SLU is investing in research for sustainable fisheries management

- We have chosen to focus on topics that are highly relevant for fisheries management and is vital for a sustainable use of aquatic resources, says Joakim Hjelm, Deputy Head of the Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua).

In order to increase the protection of the western cod stock in the Baltic Sea, a catch limit for recreational fishing will be introduced, a decision that sparked debate. One of the new PhD students at SLU Aqua will study the impact of recreational fishing on this particular cod stock.

- Recreational fishing is of great social and economic importance, but may also have a major impact on fish and shellfish. There are growing demands from EU that Sweden should have reliable statistics on recreational fishing, but it is also about developing new methods for data collection from recreational fishing, says Joakim Hjelm.

Salmon is an economically important species for fisheries Swedish. The management is complex since salmon live in different habitats from small streams, to rivers and the sea. What's the best way to determine how much salmon there are in the waters, and how this connects to water quality and the quantity of salmon returning to rivers will be the task for one of the PhD students.

The third PhD student will work on invasive species, which is a growing problem in Sweden and could threaten the populations of native species. The round goby will act as a model specie in the project. Round goby is well established in the southern and middle parts of the Baltic Sea. During this year fishing survey outside Muskö, SLU Aqua captured five times more individuals compared to the survey from last year.

SLU Aqua are also announcing a two-year post-doc position to examine no-take areas, and how these can be used as a tool in fisheries management. Spawning and nursery areas for fish are often threatened by human activities such as dredging, boating, eutrophication and fishing during the spawning season, with decreased recruitment as a result. The post-doc will examine how no-take areas can counteract this decline.

Learn more:
Recreational fisheries: characterization, quantification and biological impact on natural resources

Scales of density-dependence of salmonid fishes in a river environment

Ecological effects and local adaptations of invasive species

No-take areas as a tool for fisheries management and habitat conservation

For more information:

Joakim Hjelm, Deputy Head, Department of Aquatic Resources, SLU, joakim.hjelm@slu.se, +46 (0) 10-478 40 64

Erik Petersson, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Aquatic Resources, SLU, erik.h.petersson@slu.se, +46 (0)10-478 42 39