Definition of Sustainable Fisheries

 

Sustainable, productive fisheries are achieved when appropriate management ensures a high probability of stocks being able to replenish themselves over a long period of time within a sound ecosystem, while offering stable economic and social conditions for all those involved in the fishing activity.

Definition of Goals

Development of economically and socially sustainable, environmentally safe and responsible fisheries by

• maintaining biological viable fish stocks, the marine and aquatic environment and associated biodiversity;
• within these limits, establish maximum fishing possibilities and appropriate selective fishing techniques for harvesting stocks;

distribute the direct and indirect benefits of open sea and coastal fishery resources between local communities in an equitable manner.

Indicators

The following indicators are intended to highlight the trends in biological systems, and the economies of the fishery dependent communities around the Baltic. The indicators will be provided by the coastal states.

Biological Indicators

• Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB): The part of the biomass of cod, herring and sprat, taking part in the reproduction process, in tonnes. This is an important indicator of the biological health of a given stock. Scientific information is only available for the most important commercial stocks in the Baltic Sea.
• Fishing mortality: the proportion of the average population removed annually by fishing
• Recruitment: the number of fish reaching the age where they enter the fisheries

Economic indicators

• Landings per country: total amount of landings in tonnes of cod, salmon, herring, sprat;
• Number of fishing vessels per country operating in the Baltic Sea
• Average engine power per country: total Kilowatt of the fleet, divided by the number of vessels
• Fish consumption per capita per country

Social indicators

• Number of full time fishermen engaged in the Baltic Sea Region, per country.