Baltic Salmon protection needs and proper management

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1 Baltic Salmon protection needs and proper management presented at Seminar Future for Salmon River Luga 9 December 2009, Kingisepp, Russia Mr Gunnar Norén Executive Secretary to Coalition Clean Baltic 1

2 Goals of the Seminar Future for the Salmon River Luga -Raise awareness of the values of the wild Luga river salmon -Initiate activities for a Salmon management/restoration plan for Luga river -L -Activate joint work and co-operation for restoration of the wild Luga salmon stock 2

3 Presentation will include aspects: Baltic Salmon Management for the Future - Presentation of Coalition Clean Baltic - Status of wild Baltic salmon - Baltic salmon management and political decisions (HELCOM and EC) - Salmon River Management Plans - Salmon monitoring 3

4 Coalition Clean Baltic - For protection of the Baltic Sea Environment CCB Joining forces for the Baltic CCB is a network of Environmental NGOs, grass-root level, in 9 countries bordering the Baltic Sea CCB was established in 1990 CCB is environmental Citizens Organisations (ECO) in cooperation CCB has 25 member organizations that represents more than 0,5 million individual members CCB has organisations in: Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine 4

5 Member organisations Belarus EcoHome Partners: CES, Birdlife, Neman Env Group Denmark Danish Society for Nature Conservation Estonia Estonian Green Movement Estonian Society for Nature Conservation Finland Finnish Association for Nature Conservation Finnish Society for Nature and Environment Germany Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland Latvia Environmental Protection Club of Latvia, VAK Latvian Green Movement, LGM Lithuania Lithuanian Fund for Nature Lithuania Lithuanian Green Movement Environmental Information Centre Poland Ecobaltic Foundation, Gdansk Ecological Library Foundation, Poznan Green Federation, GAJA, Szczecin Polish Ecological Club Russia Friends of the Baltic, St. Petersburg Ecodefense, Kaliningrad Green World, St. Petersburg Neva River Clearwater, St. Petersburg GUIDE Environmental Group, Kaliningrad Sweden Friends of the Earth Sweden Swedish Society for Nature Conservation Swedish-Polish Association for Environmental Protection WWF-Sweden 5

6 The Baltic Sea The second biggest sea in the world with brackishwater and its ecosystem is unique. One of the most polluted seas in the world. The Baltic Sea is neither dead or dying but it is a sea in great trouble. 6

7 3 Priority Areas Promotion of Good ecological water status, - sustainable Wastewater management - sustainable River Basin Management - water protection measures in Agriculture Prevention of installations and transports harmful to the Baltic Sea environment and coastal areas - Protection of the Baltic Sea environment from harmful impacts of installations and transports - Promotion of sustainable development in coastal zones - Protection of Baltic river ecosystems from harmful installations (hydtoelectric power plants, dams etc ) Development of sustainable Baltic Sea fisheries - Protection of the naturally spawning Baltic Salmon - Baltic Sea sustainable fishing practices 7

8 CCB activities for Baltic salmon protection - Inventories and studies of wild Baltic Sea salmon populations in Eastern Europe ( Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus) - Habitat Restoration of salmon spawning bottoms in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania - River clean-up actions in small rivers in Estonia - Re-introduction of wild salmon in small rivers of Pomerania, Poland - Construction of a Fish-ladder for salmonids in Vilnale river (close to Vilnius), Lithuania - Study trips to well-functioning fish-ways in Baltic Sea region -Organising National and International seminar on Baltic salmon management -Participate in BS RAC(Regional Advisory Council for Fisheries) Influence new EU Baltic Salmon Managment Plan 8

9 Map from The Status of the Wild Atlantic Salmon a river by river assessment

10 International Baltic salmon management IBSFC (International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission)(closed in 2005) Baltic Salmon Action Plan (SAP) The SAP was adopted in 1997 to support the sustainable management of the Baltic salmon and to secure the survival of the wild Baltic salmon populations. SAP goal:reach 50 % of the potential salmon production in each salmon river by

11 Baltic Salmon action plan (SAP) CCB proposal - needed to decide on complementary goals and new actions to be included into the Baltic SAP. Redefinition of objectives for the SAP, in accordance with ICES advice (International Council for Exploration of the Sea) ICES has proposed IBSFC to redefine the objectives for Baltic salmon management (2003) to include - Safeguarding genetic variability - Safeguarding each wild stock including the weakest 11

