, with a total volume of 525 000 m3, ponds (53, with 123 000 m3, raceways (278, with 3000 m3, and recirculating systems (84, with 1000 m3).
In 2008 the number of people employed in Swedish aquaculture was estimated at 379 (321 men and 58 women), and the total number of working hours at 401 000.
Figure 7: Swedish production of rainbow trout (regnbåge), other fish for consumption (övrig matfisk) and blue mussels (musslor)
Source: Fiskeriverket, 2009
Table 6: Swedish production of fish for consumption in 2008
SPECIES LIVE WEIGHT VALUE
tonnes % million SEK %
Rainbow trout 5789 86,7 157,3 70,4
Arctic char 692 10,4 39,8 17,8
Eel 172 2,6 13,2 5,9
Other 20 0,3 13,2 5,9 Total fish for consumption 6676 100,0 223,5 100,0
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
41 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
42 Fisheries in Sweden
5. FISHING FLEET
5.1. General characteristics
At the beginning of 2010, the Swedish fishing fleet comprises 1454 fishing vessels with a total capacity of 39 688 GT and 200 953 kW8. The main features of the average vessel are showed in Table 7. The Swedish fleet can be roughly separated into three main groups: Fishery with pelagic trawls and seines for herring, sprat, mackerel, vendace and whiting. Fishery with bottom trawls for cod and other demersal species such as sole, prawns and Norway lobster. Fisheries with passive gear (nets, fish pots, cages and longlines) mainly for cod, salmon, whitefish, Norway lobster, eels, lumpfish, dogfish, turbot, plaice, flounder, zander, pike, perch, mackerel and herring. Table 7: Characteristics of the average fishing vessel in Sweden, 2010
Gross tonnage 27.3 tonnes Engine power 138.2 kW Length 10 m Age 31 years Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
Small vessels (<12 m long) commonly using passive gears represent the bulk of the fleet (77% of the number of vessels, Figure 8). Vessels longer than 24 m account for 6% of the number of vessels but cover 64% of the total gross tonnage. This segment mostly consists of large pelagic trawlers and seiners. The majority of the bottom trawlers are in the category 12-24 m. Ca. 90% of the total value of the landings come from demersal trawlers and seiners more than 12 m long, pelagic trawlers and seiners more than 24 m long and passive gears less than 12 m long, while the large pelagic segment (more than 24 m) achieved the best economic performance (MRAG consortium, 2009).
Figure 8: The Swedish fishing fleet by length category, 2010
90%
80%
70%
60%
50% <12m 12-24m 40% >24m
30%
20%
10%
0% Vessels Tonnage Power
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
8 All figures indicated in this chapter are for 2010.
43 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Most of the fishing vessels are made of fiberglass (57%), while 27% are made of wood. Vessels with a metal hull represent 15.3% of the number of vessels, but 74% of the total capacity. The number and capacity of metal hull vessels significantly increased since the 1990s, mostly at the expense of wooden hull vessels, while the capacity of fiberglass vessels remained relatively constant.
5.2. Fishing gear
Trawl is the dominating fishing gear in all Swedish marine areas except for the central Baltic Proper and north of that, where passive gear such as gillnets and traps are more important. The catch volume using trawl and traps have been relatively constant during the twenty-first century, but gillnetting has decreased, possibly caused by the seal conflict (Fiskeriverket, 2009).
Most Swedish vessels use fish traps (pots) - 38.6% of the boats, and set gillnets - 33.4% (Table 8). Nevertheless, in terms of gross tonnage, the main fishing gears are bottom otter trawls and midwater otter trawls, followed by purse seines and set gillnets. Indeed, vessels equipped with bottom otter trawls represent 14.9% of the total number of vessels, but dominate the capacity of the Swedish fleet (37.1% of the gross tonnage and 32% of the engine power). Midwater otter trawls (present on 3.4% of the vessels) also account for a significant part of the total capacity (36% of the gross tonnage and 20.2% of the engine power), while purse seines (1% of the vessels) represent 7.9% of the total gross tonnage and 5.5% of the total engine power. It is worth noting that the total gross tonnage of the vessels using bottom otter trawls significantly declined since the 1990s, while it remained virtually unchanged for those using midwater otter trawls (Figure 9).
Other fishing gears used in Sweden are bottom pair trawls (2.3% of the vessels), hand lines (3%), driftnets (1.2%) and trolll lines (1.1%), whereas pelagic pair trawls, trammel nets, set longlines, boat dredges and beach seines are used by less than 1% of the vessels.
Figure 9: Evolution of the gross tonnage of vessels using the main fishing gears, 1995-2010
30.000
25.000
20.000
Bottom otter trawls M idwater otter trawls 15.000 Purse seines
Tonnes Set gillnets
10.000
5.000
0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
44 Fisheries in Sweden
More than half of the fishing vessels (51.6%) are considered to be specialised. This category represents ca. 70% of the gross tonnage of the Swedish fleet and includes most of the vessels equipped with midwater otter trawls and bottom otter trawls. The remaining 48.4% declare several types of gear (Table 9). The most common main gear - subsidiary gear combination is fish traps - set gillnets (11.3% of the vessels), followed by set gillnets - hand lines (6.7%) and set gillnets - fish traps (5.3%). High capacity vessels normally use purse seines - midwater otter trawls, and pelagic pair trawls - purse seines.
