Hege Sande

I am a researcher at the Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua) based at the Marine Research Laboratory in Lysekil. In May 2026, I defended my doctoral thesis, ”The ones that didn't get away: assessing recreational fisheries and biological impacts in coastal ecosystems”.

My current work focuses primarily on marine recreational fisheries, coastal ecology, and innovative data-collection frameworks. I specialize in the population dynamics and assessment of the European lobster (Homarus gammarus), utilizing both traditional scientific surveys and citizen science methodologies.

During my PhD, my research addressed critical data gaps regarding the catches of recreational fishers who are widely dispersed and outside traditional logbook systems. Notable milestones from this work include:
SLU-MRFS (Marine Recreational Fisheries Survey): 
Conducted on-site surveys in 2017 & 2018 along the southwest and south coast of Skåne (ICES SD 23 & 24). This probabilistic survey design allowed for the first reliable Swedish catch estimations of Western Baltic Cod (WBC) by private and tour boats, data which has since been integrated into formal ICES analytical stock assessments.
CAMS-CS (Camera Assisted Marine Sampling – Core Sites): Building on the knowledge from SLU-MRFS, this optimized framework was implemented in 2019, which combines frequency-dependent catch sampling with camera monitoring to assess fishing effort at coastal access points.

I have presented some of our findings at:

ICES ASC 2019 (Gothenburg)

World Recreational Fisheries Conference 9, 2021 (recording available at the WRFC-online YouTube-channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B4sxdUMf54&t=543s)

World Fisheries Congress 2021 (available as on-demand presentation at the WFC2021 virtual portal).

Links

Profile on Researchgate

Lobserve

Sande, H., 2026. The ones that didn’t get away: assessing recreational fisheries and biological impacts in coastal ecosystems, Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.54612/a.5mdpndur3m

Sande, H.A., Sundelöf, A., Jones, C., Vitale, F., Casini, M., 2026. Rapid Life History Shifts in a Declining Fish Stock: The Case of Western Baltic Cod in the Sound. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.7088374

Hellström, G., Birnie-Gauvin, K., Lundberg, P., Langert, W.J., Källo, K., Sortland, L.K., MacKenzie, B.R., Varela, J.L., Koed, A., Nielsen, E.E., Sundelöf, A., Sande, H., Overgård, M., Baktoft, H., Aarestrup, K., Brodin, T., 2025. New trophic insights associated with the return of a top predator, bluefin tuna, to Skagerrak and the Sound. Fisheries Research 291, 107501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2025.107501

Sundelöf, A., Cardinale, M., Sande, H., Hammenstig-Åström, E., Pärn, H., 2025. Benchmark of European Lobster (Homarus gammarus) in Swedish areas of Skagerrak, Kattegat and Öresund : stock annex. Department of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University of Agricultural Science. https://doi.org/10.54612/a.4l1lrggjfs

Sande, H., Prista, N., de Groote, A., Casini, M., Jones, C., Sundelöf, A., 2022. Frameless—finding and refining a sampling frame for surveying recreational fisheries: lessons from estimating Swedish harvest of western Baltic cod. ICES Journal of Marine Science 79, 1217–1231. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsac044

Skov, C., Hyder, K., Gundelund, C., Ahvonen, A., Baudrier, J., Borch, T., deCarvalho, S., et al. 2021. Expert opinion on using angler Smartphone apps to inform marine fisheries management: status, prospects, and needs. ICES Journal of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa243

Sundelöf, A., Hilvarsson, A., Svensson, M., Ren, E., Mohamed, E., Sande, H., Prista, N., 2020. Sampling of catches from recreational cod fishery in ICES subdivision 23 and 24 during 2017 – 2019 (Final report to HaV No. SLU.Aqua.2020.5.4-264).

Sande, H. (2020). Recreational fisheries – characterization, quantification and biological impact on natural resources. Aqua Introductory Research Essay 2020:1. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Resources, Drottningholm Lysekil Öregrund. pp 46.

Sande, H.A., Persson, A., Mehl, S., Devine, J.A., Schmidt, T.C. dos S., Karlsen, Ø., Godiksen, J.A., Kjesbu, O.S., 2019. Temperature and age effects on latitudinal growth dynamics of the commercially valuable gadoid Northeast Arctic saithe (Pollachius virens). Fisheries Research 213, 94–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2019.01.005