370
B. Glaeser
A critical study issued by the Swedish Ministry of Finances reveals a lack of efficiency
and perhaps even fraud in Swedish fisheries. Subsidies work towards stock depletion, according to the authors, and are thus counterproductive from the sustainability, i.e. resource
conservation, perspective. In addition, the authors claim that Swedish fishery policy is
shaped by a small number of people who mainly represent interest groups, specifically
by Fiskeriverket, the Swedish National Board of Fisheries (Hultkranz et al. 1997).
The interest in coastal management, not least coastal fisheries, has increased in the
'90S among politicians and administrators, both at the national and at the European
Union (EU) level. Sustainable development is a political issue for Swedish archipelago
areas as the government report "Hllibar utveckling i Sveriges skiirgardsomraden" (Sustainable development in Sweden's archipelagos) (Miljovardsberedningen 1996) clearly
po.ints out. The problematic pertaining to fish and fisheries as addressed by the
SUCOZOMA program were emphasized in the report. As a result, the Swedish government ordered seven provinces to implement the recommendations given. This decisionhas provided the SUCOZOMA program with the excellent opportunity to study
and, perhaps, influence this strategic process at precisely the right time. This chance is
being used by means of meetings and seminars with communal planners who showed
specific interest for the improvement of recruitment areas of predatory fish which is a
SUCOZOMA project theme.
For the first program year (1997), scientific results were neither expected nor
planned. Two surprising observations can be reported, however. The project "Enhancement of sea trout in the Baltic" had released trout fry in 1995 in the area near the island
of Gotland soon after hatching. This was done in an attempt to eliminate the severe
limitations to recruitment posed by the small size of the local spawning brooks and
by the risk that these brooks dry up during the summer. In the fall of 1997, the first
spawners emanating from these releases returned. This fortunate incident happened
one year earlier than expected and indicates an already successfully functioning solution for sea trout improvement.
A second, yet less fortunate observation was made in the sound of Kalmar (Baltic
Sea), in one of the model areas for the "Improvement of recruitment areas of predatory fish". A fry suryey indicated an almost total lack of recruitment of pike and perch,
two of the target species, along a considerable part of the coastline. 2 The absence of
fish caused not only great distress among the fishermen but attention by the press
merua, and it alarmed the provincial government. The latter suggested to support additional documentation and analysis of the problem with the aim to arrive at a solution as soon as possible.
19.5.2
Eutrophication 3
Eutrophication is a change towards a more nutrient-rich state. Eutrophication of marine areas accompanied by pronounced mass growth of algae has been recorded over
2 This was confirmed by personal communications with Jan Andersson, Fiskeriverket, and local fishermen on 9th April 1998.
3 The comments under this heading are owed to Ragna~ Elmgren, SUCOZOMA program.
B. Glaeser
A critical study issued by the Swedish Ministry of Finances reveals a lack of efficiency
and perhaps even fraud in Swedish fisheries. Subsidies work towards stock depletion, according to the authors, and are thus counterproductive from the sustainability, i.e. resource
conservation, perspective. In addition, the authors claim that Swedish fishery policy is
shaped by a small number of people who mainly represent interest groups, specifically
by Fiskeriverket, the Swedish National Board of Fisheries (Hultkranz et al. 1997).
The interest in coastal management, not least coastal fisheries, has increased in the
'90S among politicians and administrators, both at the national and at the European
Union (EU) level. Sustainable development is a political issue for Swedish archipelago
areas as the government report "Hllibar utveckling i Sveriges skiirgardsomraden" (Sustainable development in Sweden's archipelagos) (Miljovardsberedningen 1996) clearly
po.ints out. The problematic pertaining to fish and fisheries as addressed by the
SUCOZOMA program were emphasized in the report. As a result, the Swedish government ordered seven provinces to implement the recommendations given. This decisionhas provided the SUCOZOMA program with the excellent opportunity to study
and, perhaps, influence this strategic process at precisely the right time. This chance is
being used by means of meetings and seminars with communal planners who showed
specific interest for the improvement of recruitment areas of predatory fish which is a
SUCOZOMA project theme.
For the first program year (1997), scientific results were neither expected nor
planned. Two surprising observations can be reported, however. The project "Enhancement of sea trout in the Baltic" had released trout fry in 1995 in the area near the island
of Gotland soon after hatching. This was done in an attempt to eliminate the severe
limitations to recruitment posed by the small size of the local spawning brooks and
by the risk that these brooks dry up during the summer. In the fall of 1997, the first
spawners emanating from these releases returned. This fortunate incident happened
one year earlier than expected and indicates an already successfully functioning solution for sea trout improvement.
A second, yet less fortunate observation was made in the sound of Kalmar (Baltic
Sea), in one of the model areas for the "Improvement of recruitment areas of predatory fish". A fry suryey indicated an almost total lack of recruitment of pike and perch,
two of the target species, along a considerable part of the coastline. 2 The absence of
fish caused not only great distress among the fishermen but attention by the press
merua, and it alarmed the provincial government. The latter suggested to support additional documentation and analysis of the problem with the aim to arrive at a solution as soon as possible.
19.5.2
Eutrophication 3
Eutrophication is a change towards a more nutrient-rich state. Eutrophication of marine areas accompanied by pronounced mass growth of algae has been recorded over
2 This was confirmed by personal communications with Jan Andersson, Fiskeriverket, and local fishermen on 9th April 1998.
3 The comments under this heading are owed to Ragna~ Elmgren, SUCOZOMA program.