The
decline of wild Atlantic- and Baltic salmon stocks
The decline of wild Atlantic- and Baltic salmon stocks
in recent years are well documented. In Norway one third
of the salmon stocks are classified as wiped out, threatened
or vulnerable. Scotland has experienced the same development
and the situation for the wild Atlantic salmon is described
as difficult and challenged. Also salmon rivers in Sweden
and Finland where the salmon migrates to the Baltic Sea
are reduced from 120 to 38, and in many of these rivers
the salmon stock is kept up through an intensive program
of restocking. The present situation calls for action.
The project focuses on six rivers/communities in Norway
(Saltdal, Beiarn, Skibotn, Nordreisa, Alta and Neiden)
four Scottish rivers (River Dee, Conon, Carron and Applecross)
as well as the Swedish-Finnish border river, Torne River.
The project is run by Bodö Regional University (lead partner),
Inverness College and The Council of Torne Valley. The
project ends in September 2001.
The
aim of the project is to contribute to improved local
management of wild salmon and related local business development,
focusing on the regional and local level of management.
All partaking countries have a long tradition of sea trout
and salmon river fishing. By comparing and exchanging
experience among the partaking countries, regions and
rivers, mutual learning will hopefully take place. Improved
management by municipal spatial planning (integrated coastal
zone planning) and improved local co-operation among actors
that directly or indirectly affects the anadrome species
in rivers and local sea waters is especially focused at.
The role of local government and its efforts in spatial
planning with concerns for sustainable management of renewable
natural resources is by that reason highlighted. To achieve
this we have established local reference groups. These
groups are mainly maid up of local affected interests,
both private and public, as river owners, local public
authorities, anglers' associations, environmental interests
and so on. By documentation of experience, building arenas
for communication and learning, the intention of the project
is followed up. Guidelines for the different phases of
the project have been presented and discussed in the reference
groups, as the main end users of the project.
The
project is divided into three phases. Each phase of the
project ends with conferences to disseminate the findings
and have them publicly discussed by affected parties.
In Alta, Norway, the 23rd and the 24th of September 1999
a conference was held, called "Management of Atlantic
and Baltic salmon in the marine phase". Representatives
from all of the involved countries participated. The conference
was followed up by making a conference report which was
distributed to the participants and the members of the
reference groups. Reports on regional and local challenges
in sea based salmon management has been made. They have
all been presented and discussed in the established reference
groups. The focus on local government and the need for
spatial planning of local sea areas has contributed to
an increased interest for coastal zone planning in the
Norwegian case. All of the involved municipalities have
started up or are about to start with coastal zone planning,
linking salmon rivers to the planning of local coastal
waters. The project group was asked by the involved local
authorities to arrange a seminar on integrated coastal
zone planning for "salmon municipalities". The seminar
was held in early May in Tromsö, Norway, and all of the
involved "salmon" municipalities participated.
The
immediate response to the event was that it was very useful
for the participants and was regarded as highly successful.
Also the Scottish and the Swedish-Finnish sub-projects
have corresponding objectives and try to influence the
affected local governments to include river resources
and take on integrated coastal zone planning. While the
first phase focused at sea based conditions for sustainable
management of local salmon stocks, the second phase focuses
on rivers and adjacent communities, also comprising local
economic aspects of river resources. The state of the
rivers, development, access to fishing, organization,
tensions, conflicts and co-operation, the role of local
government and the use of spatial planning are some of
the aspects to be covered. This will be done in close
co-operation with the local reference groups. The work
of phase two has already started. Reports will be made.
Experience and findings will be presented to the reference
groups and at two conferences, one in Haparanda, Sweden,
in autumn 2000, and one in Inverness, Scotland in spring
2001. Members from the reference groups are especially
invited to take part as the main targeted groups. By that
reason we expect the transnational value to be increasing
for the rest of the project. Phase 3 will be devoted to
transnational comparisons, where the findings will be
presented at the final international conference in Saltdal,
Norway, at the end of August 2001.
If
you want more information on the sub-projects, reports
and project events, you will find it in the national presentations.
