In Pictures

Baltic herring threatened by warming sea

Fishers in Finland fear that their trawlers might be mothballed for good.

Fisherman Matti Kukkola checks the catch after fishing herrings in Kotka, southern Finland. — The Baltic Sea is remarkably shallow. In size it is comparable to the Black Sea, but holds 20 times less water. That means it is more vulnerable to climate change and human activities.[Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Even aged 84, Holger Sjogren nimbly untangles the knots in his herring net as it was lowered into the murky depths of the Baltic Sea. “When the trawl bag comes up, the seagulls give us a concert,” he said.

Sjogren, a fifth-generation herring fisherman, has been trawling from the waters near Kotka in southeastern Finland for more than five decades. In the harbour, dozens of customers eagerly await his return to buy his catch straight off the boat.

However, the Baltic, which is enveloped by some of Europe’s most industrialised nations, is one of the most heavily polluted marine ecosystems on the planet. Numerous species are threatened, and quotas tightening, leaving fishers in Finland fearing that their trawlers might be mothballed for good.

“Many people are scared that they will have to quit,” said Sjogren. While some experts have called for a reduction in fishing quotas to safeguard the fragile ecosystem, others fear that a halt to fishing could have more adverse effects than positive ones.

In October, the European Union reduced Baltic herring quotas by up to 43 percent for 2024 – well short of the total ban initially proposed by the European Commission in August.

But with Baltic herring making up approximately 80 percent of Finland’s annual catch, fishers believe they are being punished for a problem they did not cause. “We take so little herring that it makes no difference to the stock, on the contrary, it revitalises the stock more than it consumes,” Sjogren argued.

Herring fisherman Holger Sjogren stands on deck of his boat before going fishing in Kotka, southern Finland. With stocks plummeting since the 1970s, Baltic herring could face the same fate as many other species that all but disappeared from the region. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

A fishing boat is seen off Kotka, southern Finland. — Rising temperatures and falling salinity due to more rainfall and less inflow from the Atlantic, are threatening numerous species as they strive to adapt. 'The more the Baltic Sea becomes a lake, the worse it will be for marine species,' said Jukka Ponni, a research scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE). [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Herring fishermen Holger Sjogren (L) and Jan Sjogren lower the fishing net into the water from their boat off Kotka, southern Finland. — Excessive nutrients from agricultural runoff have caused vegetation to proliferate, resulting in areas with low oxygen levels and harmful algae blooms that blanket the sea during summer. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Boats are docked at the harbour in Helsinki, Finland. — As the Baltic becomes less of a sea, larger saltwater species such as Baltic cod have been among the earliest casualties. As recently as the 1980s, its population reached record levels, but catches have steadily declined to such an extent that the EU had to slap an emergency ban on cod fishing in 2020.[Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Herring fisherman Holger Sjogren (L) and Jan Sjogren pull the fishing net inside after hours of fishing on their boat off Kotka, southern Finland. — While some advocate for significant reductions in fishing quotas to safeguard the remaining populations, others differ. 'It wouldn't have helped the stock even if there had been a total ban. It would even have had the opposite effect,' scientist Ponni said. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Herring fisherman Holger Sjogren empties a net full of fish into a metal container on his boat off Kotka, southern Finland. — He believes climate and environmental problems threaten the populations more than fishing. With the disappearance of Baltic cod, herring have very few natural predators. This means that without the fishers thinning out stocks, the populations could become 'too dense and the growth of individuals would be reduced as a result' due to food scarcity. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Herrings are kept frozen onboard the boat for the return to the port off Kotka, southern Finland. — But Matti Ovaska, fisheries officer at the World Wide Fund (WWF), dismissed that argument. If herring stocks are further depleted due to intensive fishing, there is a risk that other species, such as sprat, may take over and hinder the recovery of herring populations, he said. 'It will be necessary to cut fishing on all herring stocks,' Ovaska said. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Fisherman Matti Kukkola sells fish from the boat during the fish market in Helsinki, Finland. — For almost three centuries, the market square in the centre of Helsinki has bustled every autumn with locals buying herring directly from fishing vessels during the annual herring market. 'I eat herring every week,' customer Markku Karjalainen said. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Herring fisherman Holger Sjogren (L) sells herring products on his boat at the fish market in Helsinki, Finland. — From pickled herring with onion and bay leaves to whole smoked herring, silakka - herring in Finnish - has been an important part of Nordic culinary tradition for centuries. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]

Herrings are checked directly on the boat in case some other fish ended up in the net in Kotka, southern Finland. — Despite the restrictions, Sjogren wants to continue fishing as long as he can. 'The EU fisheries policy dictated from Brussels should be completely overhauled and the identity of the fishermen respected,' he said. [Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP]