Total marine fisheries extractions by country in the Baltic Sea

Catch ( x 10 3 t)
260 Total marine fisheries extractions by country in the Baltic Sea: 1950-present, Rossing, Booth and Zeller
averaging 5,300 t∙year -1 (ranging from a total of 45,000 t per decade in the 1950s to 58,000 t per decade in
the 1970s, Table B4), before increasing to around 11,000 t∙year -1 during the 1980s (Figure B3). This
increase was mainly driven by increased discarding of cod. While discarding of cod decreased in the early
1990s, discarding of sprat increased substantially in that period, leading to the all-time peak in estimated
discards of 21,700 t in 1998 (Figure B3), before declining to the levels of the mid- late- 1980s of around
11,000 t∙year -1 by 2007 (Figure B3, Table B4)
Prior to 1980, the average discards of cod were about 2,500 t∙year -1 and then increased to around 7,100
t∙year -1 during the 1980s. During the 1990s, cod discards declined to an average of approximately 4,100
t∙year -1 , and 2,500 t∙year -1 from 2000-2007 (Figure B3).
Discards of herring during the 1950s were on average 650 t∙year -1 and increased steadily to around 3,800
t∙year -1 during the 1990s, and thereafter declined to an average of 3,000 t∙year -1 after 2000 (Figure B3).
During the first four decades of the time series, sprat discards were very small, but increased substantially
after 1990 to an estimated 6,600 t∙year -1 between 1990-1999. Discards of sprat decreased after 2000 and
were on average about 4,800 t∙year -1 for the last eight years (Figure B3).
Table B4. Estimates of decadal total discards (t) for the major taxonomic entities
of Swedish fisheries in the Baltic Sea.
Common
name
Flatfishes had the highest
proportion of discards due to
large by-catches in bottom
trawling. The estimated
discards were about 780
t∙year -1 during the 1950s, and
830 t∙year -1 during the 1960s.
Discards of flatfishes
apparently decreased to about
490 t∙year -1 during the 1970s,
and to the all time low of 200
t∙year -1 during the 1980s.
After 1990 the discards were
estimated to 520 t∙year -1 . Prior
lavaretus).
to 2000, flatfish discards were equal to about 80% of reported flatfish landings, and for the last years,
2000-2007, discards were 670 t∙year -1 , which was equal to about 160% of reported flatfish landings for the
same period (Figure B3). Decadal total discards of salmon ranged between 500 t and 700 t prior to 1980
(Table B4). After 1980 the seal population increased and contributed to increased discards of salmon
which were estimated to about 100 t∙year -1 . The discards of salmon peaked with an annual average of 220
t∙year -1 during the 1990s, mainly due to the seal-based discards. After 2000, salmon discards decreased to
an annual average of 120 t∙year -1 , much due to the development of the push-up trap that decreased sealbased
discards (Table B4).
Discards of other species fluctuated, and were a minor component of total discards (Figure B3). These
discards ranged between the peak of around 750 t∙year -1 during the 1960s and the lowest annual average of
260 t∙year -1 during the 1980s (Figure B3).
Recreational catches
Discards (t)
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s a
Cod 25,186 27,744 22,470 70,697 40,664 20,115
Herring 6,515 12,136 24,466 34,711 37,508 23,705
Sprat 428 1,021 1,701 2,288 66,337 38,178
Flatfishes 7,763 8,276 4,918 2,004 5,184 5,332
Salmons 698 543 773 1,053 2,205 994
Others b 4,344 7,516 3,870 2,630 5,242 2,278
a the 2000s only include data from 2000-2007.
b
Includes sea trout (Salmo trutta), eel (Anguilla anguilla), whitefishes (Coregonus
The recreational catches increased rapidly and
steadily from about 2,500 t in 1950 to about
13,300 t in 1975, after which they remained
quite stable until the 1990s when the
recreational catches peaked at 18,500 tin 1994
(Figure B4). Thereafter, they rapidly decreased
and were estimated to around 6,300 t in 2007
(Figure B4). The species composition of the
recreational catches differed from the
commercial landings composition (where cod,
herring, and sprat made up 94% of reported
landings), and also showed some changes in
20
Salmons
18
16
Flatfish
14
12
10
8
Herring
6
Others
4
2
Cod
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Year
Figure B4. Sweden‘s recreational catches in the
Baltic Sea, 1950-2007.