A. BOGELIUS
National Board of Fisheries, P.O. Box 423, S 401 26 Göteborg, Sweden
About 2.8 million Swedish adults (18–74) are interested in fishing according to a 1990 survey (based on questionnaires) on the recreational fishery. More than two million (37%) fished during 1989 on 26 million occasions. At least 1.2 million fishermen fished in inland waters. A recent study estimated that about 80% of children and teenagers (9–17) fish at least once a year. The number of organized anglers in the Swedish Anglers' Association amounts to about 70 000 individual members and about 700 local societies.
A study in 1994 of foreign tourism in Sweden showed that about 400 000 people, mostly Germans and Danes, came to Sweden for fishing. The total expenditure of a genuine fisherman corresponds with one year of labour costs for about 2 000 employees.
There has been no accurate estimate of the total number of recreational fishermen in Denmark. A figure presented in 1994 showed 0.2 million sport fishermen and 30 000 subsistence fishermen. However, after controlling the Copenhagen area, only 50% of the fishermen were licensed. The Danish Anglers' Association has about 32 000 members and the organizations of subsistence fishermen have together about 6 000 members.
In Norway different figures occur with the number of fishermen. The one reported to EIFAC, 1994, was 0.9 million. About 22% of the fishermen used gill nets. The estimates of children's fishing vary greatly between studies, from 25% to 80% of the age group. Licensed fishermen amount to 0.250 million.
In Finland the number of recreational fishermen varied without trends between 1.9 and 2.4 million in the period 1984–1992 (all ages included). The number of subsistence fishermen decreased from 20% in the 1970s to 7% in the late 1980s.
There are no signs of dramatic changes in the number of fishermen in the Scandinavian countries. In Sweden there might, however, have been some changes in the use of gear. The number of fishermen using other gear than hand-tackle has increased from 75 000 in 1973 to 280 000 in 1989. The 1994 Fishing Act limits the use of static gear in public waters. Each person is permitted to fish with maximum 180 m gillnets, six fyke nets, six cages, 14 lobster creels and six longlines with 100 hooks each. Public inland waters are only present in the five greatest lakes. The same kinds of gear restriction are in force in all the other Scandinavian countries.
The total recreational fishery catches in Sweden in 1989 are estimated at 34 100–52 700 t of which more than 50% were caught in inland waters. Predatory fish (pike, perch and pike-perch) dominates (50%) followed by salmonids (25%), cyprinids (12%) and put-and-take (12%). The non-commercial inland catches in the other Scandinavian countries are as follows: Finland, 48 000 t, Norway, 10 000 t and Denmark 100 t.
The gross expenditure of the recreational fishery in Sweden was estimated at SEK 2 billion in 1989. If additional investments are included (boats, caravans, etc.) the figure will rise to about SEK 4 billion. The corresponding figures for the other countries are: Finland, FM 1.4 billion and Denmark, Dkr 0.4 billion.
Interactions with the commercial fishery and the aquaculture sector
Commercial fisheries
Interactions with commercial fisheries concern resources, space and market and are in Sweden almost limited to the the largest lakes. There are, for example, in some aspects different standpoints between the commercial fishery and the recreational fishery regarding management of salmon and brown trout stocks in Lake Vänern. The rareness of big specimens of the potentially large salmon and trout is often referred to high (commercial) fishing mortality. One important factor in the programme for increasing sportfishing tourism in Lake Vänern is the possibility of catching large fish.
Fishing from boats by dragging lures (i.e. trolling) is increasing. In some areas fishing with static gears has caused controversy. The main causes are insufficient marking of gears, inexperienced sportfishermen and unawareness of restrictions imposed on trolling in private waters in the great lakes.
In Sweden, one strategy to meet the problems in marine fisheries is supporting development of coastal and inland fisheries. About 80% of the total commercial catch and catch value in inland fisheries are derived from the four largest lakes. One conclusion in a recent report on the access of commercial fisheries to inland waters was that the potential for commercial fishery lies in other lakes than the four largest. There is however, due to various reasons, resistance from different interests in supporting commercial fishing. Information and education projects directed at sportfishermen and owners of fishing waters was suggested as a method to deal with this problem. It was found important to increase the knowledge of what impact the commercial fishery has on biology in lakes. Many eutrophic lakes in southern Sweden are supposed to be improved by increased commercial fishery.
Aquaculture
Put-and-take fishing in urban areas and in recreational areas of Sweden is based on reared fish, mainly rainbow trout. The total catch is estimated at about 2 000 t per year. Fishing for salmon and trout in Lake Vänern and for salmon and sea running trout in many large rivers in Sweden are built on stocking programmes.
