SLU news

Fiskbarometern: the latest trend for Swedish fish and shellfish

Published: 01 February 2024
Vendace

At the Fiskbarometer, SLU presents the state and trends of fish and shellfish stocks in Swedish seas and freshwaters. The assessments for 2023 have now been completed.

The status of pike and perch in the Baltic Proper remains poor and none of the stocks are considered to be within biologically safe limits. The situation for whitefish is also unsatisfactory in large parts of the Baltic Sea, except in the Gulf of Bothnia where the status is still somewhat better. In Lake Vättern, the number of small crayfish is increasing, largely due to heavy fishing.

- For some species, it looks brighter. For example, vendace is considered to be within safe limits in all four investigated areas (Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren and the Gulf of Bothnia). In the Bay of Bothnia, bream has recently become a target species in commercial fishing, which is why catches have clearly increased in recent years. Despite the increased catches, the overall harvest is low and the stock is assessed as "very likely within biologically safe limits", says Stefan Larsson, scientific editor of the Fiskbarometer.

Visit Fiskbarometern.se (only avaible in Swedish) for assessments, analyses and texts for all 48 species and more than 110 populations.

Facts:

Every year, the Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua) conducts biological assessments for Swedish fish and shellfish stocks. The overview describes the status and trends of the most fished species in the sea and the four large lakes: Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren and Hjälmaren. The information is based on the large amount of data that SLU Aqua collects and analyses every year.

The work is carried out on behalf of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, and the knowledge base is used by decision-makers in the management of commercial fisheries.


Contact

Stefan Larsson, Senior Environmental Assessment Specialist
Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Coastal Research, SLU
stefan.larsson@slu.se, +46 10 478 41 81