12 EU (European Union) EU start work for Baltic Salmon Action Plan in 2007/2008 BS RAC (Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council for fisheries) (Fishing industry, Other interest groups, NGOs) -give advice on fisheries to EU -CCB is one NGO-partner -BS RAC Working group Salmon Discuss Baltic salmon in November Provided advice to EC DG Fisheries, April 07 and May 09 EU Present a new Baltic Salmon Management Plan in January

13 Baltic Salmon situation today Salmon quota (TAC) salmon (year 2008) in Baltic Main basin (reported landings in year 2008) in Gulf of Finland (landings in 2008) Fisheries open-sea 24 % (mainly by Pol, Den, Fin, Swe) coastal 51 % rivers approx 25 % Farmed and released salmon 6-7 million per year Production from Natural spawning mainly in a few river in Bothnian Bay increased considerably last years ( approx. 2 million smolts per year) 13

14 Improper commercial fishing policies, and extensive artificial salmon stocking programmes threaten the naturally spawning Baltic salmon. 2/3 of all wild Baltic salmon river populations are threatened (26 river populations ) 14

15 Gulf of Bothnia 15

16 Southern Baltic 16

17 ICES (scientific) advice for Baltic salmon management for 2007 Gulf of Finland - wild salmon stocks very critical situation -Native salmon populations in at least 3 Estonian rivers (genetically distinct from each other) Another 6 wild Estonian rivers supported with smolt releases - Russian Luga river native population, and smolt releases - Poaching a big problem -Recovery programmes should be developed for all rivers 17

18 Gulf of Finland 18

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20 Helcom BSAP (Baltic Sea Action Plan) Biodiversity segment Actions - Active conservation of at least 10 endangered /threatened wild salmon river populations in the Baltic Sea region, by Application in all cases of appropriate breeding and restocking practices for salmon/sea-trout to safeguard the genetic variability of native wild stocks, by 2012 CCB proposal - Russia implement active conservation for Luga salmon river population, incl. safeguarding the genetics of the native wild Luga salmon 20

21 HELCOM project in Overview of the state of salmon and sea trout stocks in Baltic rivers Develop a Baltic Sea salmon/sea trout river inventory and classification - Russian salmon experts needed for the HELCOM work -Time-table, Nov 2009 Sept

22 Salmon fisheries management Fishing in salmon rivers and river-mouths must be restricted and controled carefully each year, and should not be opened until a controled amount of returning spawners (male and female) have reached its spawning grounds for a sustained river population. 22

23 Important components for a Salmon River Management Plan Clear Salmon Management Goals *Production of naturally spawning Baltic salmon shall gradually increase to attain by 2015 a production of wild Baltic salmon of at least 75 % of the estimated potential. *Minimum of spawners returning to and spawning at the spawning areas of each individual river, without support from released salmon. 23

24 Salmon river management plans *Annual standard monitoring of - returning salmon spawners -downstream migration of smolts to Baltic Sea - river water quality data - efficiency of existing fish-ways -proportion of strayers and genetic composition of the populations *Habitat protection/restoration - mapping of important spawning and breeding areas - plan for and implementation of protection/restoration of 75% of the potential spawning and nursing grounds in each 24 individual river

25 *Harvest - fisheries regulations in the river/river mouth that will guarantee a minimum of returning spawners, and the 75% goal of the estimated potential production in each individual river -fisheries regulations should guarantee spawning of both early and late migrating spawners *Control - development of appropriate fisheries control measures to support the salmon management targets - effective control of illegal salmon fisheries - development of regulations for all salmon fisheries(incl. recreational fishing and fishing 25 tourism )

26 Automatic fish counter Continuous control Careful good result Effort small 26

27 Infra red light-curtains Size Speed Direction 27

28 Interpretation and reporting 28

29 Values of Luga river wild salmon - Unique national resource; King of Fish Most important wild salmon river in Gulf of Finland/Baltic Sea main basin -If extincted Important biodiversity value lost forever -If extincted extremly hard to reintroduce, if ever possible -Important local economic resource for future sportfishing (compare Kola peninsula) -Russian responsibility safeguard wild Luga salmon -Today 1500 returning spawners potential is returning adult spawners 29

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32 Not only salmon Färna Bream Pike Beaver Bubbles Sutare 32

33 Number passages per day 33

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35 Agreement EU-Rus cooperation in fisheries and the conservation of the living marine resources in the Baltic Sea (April 2009) Joint Baltic Sea Fisheries Committee Decide on Total allowable catches (TACs) for fish stocks cooperate for the purpose of the conservation of anadromous species (salmon), in order to promote the conservation, restoration, enhancement and rational management of these stocks in the Baltic Sea may agree to extend cooperation on the management of anadromous species, but excluding such species which live their entire 35 life cycle in internal waters