Structural change, cultural asset & common good fish- The western Baltic fishery from the perspective of national economy

At this year's university conference of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at Kiel University, Prof. Dr. Marie-Catherine Riekhof and Heike Schwermer will get to the bottom of some economic considerations regarding the development of the western Baltic Sea fishery.

The western Baltic Sea is under massive pressure. Due to negative anthropogenic effects such as climate change, eutrophication and overfishing, not only the ecosystems along the coast are changing, but also the fishery (among others, decreasing number of full-time and part-time fishermen, decline of fishery cooperatives, dissolution of association structures). Reasons for this structural change - besides the pressures on the ecosystem described above - are multiple: i) productivity increase limited by regeneration of fish stocks, ii) richer society spends relatively less on food, and iii) relatively decreasing income in fisheries.

It should be emphasized that coastal fishing is also characterized by centuries of tradition and culture, characteristic for the regions along the Baltic Sea coast. Thus, fishermen and their cutters are described as figureheads for regional tourism, enlivening the harbor and attracting tourists through their fishing activities.

This structural change and the accompanying loss of the fishing culture is determined not least by the catch quotas for the main target fish species cod and herring, which have been falling sharply for years (https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2021/159-agrarrat-ostsee-fischerei-fangquoten.html). In theory, regulation should help to protect the common good "fish" from overexploitation. It should be emphasized here that no directed fishery is allowed for Western Baltic cod in 2022; it is only allowed as bycatch in the plaice fishery, among others.

The Western Baltic fishery system is currently facing numerous challenges, characterized by multiple space use (e.g., marine protected areas) and resource conflicts (e.g., fishermen vs. anglers). The Western Baltic Sea is a dynamic system and adaptation to current environmental, social and economic developments seems more important now than ever in order not to lose the fisheries sector and its associated elements. However, this adaptation requires a transdisciplinary approach, which depends not least on the willingness of stakeholders to participate and on the possibilities to shape this adaptation. 

The talk will take place at 3:15pm and the associated link for the session on zoom can be found here:

https://www.hochschultagung.ae.uni-kiel.de/de/programm/programm-2021