Press release 2013-09-24 at 9:35
Photo: Panu Hänninen.
PRESS RELEASE by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (RKTL)
The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute will expand their co-operation into fish stock monitoring. Today, 24 September, SYKE’s marine research vessel Aranda, will set sail for the first time to collect data on Baltic herring and sprat stocks in the Bothnian Sea, the Gulf of Finland and the northern part of the Baltic Sea Proper.
“We have had plans for enhanced co-operation with the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute in Baltic Sea research for quite some time; fish are after all a significant part of the marine ecosystem. It is a very welcome change to us at SYKE that fishery research is made an integral part of overall Baltic Sea research in this way,” says Mari Walls, Director of the Marine Research Centre.
For the purposes of fish stock monitoring, Aranda is equipped with echo-sounding systems and trawl nets meeting international research standards, which are essential for assessing Baltic herring and sprat stocks. Information on the sizes of Baltic herring and sprat stocks is first obtained by means of echo sounding, and the composition of the fish fauna then examined by means of test trawling. The trawl catch is analysed to determine fish species and size distributions.
The catch is processed in a mobile container, which is hauled on the afterdeck of the vessel for the duration of research cruises. In the Aranda’s laboratory, some of the Baltic herring and sprat caught are weighed, their sexual maturity determined and samples taken for age estimation.
“We at the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute are very satisfied that we can resort to the research equipment of a Finnish co-operation partner in assessment of Baltic herring and sprat stocks. Co-operation with SYKE has been smooth, and in the future we will be able to expand and deepen our research co-operation in marine ecosystem research. It is also possible to conduct echo sounding surveys in collaboration with Estonian and Swedish researchers, which will help us put the new equipment into maximal use,” says Riitta Rahkonen, Head of Unit from the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute.
“The fish stock survey conducted by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute brings a welcome addition to Aranda’s research repertoire and further enhances the use of this piece of multidisciplinary marine research infrastructure. Marine research vessels are used for fish stock research and monitoring around the globe, so co-operation with the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute also enhances SYKE’s opportunities for export operations. The container solution adapted for the purposes of fisheries research seems highly functional and allows flexible use of the research vessel,” says Mari Walls.
“This is a really worthwhile trip, because sustainable use of natural resources requires high-quality research activity. The project also promotes co-operation between research institutes,” says Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Koskinen.
Data on the status of fish stocks is utilised among others by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which makes the recommendations on maximum fish catches. Previous acoustic surveys of our economically most significant fish stock, the Baltic herring, have been conducted using foreign research vessels. The echo sounding survey of the Baltic herring stock is conducted annually in September-October as part of the EU’s data collection programme in fisheries management.
Aranda was equipped for research purposes with the help of Government-granted funding.
For additional information, please contact:
Mari Walls, Director
SYKE’s Marine Research Centre
firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Tel. +358 40 556 3839
Development Manager Juha Flinkman
SYKE's Marine Research Centre
firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Tel. +358 40 750 3911
Riitta Rahkonen, Head of Unit
Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute
firstname.lastname@rktl.fi
Tel. +358 40 153 7762
Ari Leskelä, Research Manager
Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute
firstname.lastname@rktl.fi
Tel. +358 400 342 879
Web Editor-in-chief
Aira Saloniemi
SYKE’s Communications
firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
Tel. +358 400 148875
Communication officer
Maarit Perkonoja
RKTL’s Communications
firstname.lastname@rktl.fi
Puh. 0400 265 215
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