Table 8: Main fishing gear used by the Swedish fleet, 2010
CODE GEAR VESSELS TONNAGE POWER
No. % GT % kW %
PS Purse seines 14 1,0% 3136 7,9% 10989 5,5%
OTB Bottom otter trawls 217 14,9% 14707 37,1% 64243 32,0%
PTB Bottom pair trawls 33 2,3% 411 1,0% 6508 3,2%
Midwater otter OTM trawls 49 3,4% 14301 36,0% 40510 20,2%
PTM Pelagic pair trawls 2 0,1% 1692 4,3% 6000 3,0%
GNS Set gillnets 485 33,4% 2972 7,5% 31884 15,9%
GND Driftnets 17 1,2% 461 1,2% 2665 1,3%
GTR Trammel nets 11 0,8% 57 0,1% 685 0,3%
FPO Pots (traps) 561 38,6% 1553 3,9% 31572 15,7%
LHP Hand lines 44 3,0% 311 0,8% 3912 1,9%
LTL Troll lines 16 1,1% 65 0,2% 1440 0,7%
LLS Set longlines 2 0,1% 13 0,0% 266 0,1%
DRB Boat dredges 1 0,1% 8 0,0% 101 0,1%
SB Beach seines 2 0,1% 2 0,0% 176 0,1%
TOTAL 1454 100% 39688 100% 200953 100%
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
45 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Table 9: Fishing gear used by the Swedish fleet (main gear - subsidiary gear)9, 2010
CODE VESSELS TONNAGE POWER
No. % GT % kW %
OTM OTM 43 3,0% 12327 31,1% 33783 16,8%
OTB OTB 104 7,2% 7320 18,4% 31571 15,7%
OTB NO 61 4,2% 5369 13,5% 21555 10,7%
GNS GNS 246 16,9% 1380 3,5% 15951 7,9%
FPO FPO 264 18,2% 868 2,2% 17829 8,9%
OTM NO 2 0,1% 491 1,2% 1801 0,9%
GNS NO 30 2,1% 205 0,5% 1878 0,9%
Specialised 750 51,6% 27960 70,5% 124368 61,9%
PS OTM 5 0,3% 2952 7,4% 9645 4,8%
PTM PS 2 0,1% 1692 4,3% 6000 3,0%
OTB OTM 11 0,8% 1177 3,0% 4154 2,1%
OTM OTB 3 0,2% 1067 2,7% 3441 1,7%
GNS LHP 97 6,7% 814 2,1% 6634 3,3%
OTM GND 1 0,1% 416 1,0% 1485 0,7%
FPO GNS 165 11,3% 337 0,8% 7319 3,6%
GND OTM 1 0,1% 343 0,9% 738 0,4%
GNS FPO 77 5,3% 283 0,7% 4290 2,1%
OTB FPO 16 1,1% 238 0,6% 2049 1,0%
OTB GNS 11 0,8% 226 0,6% 1838 0,9%
LHP GNS 26 1,8% 219 0,6% 1972 1,0%
Non specialised 415 28,5% 9764 24,6% 49565 24,7%
Other 289 19,9% 1964 4,9% 27020 13,4%
TOTAL 1454 100% 39688 100% 200953 100%
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
9 Gear corresponding to each code is indicated in Table 8. NO = no subsidiary gear is indicated.
46 Fisheries in Sweden
Different gear is used for different types of fish. The pelagic species such as mackerel, herring and sprat are caught primarily with midwater trawls and purse seines. When fishing for species such as cod, crayfish and prawns, bottom trawls are primarily used.
Fixed devices are used mainly when fishing for salmon, whitefish and eels. Bottom-set nets are used when fishing for all types of fish, whereas driftnets usually target salmon and mackerel. Eels are most commonly caught with fish traps. Creels/wire cages are used for crayfish in inland waters and for lobster, Norway lobster and crabs along the West coast.
Angling gear is no longer used to any great extent within commercial fishery. Bottom-set and surface longlines are still used to some extent. Hand line fishery for mackerel also takes place along the West coast during the summer months.
5.3. Fishing ports
A total of 838 fishing ports are currently registered in Sweden. However, in 2010 only 356 of them have at least one registered fishing vessel, and only 35 ports host more than ten vessels. The West coast of Sweden concentrates most of the fishing fleet capacity (86% of the gross tonnage), in the counties Västra Götalands (69%), Hallands (10%) and Skåne (7%, Map 6).
Map 6: The fleet capacity in the Swedish counties (% of the total gross tonnage), 2010
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
47 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
The main Swedish fishing port in terms of fleet capacity is Fiskebäck (Table 10, Map 7), which accounts for ca. 22% of the total gross tonnage of the Swedish ports. Other significant ports in the Skagerak area are Rörö and Fotö (with 5.6% and 5.2% of the gross tonnage respectively), as well as Donsö, Hönö and Göteborg. Träslövsläge is the most important fishing port in the Kattegat area (5.9% of the total gross tonnage), followed by Glommen and Bua. Simrishamn, Skillinge and Nogersund are the main landing points on the South coast. Several Danish harbors, such as Skagen and Hanstholm, are also important for landing Swedish catches.
Table 10: The main fishing ports in Sweden, 2010
PORT COUNTY VESSELS TONNAGE POWER
No. % GT % kW %
FISKEBÄCK VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 35 2,4% 8586 21,7% 26777 13,4%
TRÄSLÖVSLÄGE HALLANDS 32 2,2% 2327 5,9% 9021 4,5%
RÖRÖ VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 20 1,4% 2212 5,6% 10056 5,0%
FOTÖ VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 27 1,9% 2051 5,2% 7991 4,0%
DONSÖ VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 20 1,4% 1796 4,5% 6083 3,0%
HÖNÖ VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 26 1,8% 1788 4,5% 7668 3,8%
GÖTEBORG VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 5 0,3% 1234 3,1% 3620 1,8%
STYRSÖ VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 12 0,8% 1104 2,8% 4294 2,1%
ÖCKERÖ VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 20 1,4% 981 2,5% 4576 2,3%
SIMRISHAMN SKÅNE 22 1,5% 796 2,0% 3664 1,8%
DYRÖN VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 14 1,0% 772 1,9% 3259 1,6%
SKILLINGE SKÅNE 10 0,7% 722 1,8% 2256 1,1%
GLOMMEN HALLANDS 13 0,9% 719 1,8% 3445 1,7%
NOGERSUND BLEKINGE 22 1,5% 714 1,8% 2783 1,4%
VRÅNGÖ VÄSTRA GÖTALANDS 12 0,8% 618 1,6% 2476 1,2%
BUA HALLANDS 18 1,2% 609 1,5% 3307 1,7%
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
48 Fisheries in Sweden
Map 7: Location of the main fishing ports in Sweden. The gross tonnage is indicated.