Influences from other sectors
Industry, transport and urban activities: Norway, Sweden and Finland have great acidification problems. In Sweden about 20 000 out of 85 000 lakes are damaged to some extent by anthropogenic acid deposition. Liming actions are performed in both Sweden and Norway. In Sweden about 6 000 lakes are included in the national liming programme. The annual cost is about SEK 200 million. Other influences from the sector are mercury deposition and the deposition of caesium. In about 10 000 lakes the organic mercury content in pikes is above 1.0 mg/kg, which is the former black-list limit. Instead of condemning certain lakes, the National Food and Health Agency now issues recommendations on fish consumption. The caesium problem arises from the Chernobyl accident. Still thousands of lakes in the northern part of Sweden suffer from high caesium content. The problem of polluted sewage water was great during the 1960s and early 1970s, but is now a minor problem for inland fisheries.
Forestry: The impact from this sector today is mainly concentrated to small running waters, of which some are important reproduction and nursery areas for salmons. Incautious clear-cutting gives higher insolation which is causing increased water temperatures. Another effect is increased erosion and transportation of silt. This results in plugging-up of gravel bottoms. The National Board of Fisheries in association with the National Board of Forestry has produced joint information (booklets) on the subject addressed to forest owners. Float logging is closely related to forestry and has caused a lot of damages on river habitats. In Sweden and Finland restoration measures are performed.
Agriculture: Agriculture-related eutrophication occurs in all of the Scandinavian countries. The influences are however more extensive in the southern part of Sweden and in Denmark. In recent years irrigation during the dry summers has caused damage to different stocks in small rivers in the southern part of Sweden.
Hydroelectric industry: The planned cessation of the Swedish nuclear power industry before the year 2010 has led to a renewed interest in the use of hydroelectric power. There is a general increased search for potential power stations, reaching from the few remaining unexploited larger rivers to medium-sized rivers and to minor brooks.
Socioeconomic aspects
A recent study Barn och Ungdomars fiske (Children's and young people's fishing) by Norling (1995) stated that about 80% in the age group 9–17 were interested in fishing. About 30% were very interested and 50% were just interested. The first group consists of highly motivated fishermen who probably will continue their fishing even as adults.
Criteria for management
Management of fishing water by regulating the fishing activity is based on the Fishing Act, the Fishing Ordinance and on three regional regulations. The Act deals with fishing rights, the Ordinance with allocation and the regulations with direct management measures (closed seasons, protected areas and minimum sizes). Since 1 January 1994 national regulations for fishing activity only cover the sea and the five greatest lakes. It is now the water owners themselves who are responsible for the regulation in all other inland waters situated upstream from the first obstacle for migratory fish.
Fishery Management Areas (FMA) and associations of riparian interests, are becoming more important after the new Fishing Act was introduced. One-third of the lakes and one-fourth of the rivers are within fishery management areas. There is governmental support for establishing FMA on the condition that permits are sold to the public.
Priorities for research
The Scandinavian countries have on different occasions expressed needs for international collaboration regarding the following topics.
Sweden
Economical models
Due to the shortage in research on technical and economical aspects of the recreational fishery, international collaboration is important in the field of research and development of management tools. Establishment of internationally approved methods for estimates of value for the society of recreational fishery will make decisions with impact on this fishery more accurate. The value of recreation is, for example, presently not accepted by Swedish courts for cost-benefit-analyses of exploitation of inland waters.
Criteria for coexistence of commercial and recreational fishery
One way of mitigating the crises of marine fisheries is to support coastal and inland fisheries. The introduction of commercial fisheries could be positive for recreational fishery, especially in eutrophic lakes. However, both fisheries must be regulated properly to make coexistence possible.
Criteria for natural resource statistics
When comparing data concerning lakes and rivers, it is important that the units used are uniform.
Denmark
Development of sustainable fisheries
Conflicts in environmental policy concerning protection of endangered species, for example cormorant and heron, and fish stocks
Studies on alternative methods to solve conflicts between different users.
Finland
The future of the recreational fishery
Tourist fishery
If the Swedish programme to promote the tourist industry succeeds - with special emphasis on green tourism - it will have an impact on sportfishing tourism as well. Increased demand for fishing opportunities will then probably appear mainly in well established fishing areas with a developed infrastructure for tourism. Increased tourism is also one objective for rural development that is granted by the European Union. Computerized tourist information is becoming more frequent. The demand from sportfishermen to have information via telecommunication will accordingly increase.
Management
Regulations on biodiversity will probably lead to a decrease in stocking activities. One measure to meet this could be access-regulations, for example rod days.
Fishing structure
Along with the increase in number of boats there will probably follow an increase in the number of trolling fishermen. The demand for harbour facilities, like slips, will increase, even in inland waters.
