Goherr/Overview

The aim of GOHERR is to develop a novel integrated governance framework and a related decision support tool that combines the health of the Baltic Sea with the health of humans, and the dynamics of the ecosystem with human values and behaviour. By integrating the governance of two fish species and the sectoral, regional, national and sub-national as well as marine, coastal and river basin perspectives, the project aims at systematically identifying synergies or inefficiencies in the management of the socialecological system. The project will involve all stakeholders-in-chain for improving the capability of society to respond to the challenges of the Baltic Sea, from policy makers to fishermen and from scientists to consumers. The framework targets at successful implementation of ecosystem based management in the Baltic Sea, by applying and improving the tools of adaptive management and integrated management in order to enhance the coherency and efficiency of policy making and to improve the acceptability and resiliency of decisions.

The project focuses on the governance of two interrelated keystone fisheries of the Baltic Sea: salmon and herring. Both of these provide a rich source of Omega3 fatty acids and vitamin D for humans and could be attractive for people favoring locally produced healthy and natural food. A problem in common for Baltic salmon and herring is, however, that they contain high concentrations of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. Frequently the dioxin levels in these fish exceed the limit set by the EU for food and feed. Owing to the dioxin, the value of these fish species for human consumption is low, and the authorities recommend restricting their intake. For instance in 2010, adults in Sweden, on average, consumed Baltic herring only two times per year, and the average consumption of wild-caught Baltic salmon was less than one portion per year. The dioxin content in salmon and herring, both of which are among the most important catches of the Baltic Sea, makes the prerequisites for fishing livelihood unstable and the use of the catches contradictory, and can also affect management decisions. The high dioxin concentration in fish may even impact negatively on the image of the whole Baltic Sea. For fish market, dioxin poses a risk due to sales bans targeted to fish containing dioxin.

GOHERR aims in a nutshell:

• Involving stakeholders in building a novel integrated governance framework for Baltic salmon and herring that responds to the challenges of the ecosystem approach
• Analyse the consequences of the biological dependence between Baltic salmon and herring, and their consequences for bioaccumulation of dioxins
• Building a decision support model for an integrated risk analysis and governance of Baltic salmon and herring with the aim of reducing dioxin concentration in these fish species
• Mapping future scenarios for the use of Baltic herring and salmon
• Improving the quality of salmon and herring management through searching for synergies and coherence across sectors
• Proposing a governance structure for the integrated maritime policy in the Baltic Sea including relevant interrelated elements

Expected outcomes:

• Suggestions of new policy instruments for multi-level/nested integrated governance of Baltic salmon and herring stocks
• Increased understanding of integrated governance and suggestions of ways and tools for bridging policy sectors, governance levels, and stakeholder perspectives in ecosystem based governance
• A decision support tool to facilitate the implementation of integrated governance
• Increased understanding on the interrelationship between Baltic salmon and herring, and the impact of this on dioxin concentration