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
5.4. Evolution of the fishing fleet
There is a general decreasing trend in all Swedish fishing ports as regards the number of vessels and their overall capacity (Figure 10). Nevertheless, as indicated in the Operational Programme for the structural period 2007-2013, there is still a considerable overcapacity, which has been calculated to be between 30% and 50% depending on the fleet segment (Lövgren et al., 2009). Between 1995 and 2005, the number of vessels decreased more sharply then the fleet capacity, which shows that in this time period the adjustment had a greater impact on small boats. Since 2005 however, the decrease in the number of vessels is coupled with the total capacity decline. A temporary rise of the fleet capacity both in gross tonnage and in engine power in 2001-2002 is correlated with an increase of the pelagic fleet capacity (midwater otter trawlers, see Figure 9).
49 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Figure 10: Evolution of the Swedish fishing fleet in terms of number of vessels, gross tonnage and engine power, 1995-2010
Vessels Sweden fishing fleet. 1995=100 GRT Pow er 110
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin
50 Fisheries in Sweden
6. PROCESSING INDUSTRY, TRADE, EMPLOYMENT
In relative terms, the fishery sector in Sweden plays a very small role in the national economy nowadays (agriculture and fisheries altogether contribute with ca. 1% to the national Gross Domestic Product). However, as fisheries in general and the processing industry in particular are concentrated in a few regions, the importance to local economies is high.
Fish processing industry The fish processing industry in Sweden was dominated by a small number of large companies mostly located on the West coast. Many Swedish companies have been bought by or merged with Norwegian or Icelandic companies. This development has increased the availability of raw material to the Swedish industry, and has also been a way for Norwegian and Icelandic companies to get access to the EU market. Swedish fish processing companies import about 80 % of their raw material. Their main output consists of herring and cod products, but they also process prawn, salmon, mackerel and haddock products (FAO).
The Federation of Swedish Fish Industries and Trade (Fiskbranchens riksförbund) is a non- governmental organisation dealing with trade and industry in the area of fisheries in Sweden. It consists of organisations from different fisheries areas, as well as a number of private companies. The main task of the Federation is to work towards a positive development of Swedish fisheries and to advocate the interests of the member organisations in the society.
Trade Both imports and exports of fish and fish products increased over the period 1990 – 2006 (Table 11, Figure 11). In 2006, Sweden’s import amounted to 406 737 tonnes with a value of 1622 million EUR. Exports represented a total amount of 478 535 tonnes, with a value of 1244 million EUR. The trade balance in terms of value is negative (like in most EU countries10), with an increasing trend during the last decade (Figure 11). The main markets are found within the EU. Most of imports come by far from Norway, followed by Denmark, both in terms of volume and of value. Germany, the Netherlands and Finland are also significant supplier of fish products to Sweden. Among the non-European suppliers the most important one is China, while the United States, Vietnam and Thailand also have important shares.
Table 11: Trade figures in the fisheries sector in Sweden, 2006 (in million EUR)
1990 1995 2000 2005 2006
IMPORT 355 418 771 1289 1622
EXPORT 136 199 511 951 1244
BALANCE -218 -219 -260 -337 -379
Source: Eurostat, 2007
10 The EU countries with a positive fisheries trade balance are Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, the three Baltic countries and Malta.
51 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Figure 11: Evolution of the trade balance in the fisheries sector in Sweden, 1990- 2006
Total imports 600000 Total exports 500000 Trade balance
400000
300000
200000
100000 Tonnes product weight 0 1990 1995 2000 2005 -100000
Total imports 2000 Total exports Trade balance 1500
1000
500 Million EUR
0 1990 1995 2000 2005
-500
Data source: Eurostat, 2007
Employment
Employment in the fisheries sector has significantly decreased during recent years. In 2005, 3955 people were employed in the sector in Sweden (3082 men - 78%, and 873 women - 22%; Salz et al., 2006). Of these, 1912 were employed in the catching sector (48%), 200 in aquaculture (5%), and 1885 in the processing industry (47%, Figure 12). The highest percentage of women work in the processing industry (45% of the total number of employees; Table 12), whereas in aquaculture women represent 13%. The catching sector employs almost exclusively men (99%).
Employment in fisheries is focused in the NUTS-2 regions Västsverige (59% of the national figure) and Sydsverige (18%; Table 12).
52 Fisheries in Sweden
Figure 12: Employment in fisheries and aquaculture in Sweden, 2005
5%
48% Fishing Fish processing Aquaculture 47%
Data source: Salz et al., 2006
Table 12: Employment by fisheries sub-sector, region and gender, 2005
REGION FISHERIES FISHING PROCESSING AQUACULTURE
NUTS-2 TOTAL M F Total M F Total M F Total
National total 3955 1894 18 1912 1014 829 1843 174 26 200 (99%) (1%) (55%) (45%) (87%) (13%) se01 Stockholm 84 40 0 40 22 18 40 4 1 4 se02 Östra Mellansverig 153 140 1 141 3 3 6 5 1 6 se04 Sydsverige 695 374 4 378 155 127 283 30 4 34 se06 Norra Mellansverig 87 76 1 77 4 3 7 3 0 4 se07 Mellersta Norrland 52 31 0 31 10 8 19 2 0 2 se08 Övre Norrland 276 90 1 91 94 77 170 13 2 15 se09 Småland med öarna 260 213 2 215 19 15 34 10 1 11 se0a Västsverige 2347 930 9 939 707 578 1285 107 16 123
Source: Salz et al., 2006
53 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
54 Fisheries in Sweden
7. FISH MARKET
In 2008, Sweden made up 2% of the total West European fresh and processed fish market, with a value of 1482.2 million EUR (Food For Thought, 2009). Out of this, fresh fish represents 21%, canned fish - 25%, frozen fish 31% and other processed fish (i.e. dried, smoked and salted fish) - 23% (Figure 13). Within the fresh and processed fish sector, the retail market is worth 1194.6 million EUR (81%), and the catering market 287.5 million EUR (19%).
