Environmental factors and uncertainty in fisheries management in the northern Baltic Sea

• Main Author: Uusitalo, Laura
• Other Authors: Lane, Daniel, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biosciences, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Aquatic Sciences, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Science, Rolf Nevanlinna Institute, Helsingin yliopisto, biotieteellinen tiedekunta, bio- ja ympäristötieteiden laitos, Helsingfors universitet, biovetenskapliga fakulteten, institutionen för bio- och miljövetenskaper, Kuikka, Sakari
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Helsingin yliopisto 2010
• Subjects: kalataloustiede; Salmo salar
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/22154

The Baltic Sea is a geologically young, large brackish water basin, and few of the species living there have fully adapted to its special conditions. Many of the species live on the edge of their distribution range in terms of one or more environmental variables such as salinity or temperature. Environmental fluctuations are know to cause fluctuations in populations abundance, and this effect is especially strong near the edges of the distribution range, where even small changes in an environmental variable can be critical to the success of a species. This thesis examines which environmental factors are the most important in relation to the success of various commercially exploited fish species in the northern Baltic Sea. It also examines the uncertainties related to fish stocks current and potential status as well as to their relationship with their environment. The aim is to quantify the uncertainties related to fisheries and environmental management, to find potential management strategies that can be used to reduce uncertainty in management results and to develop methodology related to uncertainty estimation in natural resources management. Bayesian statistical methods are utilized due to their ability to treat uncertainty explicitly in all parts of the statistical model. The results show that uncertainty about important parameters of even the most intensively studied fish species such as salmon (Salmo salar L.) and Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras L.) is large. On the other hand, management approaches that reduce uncertainty can be found. These include utilising information about ecological similarity of fish stocks and species, and using management variables that are directly related to stock parameters that can be measured easily and without extrapolations or assumptions. Itämeri on ainutlaatuinen ja herkkä ekosysteemi. Tämä maailman suurimpiin kuuluva murtovesiallas on geologisesti nuori, ja useimmat siinä elävät lajit ovat sopeutuneet sen olosuhteisiin vain osittain. Suomen rannikon ...