Fishers unite to preserve local environment and fisheries

In 2015, the few remaining fishers on the island of Gotland decided it was time to take action to preserve their fishery and bring the value of local fish back into the community.

They began by setting up an economic association called Gutefisk (“Good Fish”) that gained EU funding to protect fisheries. They planned to recreate a market for local fish by increasing fishing capacity and convincing people that Baltic fish is safe to eat. In parallel, two other projects (the Pike and Garfish Network, and seal-safe gear for small-scale fisheries) explored the commercialisation of fish species that are less familiar to consumers, with a focus on developing sustainable small-scale coastal fishing in Gotland.

In recent years, stocks of Baltic cod, salmon and herring have declined and restrictions on fishing have increased. As a result, commercial fishing activity in Gotland nearly went extinct. In addition, a rising fear of toxins in Baltic fish meant that locals were less interested in eating locally caught fish.

There is a general lack of knowledge about how “poisonous” fish from the Baltic Sea really are, all the way from the fishers themselves right up to consumers. The Gutefisk partners therefore decided to use science and information campaigns to show people the true situation: which fish species are available, and which are safe to eat. The decision depends in part on whether the fish are lean or oily, and the Swedish Food Agency has various recommendations for different target groups.

The Gotland Fish Guide project worked to analyse and map all the fish species in Gotland and produce factsheets to help fishers understand the situation and pass their knowledge on to consumers. Another objective of this project was to create awareness of the different species and the opportunities they offer to local small-scale coastal fishers.