Figure 13: Total 2008 Swedish fresh and processed fish market by product
23% 21%
Fresh fish Canned fish Frozen fish Dried, smoked and salted fish
25% 31%
Data source: Food For Thought, 2009
There are three functioning fish auctions in Sweden, all of them located along the West coast. The main one is in Göteborg and two smaller ones further north in Smögen and Strömstad. The ownership picture differs between the three, but the running of the auctions is in all three cases financed by those who use its services and not financed by the public sector.
The 2008 per capita consumption of fish products in Sweden was 21.28 kg (fresh fish - 5.55 kg, canned fish - 4.51 kg, frozen fish - 7.39 kg and other processed fish - 3.83 kg; Food For Thought, 2009). This figure has increased in recent years, especially as concerns frozen fish and dried, smoked and salted fish products, whereas the per capita consumption of fresh fish has slightly reduced.
The demand for eco-labeled food products is also growing. In Sweden the main eco- labelling organization is KRAV. KRAV is organised as an incorporated association with, at present, 27 members. They represent farmers, processors, trade and also consumer, environmental and animal welfare interests. Producers and companies that are certified by KRAV pay a fee to cover expenses.
The amount of products on the market from KRAV-labelled fisheries is now increasing strongly. First there were prawns, then herring and then came KRAV-labelled frozen cod, haddock, saithe, cage-caught marine crayfish and a number of processed products in rapid succession.
55 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Box 3: Ecolabeling
ECOLABELING
Seafood from well managed fisheries Ecolabeling is a market-based tool, allowing consumers to choose seafood only from well managed fisheries. To strengthen the credibility of ecolabels, third-party certification is often required. The most notable certification body is the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which has certified a number of fisheries as meeting their standards for sustainability. To use an ecolabel will in most cases also require some kind of traceability to ensure that fish with the right to an ecolabel is not mixed with other fish in the supply chain.
Certification, labelling, or meeting specific standards segment the market into those products where the standard is met, and those where it is not. Meeting the standards requires that producers provide information that otherwise would not be provided and carry out costly additions to the production processes they otherwise would not undertake. These burdens make some producers unable or unwilling to meet the standards, and therefore further segments the market.
Source: Asche and Smith, 2010
The KRAV system approves fisheries in two steps. In the first step, the application to open a fishery is approved. This involves a KRAV committee of experts (the fishing committee), which evaluates whether fishing will be carried out on stocks that are within biologically safe limits, whether the equipment is sufficiently selective and whether the target species contains abnormal levels of environmental toxins. In order to ensure that all supporting data are correct and that the process is transparent, the evaluation is sent out for consultation, together with a proposal on whether to grant or reject the application. The consultation is open for anybody to respond to. On the basis of the fisheries committee’s evaluation and proposed decision and the responses obtained during the consultation process, KRAV then takes a decision on whether to approve the fishery or not. This decision also specifies the equipment permitted for use and other conditions for approved fishing.
When a fishery has been approved, individual fishing vessels or a fishing company can apply for certification of its operations according to KRAV standards.
Fisheries approved by KRAV are:
Haddock (Vesterålen) Deep-water prawn (Skagerrak) Norway lobster (Kattegat and Skagerrak) Saithe (North Sea, Barents Sea) Deep-water prawn (Barents Sea) Cod (North Sea, Barents Sea) Haddock (North Sea, Barents Sea) Herring (North Sea, Barents Sea)
56 Fisheries in Sweden
Several other applications are in progress:
Cod (around Greenland - NAFO 1 and ICES XIV2b) Blue mussels (along the coast of Bohuslän) Cod (Baltic Sea) Salmon trout, charr and whitefish (Fyresdalsvattnet, Norway) Pikeperch, whitefish and vendace (Lake Vänern) Krill (Antarctic Ocean)
Products with the label of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) are also available to Swedish consumers (see also Box 3).
In January 2010 Sweden’s Eastern and Western Baltic cod fisheries have started their assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. The Swedish fishery is the third Baltic cod fishery to enter assessment this year following the Denmark Eastern Baltic cod in August and the Germany Eastern Baltic cod which entered assessment in November. If the fishery is successful, then Swedish Baltic cod will be eligible to bear the MSC ecolabel once Chain of Custody traceability has been established.
In April 2010 the Swedish Pelagic Producers Organisation (Sveriges Pelagiska Producent Organisation) has entered its North East Atlantic mackerel fishery for full assessment under the MSC certification programme. The fishery will be assessed against the MSC standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries, and, if successful, its products will be allowed to display the MSC ecolabel.
57 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
58 Fisheries in Sweden
8. MARINE RESEARCH
As the central managing authority for fisheries in Sweden, the SBF is also involved with research for sustainable development of the marine environment and biodiversity conservation, through its Research and Development Department. Fisheries research carried out under its auspices is designed to provide the biological basis for a better and sustainable use of fish resources, to preserve marine, brackish and freshwater habitats of importance for fisheries and to maintain a healthy environment. Most of the research is therefore focussed on long term trends and predictions.
The SBF Research and Development Department has three research units:
Institute of Marine Research in Lysekil on the West coast of Sweden, with its branch the Baltic Research Laboratory in Karlskrona on the Baltic coast, Institute of Coastal Research, in Öregrund on the Baltic coast, Institute of Freshwater Research in Drottningholm, close to Stockholm.
Also, it has three research offices in Luleå, Härnösand and Jönköping, which investigate issues potentially harmful to fisheries, such as contaminating discharges from industries and construction work in waters.
The SBF has two fishery research vessels, Argos (64 m) and Ancylus (19 m), the latter for coastal investigations, and the remote operated vehicle (ROV) Sjöugglan (together with Kristineberg Marine Research Station and others).
The SBF is funding most of the current research of the Institute of Marine Research and of the Institute of Coastal Research. It is also funding operational costs for the two research vessels. In addition, the SBF is funding special projects in the field of fisheries development and in applied research, mainly at university institutes.
Research at the SBF is targeted at improving knowledge about fish stock, fishery technology and the environmental effects of fishery. The SBF acquires data about fish stocks and the environment, and calculates the size of the fish stocks and how they are influenced by fishing. Also, it develops new, selective and more environmentally friendly fishing gear. Other activities are targeted at restoring the natural living environment of the fish, in relation with the restoration of migration routes. The SBF develops action programmes for threatened strains and species of fish, conducts breeding activities and works to improve farming techniques.
The research results are conveyed principally through scientific advice regarding the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, Baltic Sea and large lakes, and via general advice for fish management in Swedish waters. This takes place both through international work within the framework of the EU data collection ordinance, ICES and the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), as well as nationally through the annual report entitled "Fish stocks and the environment in the sea and freshwater" and other reports that are produced to provide data for administration. The advice is also intended to provide supporting information for measures so that the national environmental quality goals can be achieved.
59 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Institute of Marine Research (created in 1929) The Institute of Marine Research (Havsfiskelaboratoriet) in Lysekil with its Baltic Research Station in Karlskrona is the centre of marine fisheries research. The results are to a large extent based on cruise data obtained from the two SBF research vessels.
Main activities: Analysis of Swedish catches of finfish and shellfish; hydroacoustic surveys of pelagic fish (herring and sprat); growth and reproduction of pelagic and demersal fish (mostly herring and Baltic cod); tagging of Baltic cod; multispecies models in the Baltic and in the Skagerrak and Kattegat; studies on Nephrops; diseases and parasites of finfish and shellfish; effects of stocking of plaice in the Kattegat; by-catches of trawls and other gear; effects of trawls on the sea floor; selection capacity of trawls; mapping and characterisation of the sea floor; hydrodynamics and production in the Skagerrak; bioeconomic models of pelagic fisheries; the Öresund-bridge and its ecological effects.
Institute of Coastal Research (created in 1970/1991) The Institute of Coastal Research (Kustlaboratoriet) in Öregrund is responsible for investigations on coastal fish populations, including estimating their abundance, in response to ‘natural’ environmental changes. Monitoring of the effects of industries on coastal fisheries is an important part of the work of the institute.
Main activities: Recruitment of fish, models of fish reproduction, prognosis, management issues of coastal fisheries. Fish resources: stock assessment, professional and semi- professional fisheries, development of fisheries and handling of fish, recreational fisheries. Environmental disturbances: reference areas (e.g. guidelines for coastal monitoring), investigations on recipients, environmental alerts and descriptions of consequences of environmental changes (e.g. effects of nuclear power stations, of cooling waters, of toxic substances, the Öresund bridge).
Institute of Freshwater Research (created in 1933) The Institute of Freshwater Research (Sötvattenslaboratoriet) in Drottningholm is the centre for studies of the freshwater environment, such as counteracting the acidification of lakes, protection of fish populations and the preservation of fish resources in different aquatic systems. There are also two fishery research stations, in Älvkarleby and in Kälarne, for field research in fresh waters and rearing of salmon and trout.
There are also a number of institutes and university marine stations which undertake research in relation to the marine environment and/or to fisheries.
The Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences (created in 2008) The Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences (Sven Lovén Centrum för Marina Vetenskaper) merged the Kristineberg Marine Research Station (created in 1877) and the Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory (created in 1963), both located on the West coast of Sweden: Kristineberg by the Gullmarsfjord and Tjärnö by the Kosterfjord. The Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences is an organisation in the marine studies infrastructure at the University of Göteborg. The Lovén Centre has several ships (Skagerak, Oscar von Sydow, Nereus and Lophelia), and other smaller boats. The creation of the Centre was brought about in order to strengthen and streamline the marine sciences infrastructure and therefore to create a national and international resource for research in the marine sciences. The Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences brings together a range of research areas and groups of researchers both from the University of Göteborg and the Royal Swedish Academy of
60 Fisheries in Sweden
Sciences. The Lovén Centre is also open to guest researchers and course activity all year round.
Askö Laboratory (created in 1961) Askö Laboratory of the Stockholm Marine Research Centre (Stockholms Marina Forskningscentrum) belongs to the University of Stockholm, and is located in the Trosa archipelago. It specializes in marine research in the Baltic and higher education at different levels, monitoring of long-term changes in the marine environment, research on the food web in the Baltic and its changes as a consequence of wide-scale environmental changes. As facilities at sea it has several smaller research vessels.
Klubban Biological Station (created in 1915) Klubban Biological Station, situated by Gullmarsfjorden on the West coast of Sweden, is a part of Uppsala University. The station was founded from a donation to Uppsala University to promote research and education in marine biology. The original building has been enlarged several times since then and today the station is a modern service institution with broad biological emphases.
Marine Environment Institute (created in 2008) In order to enhance the capacity of Swedish marine environment research and to reinforce international work on the oceans, the Swedish Government has resolved to establish the new Marine Environment Institute (Havsmiljöinstitutet). The management of the Institute is located in Göteborg, but the work is carried out in collaboration between Umeå University, Stockholm University, Linnaeus University and University of Göteborg.
Other university stations
Umeå Marine Sciences Centre (Umeå Marina Forskningscentrum) undertakes research in the Gulf of Bothnia. The centre is a part of the Umeå University, and is responsible for environmental monitoring as well as for spreading information about its research.
Swedish Agricultural University - The Swedish Agricultural University at Ultuna has a chair on aquaculture, located at the University of Umeå.
University of Stockholm - The Laboratory for Aquatic Ecotoxicology and the Institute of Applied Environmental Research at Nyköping carry out research on fisheries and environmental issues.
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62 Fisheries in Sweden
REFERENCES
Agnew D.J., Mitchell E., Savage S.P., White C.S., 2009. Fisheries Recovery and Management Plans since 2002. European Parliament, Policy Department Structural and Cohesion Policies - Fisheries, 162 pp.
Alheit J., Hagen E., 1997. Long-term climate forcing of European herring and sardine populations. Fish. Oceanogr. 6, 130–139.
