Goherr: WP2 Sociocultural use, value and governance of Baltic salmon and herring
Contents
Summary of workpackage
Work package number: | WP 2 | |||||
Start date or starting event: | Month 1 | |||||
Work package title: | Sociocultural use, value, and governance of Baltic salmon and herring | |||||
Activity Type: | RTD | |||||
Participant number | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | ||
Participant short name | IFM-AAU | UH | UOULU | THL | ||
Person-months per participant | 16 | 26 | 10 | 6 |
Contact information
Name | Institution | skype | phone | Responsibilities | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Päivi Haapasaari | UH | paivi.haapasaari@helsinki.fi | +358 44 5351319 | PI; WP2 leader | |
Alyne Delaney | IFM-AAU | alyne.delaney@ifm.aau.dk | alyne93 | 45 21 34 3776 | PI; WP2 co-leader; tasks 2.1a & b; 2.2a, c & d; 2.3a, b & c |
UOULU | |||||
THL |
Objectives and Rationale
WP2 will carry out a comparative study of the socio-cultural traditions and values related to salmon and herring, their use, and their governance. Anthropological research has long shown the importance and value of particular foods and environmental resources such as fish on society and culture. Such importance and values are informed and reified by culture, as is the use of these fish in society. Furthermore, the governance structures and institutions in place that inform the management and use of such resources will be investigated with suggestions on how they could be redesigned with input provided to WP 3 (Scenarios and management objectives) and WP6 (Building a decision support model for integrated governance). The objectives are: 1. To understand the socio-cultural importance, value, and use of Baltic salmon and herring; 2. To apply these understandings to suggestions for the socio-cultural and political prerequisites for successful integrated fisheries governance; and 3. To understand what kind of institutional, organisational, structural and attitudinal flexibility is needed for integrated governance.
DoW
Baltic salmon has great cultural importance in the Baltic Sea region and is associated with strong emotional values. This is shown e.g. by estimates of public spending for habitat restoration, results of studies regarding willingness to pay (WTP) by anglers, and the constant political debate revolving around salmon, related to who should be allowed to fish salmon, where, and to what extent (Kulmala et al. 2012). Baltic herring does not seem to have such a high cultural value. Rather, its most obvious value is economic. For instance, in Finland, Baltic herring is the most important catch in economic terms. The catches are used for human consumption, fish oil and meal, and animal feed (CEC 2010; EP 2011). Usage is driven by the market conditions, and varies among countries. In WP2, GOHERR first investigates, qualitatively, the importance and value of Baltic salmon and herring in selected case studies in four Baltic Sea MSs: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. For the sociocultural work, the following tasks will be undertaken:
Tasks
- 5.1 Effects of fishing on bioaccumulation of dioxins in herring (SLU) (M36)
Use the herring-salmon-dioxin model from WP4 to analyze the effect of different fisheries, parameterized to mimic current Baltic Sea herring fisheries aimed for food consumption or industrial use, leading to positively, negatively and neutrally size-selective fishing mortality, respectively, and study their differential impact on bioaccumulation, individual life history, population and community structure.
- 5.2 Herring fishing to reduce dioxin in salmon and herring (SLU) (M36)
Investigate alternative management schemes aiming to minimize bioaccumulation of dioxins in herring and salmon by systematically varying the level and size-selectivity of fishing mortality on herring in the novel herring-salmon-dioxin model from WP4.
- 5.3 Determinants of fish eating habits (THL, UH, UOULU) (M22)
The impact of different eating habits (demand of different sizes of herring) on the state of the fish stocks and finally the Baltic Sea will be examined. Also, determinants (such as age and knowledge about dioxins or recommendations) and trends in people’s eating habits will be studied by using a questionnaire targeted to a large sample of consumers in selected case studies (different Baltic Sea countries). The results will be used in the scenario modelling related to the use of herring and salmon in WP3, and finally in the Decision Support Model of WP6. The analyses will help to understand how improved information for consumers may impact the consumption, and health benefits and risks related to the consumption.
- 5.4 Benefit-risk assessment of previous, current and future fish intake (THL) (Month 34)
THL has recently collected data about previous and current fish consumption in Finland, especially about Baltic herring. These data will be used to update the estimates about fish intake and also exposures to harmful (dioxin and other persistent pollutants) and healthy (omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D) compounds in Baltic fish. A probabilistic benefit-risk assessment will be performed to inform policy makers about the health impacts of fish. Further, this assessment will be combined with the results of the other WPs to produce estimates of future health impacts of Baltic fish related to different policy options. These estimates will be used as input in the decision support model built in WP6. A similar assessment will be produced for Sweden using their respective national data about fish consumption.
Deliverables
- D5.1 An open online model about dioxins in fish; human consumption; and health benefits and risks (Month 24). Responsible partner: THL.
- D5.2 Journal publication (submitted): The health benefit-risk model results (Month 34). Responsible partner: THL.
- D5.3 Report/MS: The role of size-selective fisheries on bioaccumulation of dioxins (Month 36). Responsible partner: SLU.
See also
Related files
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