Acronym BALTFIMPA
Category
Fisheries
Title Managing Fisheries in Baltic Marine Protected Areas: Inception Phase Programme EUSBSR
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National-European Coordinator Marco Milardi Coordinator email marco.milardi@helcom.fi
Coordinator institution
HELCOM - Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission - Helsinki Commission (Finland)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2012 End year 2013 Funding (€) € NA Website http://helcom.fi/helcom-at-work/projects/baltfimpa/ Summary Well-functioning marine ecosystems and their biodiversity are vitally important for human well-being - they provide the wide range of ecosystem services on which we depend. The impact of fishing on marine ecosystems not only concerns the commercially important fish stocks sustaining commercial fisheries per se, but can also affect the benthic invertebrate and fish communities, marine mammals, seabirds and the seafloor. Different types of fishing gear have different types of impacts on the marine ecosystems and their ecological services. Marine Protected Areas can be effective tools to ensure the protection of marine ecosystems and the sustainable use of their natural resources. The main objective of the BALTFIMPA project is to assist, on a regional level, the HELCOM Contracting States to comply with their obligations to fulfil conservation objectives of marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea. BALTFIMPA shall thus analyse possible conflicts between fisheries and conservation objectives in MPAs (including Baltic Sea Protected Areas and areas of NATURA 2000), taking into account the protected species, and it will identify fisheries management measures accordingly. This will be accomplished by studying the impact of fisheries and then finding new solutions to mitigate it. Solutions can range from improved management of fisheries regulations to development of new types of fishing gear that are more sustainable for the environment. These solutions need then to be promoted and disseminated to all relevant stakeholders. The central question guiding the project is "how can fisheries management contribute to achieving conservation objectives of marine protected areas?".
The Inception Phase, funded by the European Union under EUSBSR, has recently ended. Its main objectives were to implement the Generic Tool for fisheries management but also to plan the following work packages. During the Inception phase the Tool was built and implemented via meeting/workshops/conferences and technical assistance from DTU Aqua. All HELCOM Contracting Parties (Including Russia) participated in these meetings, giving the process a clear transnational scope and a Baltic Sea region scale. A special effort was made to organize a teleconference meeting to increase participation possibilities. At the same time, the Inception Phase aimed at further detailing the project and secure its financial support by applying for additional funding. A project proposal detailing the actions to be included in the Inception Phase has been drafted and submitted for evaluation under Life+ 2012 call. This action was also supported by a Finnish ministerial grant.
Keywords
Fisheries management;
Fishing mortality;
MPA;
Environmental impact;
Physical disturbance;
Sustainability;
Bycatch;
Marine Region
20
Archipelago Sea (27.IIId. 29)
18
West of Gotland (27.IIId.27)
19
Gulf of Finland (27.IIId.32)
22
Southern Central Baltic-West (27.IIId.25)
16
East of Gotland or Gulf of Riga (27.IIId.28)
17
Bothnian Sea (27.IIId.30)
24
Sound, Belt Sea or Transition Area (27.IIIb,c)
23
Baltic West of Bornholm (27.IIId.24)
27
Bothnian Bay (27.IIId.31)
14
Skagerrak, Kattegat (27.IIIa)
21
Southern Central Baltic-East (27.IIId.26)
11
Marine Region Map