Almesjö L., Limén H., 2009. Fish populations in Swedish waters. How are they influenced by fishing, eutrophication and contaminants? The Riksdag Printing Office, Stockholm, 80 pp.
Asche F., Smith M.D., 2010. Trade and Fisheries: Key Issues for the World Trade Organization. World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division, 62 pp.
Bergström U., Ask L., Degerman E., Svedäng H., Svenson A., Ulmestrand M., 2007. Effekter av fredningsområden på fisk och kräftdjur i svenska vatten. Fiskeriverket, Finfo 2007:2.
Eero M., MacKenzie B.R., Karlsdóttir H.M., Gaumiga R., 2007. Development of international fisheries for the eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) from the late 1880s until 1938. Fish. Res. 87, 155–166.
EU Project Balance, http://balance-eu.org
Eurostat, 2007. Fisheries statistics, Data 1990-2006, Collection Pocketbooks, Theme Agriculture and Fisheries, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (Luxembourg), 61 pp.
FAO, www.fao.org/fishery/countrysector/FI-CP_SE/
Fiskeriverket, 2009. Fish stocks and environment in marine and inland waters. Swedish assessments 2009, 32 pp.
Food for Thought, 2009. Fresh and processed fish markets. Prepared for European Parliament, Brusssels, 62 pp.
Harding K.C., Härkönen T.J., 1999. Development in the Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and ringed seal (Phoca hispida) populations during the 20th century. Ambio 28/7, 619–627.
ICES, 2006. Report of the study group on multispecies assessment in the Baltic. ICES CM 2006/BCC:07.
ICES, 2007. Report of the Baltic Fisheries Assessment Working Group (WGBFAS), 17 – 26 April 2007, ICES Headquarters. ICES CM 2007/ACFM:15, 727 pp.
Jennings S., Greenstreet S.P.R., Reynolds J.D., 1999. Structural change in an exploited fish community: a consequence of differential fishing effects on species with contrasting life histories. J. Animal Ecol. 68, 617–627.
Karlsson O., Härkönen T., Bäcklin B-M., 2007. Sälar på uppgång. Havet 2007, 84–89.
Lövgren J., Hjelm J., Ringdahl K., Storr-Paulsen M., Gröhsler T., 2009. Studies and pilot projects for carrying out the Common Fisheries Policy, Lot 3 - Evaluation of the pilot
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effort regime in Kattegat. Swedish Board of Fisheries (IMR-SE) and Technical University of Denmark (DTU-Aqua), 50pp.
MacKenzie B.R., Alheit J., Conley D.J., Holm P., Kinze C.C., 2002. Ecological hypotheses for a historical reconstruction of upper trophic level biomass in the Baltic Sea and Skagerrak. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 59, 173–190.
MacKenzie B.R., Schiedek D., 2007. Long-term sea surface temperature baselines-time series, spatial covariation and implications for biological processes. J. Mar. Syst. 68, 405–420.
MRAG Consortium, 2009. An analysis of existing Rights-Based Management (RBM) instruments in Member States and on setting up best practices in the EU (FISH/2007/03). Final Report II, Catalogue of Rights-Based Management Instruments in coastal EU Member States, 243 pp.
OSPAR, 2007. 2006 Report on the Status of the OSPAR Network of Marine Protected Areas, 19 pp.
Poulsen B., Holm B., MacKenzie B.R., 2007. A long-term (1667–1860) perspective on impacts of fishing and environmental variability on fisheries for herring, eel, and whitefish in the Limfjord, Denmark. Fish. Res. 87, 181–195.
Rijnsdorp A.D., vanLeeuwen P.I., Daan N., Heessen H.J.L., 1996. Changes in abundance of demersal fish species in the North Sea between 1906–1909 and 1990–1995. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 53, 1054–1062.
Salz P., Buisman E., Smit J., de Vos B., 2006. Employment in the fisheries sector: current situation (FISH/2004/4), Final Report, 185 pp.
Schinke H., Matthäus W., 1998. On the causes of major Baltic inflows – an analysis of long time series. Cont. Shelf Res. 18, 67–97.
Sjöstrand B., 2007. Fiskbestånd i utsjön ur balans. Havet 2007, 94–96.
Sköld M., Bergström U., Andreasson J., Westerberg H., Bergström L., Högberg B., Rydgren M., Svedäng H., Piriz L., 2008. Möjligheter till och konsekvenser av fiskefria områden. Interim report to the Government 2008-03-01. Fiskeriverket, Finfo 2008:1.
Statistics Sweden, www.scb.se
Svedäng H., Bardon G., 2003. Spatial and temporal aspects of the decline in cod (Gadus morhua L.) abundance in the Kattegatt and eastern Skagerrak. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 60, 32–37.
Svedäng H., Hagberg J., Börjesson P., Svensson A., Vitale F., 2004. Bottenfisk i Västerhavet. Fyra studier av beståndens status, utveckling och lekområden vid den svenska västkusten. Fiskeriverket, Finfo 2004:6.
Swedish Board of Fisheries, www.fiskeriverket.se
Thurow F., 1997. Estimation of the total fish biomass in the Baltic Sea during the 20th century. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 54, 444–461.
Wood L. J., 2007. MPA Global: A database of the world's marine protected areas. Sea Around Us Project, UNEP-WCMC & WWF. www.mpaglobal.org
64 Fisheries in Sweden
ANNEX 1: SWEDISH FISHERIES – A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW11
In Sweden’s marine areas, significant ecosystem changes occurred in time, both as a result of human activities and of climate and hydrographic variations (Schinke and Matthäus, 1998; MacKenzie and Schiedek, 2007). A number of marine species have shown large population fluctuations since the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
We know that intensive fishing for herring took place in the western Baltic and the Öresund from the 12th century until the end of the 17th century. Cod, on the other hand, appears to have been fished on a large scale only at certain periods between the 16th century and the mid-19th century (MacKenzie et al., 2002). The expansion of professional cod fishing in the Baltic began in the 1930s but did not have its big upswing until the 1950s (MacKenzie et al., 2002; Eero et al. 2007). Baltic stocks of cod, herring, and sprat appear to have been small in the early 20th century, probably as a consequence of a high level of predation by seals and porpoises, in combination with low levels of nutrients and thus lower production than today. With intensified agriculture in Sweden in the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the nutrient load into the sea increased. This stimulated primary production and probably also the production of fish (Thurow, 1997).
