Helcom : HELCOM FISH-PRO

Continuation of the Baltic-wide assessment of coastal fish communities in support of an ecosystem-based management (HELCOM FISH-PRO) (2011-2013)

Target and activities

Policy background

The Baltic Sea has a unique combination of marine and freshwater species and habitats adapted to brackish conditions. A favourable conservation status of Baltic Sea biodiversity is a prerequisite for the marine ecosystems to be resilient and able to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Coastal fish populations are important components of the Baltic Sea biota. On one hand, they reflect the general environmental status, such as eutrophication, climate changes and hazardous substances, the direct human impact through fisheries and on the other hand they modify other components of the ecosystem through ecological interactions. The dramatic changes in the Baltic Sea during the late 20^th century, calls for increased focus on this ecosystem component.

With the overall vision of achieving a healthy Baltic Sea with a balanced and functioning ecosystem that supports sustainable social and economic human activities, the 2007 HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) aims at aligning the goal “favourable conservation status of marine biodiversity” with corresponding goals and objectives of already existing regulations which also address biodiversity and nature conservation.

In order to reach a favourable conservation status of biodiversity, HELCOM has adopted Ecological Objectives covering topics referring to:

the restoration and maintenance of sea floor integrity at a level that safeguards the functions of the ecosystems;
that habitats, including associated species, show a distribution, abundance and quality in line with prevailing physiographic, geographic and climatic conditions; and
a water quality that enables the integrity, structure and functioning of the ecosystem to be maintained or recovered.

In the BSAP, the HELCOM Contracting Parties have agreed that coastal fish constitute an imperative part of the Baltic Sea total biodiversity and have a structuring role in coastal food webs. Furthermore, coastal fisheries are of great importance to the society from both a socio-economic and a cultural point of view. The Contracting Parties furthermore acknowledge that a substantial part of the coastal fish community of the Baltic Sea consists of freshwater species, only managed at a national level.

Most importantly concerning coastal fish, the HELCOM Contracting Parties agreed and invited competent authorities:

to establish an international co-operation network to agree on guidelines to promote the ecosystem-based management of coastal fisheries in the Baltic region;
to develop long-term plans for protecting, monitoring and sustainably managing coastal fish species, including the most threatened and/or declining, including anadromous ones (according to the HELCOM Red list of threatened and declining species of lampreys and fishes of the Baltic Sea, BSEP No. 109), by 2012,
develop a suite of indicators with region-specific reference values and targets for coastal fish as well as tools for assessment and sustainable management of coastal fish by 2012.

History of the expert network on coastal fish in the Baltic

The activities of the network of experts on coastal fish monitoring started in 2003 under the umbrella of the World Bank/GEF funded Baltic Sea Regional Project and subsequently continued under the HELCOM FISH Project during 2008-2010. During the past years of cooperation the experts have established the COBRA database (Coordination Organ for Baltic Reference Areas), developed a HELCOM Indicator Fact Sheet on temporal changes in coastal fish populations and communities, produced a thematic assessment on coastal fish communities (Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings 103a and 103b), contributed to the HELCOM Red list of threatened and declining species fish and lamprey of the Baltic Sea (BSEP 109), and updated common guidelines for the monitoring of coastal fish in the HELCOM COMBINE Manual. At present the group is working on a thematic assessment on the conservation status of non-commercial fish species[1] in the Baltic Sea.

Objectives of the project

The objectives of the proposed continuation of the HELCOM FISH Project are:

Knowledge: to update and improve knowledge about occurrence, distribution, population and threat and/or decline of coastal fish¹ based on all relevant data.
Assessment: further development of different assessment methodologies for coastal fish¹, including indicators with setting target and reference values.
Recommendations: provide advise to national authorities and ongoing HELCOM work on implementation of coastal fish¹ related actions in the BSAP.

Expected results

HELCOM acknowledge the EC competence on commercial fisheries. The project will provide added value in relation to activities carried out within the EU framework. The outcomes of the project are expected to not only benefit and contribute to the work within HELCOM, but also to various international frameworks and activities carried out at the national level.

The project is expected to deliver the following products/outcomes:

Assessment report on the state of coastal fish¹, making use of indicators
Periodic update of HELCOM Indicator Fact Sheets on coastal fish¹ and establishment of targets reflecting good environmental status for those indicators with the aim to develop them into HELCOM core indicators supporting continuous follow-up of the implementation of the HELCOM BSAP as well as the EU MSFD.
Input on fish and lamprey species to the HELCOM Red List Project
Expert proposals for restoration programmes and measures for the most threatened and/or declining coastal fish¹ species,
Common ground for development of assessment procedures for elaboration of scientific advise on coastal fish¹ to be considered at national level
Dissemination of project outcomes

The products/outcomes will be coordinated with activities on implementation of the HELCOM BSAP and other corresponding international activities, e.g. the implementation of the EU WFD, EU Habitats Directive and EU MSFD and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

Publications

Indicator-based assessment of coastal fish community status in the Baltic Sea 2005-2009 (BSEP 131)

Contacts:

jENS oLSSON.jpg

Mr Jens Olsson
Project Manager
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU-Aqua)
Institute of Coastal Research
Sweden
Phone: +46 104784144
E-mail:jens.olsson@slu.se

Mr. Mikhail Durkin
Professional Secretary
HELCOM Secretariat
Phone: +358 46 850 9195
E-mail: mikhail.durkin@helcom.fi

[1] Hereinafter, the term “coastal fish” refers to “internationally non-assessed fish species within the territorial waters of the Contracting Parties”