Sustainability notes

This is an overview of how the Lake Hjälmaren pikeperch gill-net fishery scored in assessment against the MSC standard. For the certifiers evaluation please download the full public certification report with detailed information on the performance of this fishery against the criteria of the MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing.

The fishery scored as follows in assessment against the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. The highest possible score for each principle is 100 and a fishery must score at least 80 against each principle to get certified:

Sustainability strengths

Some of the points on which the fishery scored over 90 are outlined below.

Principle 1: the state of the fish stock

• The species, its life history, geographic range and stock is well understood by fishers and regulators. This makes monitoring easy and management effective.  Fishing related mortality is also well recorded. Discards and incidental mortality is very low because there is a swift sorting procedure and released fish easily survive.
• Fishing methods and fishing related effects are well understood and documented. Mechanisms to reduce harvest (removal of licences, complete closure of fisheries etc.) are also well established.

Principle 2: the impact of the fishery on the marine environment

• The ecology of the lake is well understood and the fishery does not have any adverse impacts on the habitat. No protected species are affected by the fishery. Any incidental catches in the traps are released quickly and the survival rate is very high.

Principle 3: the fishery management systems

• Organisations with management responsibilities are clearly defined – Swedish National Board of Fisheries is responsible for management advice and issuing licences and county boards are responsible for enforcement.
• The management system follows all national and international regulations and recognises the customary rights of the people dependent upon fishing.
• The system has no subsidies that contribute to unsustainable fishing or ecosystem degradation.
• The fishers are well informed and trained about the aims and methods of the management system and there is a high degree of control and compliance. Fishers are also very active and cooperative in collecting data.

Challenges

In order to ensure its continuing sustainable operation this fishery made a commitment to improving its performance where it scored between 60-80. Some of the actions the fishery has committed to are: 

• There is regular analysis of stock status relative to historical information which allows forecasts to be made for the stock and management actions to be taken. However, there are no formalised reference/action points or a documented, agreed, action plan (decision rules) to be put in place as and when stock levels reach such reference levels. This could be problematic if additional licensed gears were used increasing total effort.
• Age structure of pikeperch is well established but there is no monitoring of sex structure in catches or of size at age. Sex composition and size (both weight and length) at age is useful to determine shifts in population structure that could affect reproductive capacity. Size at age is also a good indicator of changes in feeding conditions (ecosystem conditions).
• There is some incidental catch of fish-eating birds in fish-traps. Numbers of birds caught needs to be recorded and evaluated by relevant organisations in terms of its significance for affected populations. If significant, appropriate mitigation measured should be put in place.