Stocks of cod, herring and sprat increased substantially between the 1950s and the 1970s. A number of years with favourable conditions for reproduction yielded uncommonly large year classes of cod between 1976 and 1982. These constituted the basis for the considerable growth of the cod fishery between 1980 and 1985, when more than twice as much cod was caught annually compared to the catches in the 1970s (Sjöstrand, 2007). After this peak, both landings and abundance of cod in the Baltic Sea have steadily declined. In 2005 the eastern stocks were lower than ever previously recorded in the data series of the ICES (1966–2005; ICES 2006). During the period 1967–1992 cod stocks in the Baltic varied dramatically, partly due to varying saltwater inflow. Fishing pressure also increased considerably during this period. The combination of these two factors led to the small cod stocks currently seen.
Compared to cod, the abundance of sprat has developed in a diametrically opposite way, doubling their numbers from the mid-1980s up to the present (Sjöstrand, 2007). This increase can partly be explained by the decrease in cod stocks, as cod is the most important sprat predator. Some years with favourable climatic conditions for sprat reproduction have, however, also contributed to the increase.
In Bohuslän on the West coast of Sweden, large-scale herring fishing has taken place since at least the 12th century (Alheit and Hagen, 1997). There are documents describing the vast shoals of herring appearing in certain periods – known as herring years – which were of great socio-economic value. During the herring years large quantities of spawned herring spent the winter in the fjords of Bohuslän and supported a large-scale fishing industry. There are nine confirmed herring periods, varying from 20 up to 100 years. They are principally explained by unusually favourable climate for herring during these periods (Alheit and Hagen, 1997). Until the beginning of the 1900s, the fjords of Bohuslän were fished using permanent nets or seine nets pulled out from the beach. Big catches could therefore only be taken when the herring remained close to the shore.
11 Source: Almesjö et Limén, 2009
65 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Fish stocks in the Skagerrak and in the north eastern parts of the North Sea (also known as Jäderen) were primarily fished by Swedish fishermen during the 1800s, although Norwegian and Danish fishermen also participated to a certain extent. Species caught were ling, cod, tuskfish (”lubb”) and other demersal species, principally in shallow areas with a depth of between 80 and 300 metres. The fishing season started in February/March and lasted until August/September using long-line boats whose lines were equipped with hooks (Poulsen et al., 2007).
Advances, particularly in engine and fishing equipment technology, have been indispensable in the development of more intensive fishing. On the basis of log books and other early records, researchers have estimated that the whole of the North Sea was being fished around 1900, and with the exception of the periods around the first and second world wars, fishing efforts have been increasing steadily since then (Rijnsdorp et al., 1996; Jennings et al., 1999). Many species in the North Sea have shown a tendency to decrease as a result of this intensive fishing. These are principally large, fish-eating species like cod, ling and haddock (Svedäng and Bardon, 2003). Other long-lived species that are not fished commercially, e.g. lantern shark, rabbitfish, lesser redfish, grenadier and blue skate, have also become increasingly rare (Svedäng et al., 2004).
During the 20th century, populations of grey seals and ringed seals in the Baltic Sea were decimated by almost 95% (Harding and Härkönen, 1999) both as a result of intensive hunting (mainly between 1900 and 1940) and later contaminants that made reproduction more difficult for the seals (mainly between 1965 and 1975). In certain areas of the East coast of Sweden and of the west coast, the grey seal was completely extinct. After seal hunting was prohibited in 1988, the grey seal has increased by roughly 8% annually and it is estimated that there are now some 25 000 grey seals in the Baltic. This number can be compared with the 100 000 grey seals estimated to have lived in the Baltic in 1900 (Karlsson et al., 2007). Ringed seals, found principally in the Gulf of Bothnia, have increased by roughly 4% annually since 1988 to number around 5000 in 2006. This relatively modest increase is probably a consequence of ringed seals still being notably affected by contaminants, which leads to a reduced reproductive capacity in the female seals (Karlsson et al., 2007).
