17 research outputs found
Changes in fish stocks in an Estonian estuary: overfishing by cormorants?
No full textAbstract
Vetemaa, M., Eschbaum, R., Albert, A., Saks, L., Verliin, A., Jürgens, K., Kesler, M., Hubel, K., Hannesson, R., and Saat, T. 2010. Changes in fish stocks in an Estonian estuary: overfishing by cormorants? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1972–1979. In Estonia, the cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis is a newcomer, and its numbers have increased rapidly since 1985. In the shallow protected (no fishery) Käina Bay in Väinameri (West Estonia), the colony was established in 1995. Gillnet sampling indicated that roach was the most abundant spawning fish species in 1995. Ten years later, when the study was repeated, the catch per unit effort was already more than 100 times lower than in 1995. The number of spawning perch decreased tenfold from 1995 to 2005. During the same period, commercial fishing effort in the entire Väinameri area decreased several times. The change in fish abundance in the Käina Bay and in the coastal fish-monitoring areas in the archipelago sea nearby, together with an analysis of food of cormorants, indicates that the decline in fish abundance might be related to the increased numbers of cormorants. The conclusion is drawn that the establishment of a cormorant colony could have seriously damaged or even prevented normal functioning of historically important spawning grounds and affected fish recruitment to adjacent areas. Therefore, expanding bird colonies might play a role similar to an expanding fishing fleet, by overexploiting the resource.</jats:p
Resource management and the effects of trade on vulnerable places and people : lessons from six case studies
No full textLessons from six case studies illustrate the complex relationships between international trade, vulnerable ecologies and the poor. The studies, taken from Africa, Asia and Latin America and conducted by local researchers, are set in places where the poor live in close proximity to ecologies that are important to global conservation efforts, and focus on the cascading consequences of trade policy for local livelihoods and environmental services. Collectively, the studies show how under-valued common resources are often poorly protected and consequently subject to shifting economic incentives, including those that arise from trade. The studies provide examples where trade works to accelerate the use of natural resources and to exacerbate unsustainable dependencies by the poor, and other examples where trade has the opposite effect. An important conclusion is that local livelihood and technology choices have important consequences for how environmental resources are used and should be taken into account when designing policies to safeguard fragile ecologies.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Emerging Markets,Labor Policies,Population Policies
The transition from the Soviet system to a market economy as a cause of instability in the Estonian coastal fisheries sector
No full textThis study analyzes how overall changes in political and economic life during the last decade have affected the Estonian coastal fishery of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of the nineties, the opportunity to export fish to the European market emerged. Opening of this new market resulted in rapidly increasing pressure on fish stocks. Some of the most important coastal fishery resources were over-fished because of high export market demand coupled with insufficient resource management and ineffective control and enforcement mechanisms. The costs associated with fishery have grown much more than the first-buyer prices. Additionally, dynamic development of the Estonian economy has resulted in substantial increases in earnings in other economic sectors and therefore the relative wealth of fishermen has steadily declined. This has resulted in increasing social problems. In conclusion, countries in transition may encounter serious difficulties in the fisheries sector, arising from privatization and economic reforms, which may affect the fisheries even years after the establishment of new ruling principles.Estonia Coastal fisheries Fisheries development Trade liberalization Transition to market economy
Lesta (Platichthys flesus trachurus) vanuselise koosseisu modelleerimine Küdema lahe andmestiku põhjal – kahe meetodi võrdlus
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Collapse of Political and Economical System as a Cause for Instability in Fisheries Sector: An Estonian Case
No full textThe transition process from the Soviet economical system to the market economy in fisheries has received
relatively little attention from fisheries researchers. This study analyze how overall changes in political and economical life
of Estonia during the last decade have affected the complex system of the environmental, economic, social and legal issues
connected to the coastal fishery of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of the nineties the possibility to export fish to the
European market appeared. Opening of this new and highly profitable market outlet resulted in rapidly increasing pressure to
the fish resources, both in terms of the number of fishermen and in their effort. Some of the most important coastal fishery
resources have been over-fished because of high export market demand coupled with insufficient resource management, and
not effective enough control and enforcement capacity. The costs connected to fishery have grown much more than the first
buyer prices. Additionally, dynamic development of the Estonian economy has yielded in substantial increase of wages in
other sectors of economy and therefore the well-being of fishermen has steadily worsened. This has resulted in increasing
social problems. The conclusion is that countries in transition may encounter serious difficulties in the fishery sector arising
from privatization and rearrangement of financial system, which may affect the fishery even years after the establishment of
new ruling principles.KEYWORDS: Fisheries economics, Economics in Transition, Special topic
Reply to: Tuvikene et al. The inadequacies of estimating silver eel escapement by studying yellow eels caught in the coastal sea far away from the river mouth. A comment on Rohtla et al. (2021)
No full textRestocking European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is generally considered as a conservation action, but its true conservation value remains unknown and is currently debated over. Estimation of the biomass of escaping silver eels is one way to partially measure the success of restocking. Tuvikene et al. in a comment to Rohtla et al. criticize the data that were used to reach the conclusion that eel conservation goals in a fully restocked eel management unit in Estonia are not being met. While acknowledging some potential and unavoidable sampling biases in our study that need to be addressed in the future, we stand by our general conclusions
Invasion Of Giebel Carp Into The Estonian Coastal Sea
No full textNo abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.In Estonia giebel carps were introduced into fish ponds and smaller lakes in 1948-49. In 1985 first specimens appeared into the Gulf of Riga and during most recent years the species has been caught almost everywhere along the Estonian coasts. While in some more suitable areas the species can reproduce and thrives well, in more open coastal areas only large adult specimens are caught. In some coastal areas giebel carp is dominating catches by the biomass. The experiments with developing embryos revealed that viable hatch took place at salinities 1-6 ppt and survival until hatching was the highest at 3.0 ppt. At 3.0 ppt larvae were longer than at other salinities. Since it is unlikely that the salinity has been serious migration barrier for giebel carps. The recent explosion of this species in the coastal sea can rather be explained by unusually warm summers during the 1990s and by low abundance of predatory fish
The State Of Whitefish Populations Along The Estonian Coast
No full textNo abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Analysis of gill raker counts (data since the 1950s) indicates that there are at least four different forms (species?) of whitefish in coastal waters of Estonia. Abundance of sparsely-rakered sea-spawning whitefish (mean number of gill rakers 22-23) which formed many local spawning populations, has declined substantially. Recent increase in abundance of whitefish in western Estonia and in the Gulf of Finland is due to another (probably hybrid) form, which gill raker count is similar to that in Finnish waters. Anadromous sparsely-rakered whitefish (23-24 gill rakers) spawns in the Pärnu River, and its stock has been partly recovered probably due to stocking. Anadromous higher gill raker count whitefish (> 30 gill rakers) inhabits the Gulf of Riga, and similar form occurs also in the Gulf of Finland. Fishery, eutrophication, stocking, as well as differences in life history pattern of forms) have probably influenced the abundance of whitefish and the proportion of different forms
Ten Years Of Coastal Fish Monitoring In Estonia: Dynamics Of fish assemblages and populations
No full textNo abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Standardized gill net monitoring (since 1992) has revealed rapid changes in abundance and distribution of freshwater and marine species, age composition of populations of model species, species richness and heterogeinity of fish assemblages in the Väinameri (Moonsund) and the gulfs of Finland and Riga. These changes are related both to human impact (mostly fishery) and environmental changes affecting reproduction and natural mortality (temperature, salinity, abundance of predatory fish and fish-eating cormorants, etc.)