66 Fisheries in Sweden
ANNEX 2 Map 8: Swedish fishing zones and corresponding ICES divisions and sub- divisions. Nordsjön=North Sea, Östersjön=Baltic Sea
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
67 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
68 Fisheries in Sweden
ANNEX 3 Table 13: Landings of sea fisheries in Sweden by coastal region (landed weight), 2008 WEST SOUTH EAST TOTAL TOTAL SPECIES ABROAD COAST COAST COAST (t) (%) Eel 156 110 116 5 387 0,18 Salmon - 15 79 0 95 0,04 Trout - 1 1 0 2 0,00 Vendace 0 - 23 - 23 0,01 Whitefish 3 6 31 - 40 0,02 Other freshwater fish 9 20 35 0 63 0,03 Halibut 3 - - 5 8 0,00 Plaice 284 124 - 74 481 0,22 Witch 228 - 0 18 246 0,11 Dab 1 3 - 4 7 0,00 Lemon sole 5 - - 12 17 0,01 Flounder 12 113 13 7 145 0,07 Common sole 18 0 - 7 26 0,01 Brill 19 0 0 2 21 0,01 Turbot 6 19 16 3 44 0,02 Other flatfish - - - 0 0 0,00 Cod 366 9315 109 709 10498 4,79 Haddock 170 0 0 114 285 0,13 Saithe 247 0 10 685 942 0,43 Pollack 21 - - 36 58 0,03 Ling 17 - 0 23 40 0,02 Tusk 1 - - 2 4 0,00 Whiting 42 29 - 6 77 0,04 Hake 72 0 0 64 137 0,06 Other gadoids - 0 0 2 2 0,00 Weever 8 - - 0 8 0,00 Catfish 10 - - 24 34 0,02 Gurnard 3 0 - 1 4 0,00 Lumpfish 1 5 - 16 22 0,01 Anglerfish 22 - - 56 78 0,04 Garfish 0 1 - 0 1 0,00 Herring 15687 8080 9724 16417 49869 22,78 Sprat 1181 1490 19956 639 23266 10,63 Mackerel 114 3 - 3141 3258 1,49 Porbeagle - - - - 0 0,00 Dogfish 75 0 - 1 76 0,03 Other marine fish 110 1 5 2 119 0,05 Crab 84 0 0 0 85 0,04 Lobster 16 0 - 0 16 0,01 Norway lobster 1314 0 1 114 1429 0,65 Deep-water prawn raw 1114 - - 11 1125 0,51 Deep-water prawn processed 1200 - - 3 1203 0,55 Other crustaceans and mollusks 4 - - 1 5 0,00
Fish for reduction 287 7075 10611 106546 124520 56,87 Liver 1 27 - 3 31 0,01 Roe 5 106 22 24 158 0,07
Total 2008 22879 26544 40754 128779 218956 100,00 Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
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Table 14: Landings of sea fisheries in Sweden by coastal region (value), 2008 TOTAL WEST SOUTH EAST TOTAL SPECIES ABROAD (thousand COAST COAST COAST (%) SEK) Eel 7833 5684 6429 307 20252 2,09 Salmon - 765 2482 11 3257 0,34 Trout - 34 31 2 67 0,01 Vendace 0 - 471 - 472 0,05 Whitefish 123 118 895 - 1136 0,12 Other freshwater fish 286 289 481 0 1056 0,11 Halibut 341 - - 391 732 0,08 Plaice 6807 1748 - 1292 9846 1,02 Witch 9938 - 12 569 10518 1,09 Dab 4 10 - 29 43 0,00 Lemon sole 267 - - 528 796 0,08 Flounder 73 525 150 29 777 0,08 Common sole 1961 32 - 961 2955 0,31 Brill 1031 7 2 87 1123 0,12 Turbot 522 672 519 312 2026 0,21 Other flatfish - - - 10 10 0,00 Cod 9862 151568 1560 19664 182654 18,86 Haddock 3536 1 5 1638 5179 0,53 Saithe 2374 0 87 6040 8502 0,88 Pollack 576 - - 888 1464 0,15 Ling 467 - 0 385 852 0,09 Tusk 81 - - 29 111 0,01 Whiting 795 385 - 55 1235 0,13 Hake 1769 0 1 1276 3047 0,31 Other gadoids 0 0 0 0 1 0,00 Weever 188 - - 0 188 0,02 Catfish 537 - - 878 1415 0,15 Gurnard 34 0 - 3 38 0,00 Lumpfish 24 53 - 365 442 0,05 Anglerfish 2255 - - 2766 5021 0,52 Garfish 1 9 - 8 17 0,00 Herring 57568 29283 19975 79857 186682 19,28 Sprat 8619 3717 30633 921 43913 4,53 Mackerel 3292 70 - 44599 47961 4,95 Porbeagle - - - - - Dogfish 991 0 - 21 1013 0,10 Other marine fish 3345 88 14 31 3478 0,36 Crab 2298 5 12 2 2316 0,24 Lobster 5530 7 - 1 5538 0,57 Norway lobster 111207 15 52 8749 120022 12,39 Deep-water prawn raw 14948 - - 220 15168 1,57 Deep-water prawn processed 93225 - - 228 93453 9,65 Other crustaceans and mollusks 172 - - 42 214 0,02
Fish for reduction 254 6969 10439 151869 169531 17,51 Liver 33 191 - 30 254 0,03 Roe 326 2150 9576 1610 13662 1,41
Total 2008 353494 204394 83850 326704 968442 100,00
Source: SBF, www.fiskeriverket.se
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FISH SPECIES - DICTIONARY (ENGLISH-SWEDISH)
Anglerfish Marulk Brill Slätvar Catfish Havskatt Cod Torsk Common sole Äkta tunga Crab Krabba Dab Sandskädda Deep-water prawn Nordhavsräka Dogfish Pigghaj Eel Ål Flounder Skrubbskädda Garfish Horngädda Gurnard Knot Haddock Kolja Hake Kummel Halibut Hälleflundra Herring Sill/Strömming Lemon sole Bergtunga Ling Långa Lobster Hummer Lumpfish Sjurygg/Stenbit Mackerel Makrill Mussel Blåmussla Norway lobster Havskräfta Other crustaceans and mollusks Övriga kräft- och blötdjur Other flatfish Övrig flundrefisk Other freshwater fish Övrig sötvattenfisk Other gadoids Övrig torskfisk Other marine fish Övrig saltvattenfisk Oyster Ostron Plaice Rödspotta Pollack Lyrtorsk Saithe Gråsej Salmon Lax Sandeel Tobis Sardine Sardin Sprat Skarpsill Trout Öring
71 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies
Turbot Piggvar Tusk Lubb Vendace Siklöja Weever Fjärsing Whitefish Sik Whiting Vitling Witch Rödtunga
Abborre Perch Ål Eel Gädda Pike Gös Pikeperch Kräfta Crayfish Lax Salmon Löjrom Vendace roe Öring Trout Sik Whitefish Siklöja Vendace
Fish for reduction Foderfisk Liver Lever Roe Rom
72 Fisheries in Sweden
NOTES
73
Directorate-General FOR Internal Policies POLICY DEPARTMENT Directorate-General FOR Internal Policies STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIESB
POLICY DEPARTMENT AgricultureAgriculture and Rural and Development Rural Development STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES B CultureCulture and Education and Education Role
The Policy Departments are research units that provide specialised advice Fisheries to committees, inter-parliamentary delegations and other parliamentary bodies. Fisheries RegionalRegional Development Development Policy Areas TransportTransport and andTourism Tourism Agriculture and Rural Development Culture and Education Fisheries Regional Development Transport and Tourism
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