Abundance of salmon spawners and smolt

• The indicator follows the salmon smolt production and compares them with potential smolt production capacity (PSPC) by river. The parameter has a linkage to the number of adult spawners ascending the rivers and, hence, indirectly to fishing pressure at the sea and in the river.

The main parameter of the proposed core indicator is:

1. Smolt production in rivers (measures from 4 rivers, in 39 rivers estimated from the parr densities) and the core indicator is supported by the following parameters: 2. Number of rivers with self-reproducing salmon populations 3. Number of spawners in the rivers (available in part of rivers) 4. Post-smolt survival (relative rate) 5. Fishing catches

The indicator is based on the annual work of the ICES Working Group on Baltic Salmon and Sea Trout (WGBAST) and is supplemented (Kattegat area) by the results of the HELCOM SALAR project (HELCOM 2011).

Abundance of salmon spawners and smolt

Stage of development Indicator type

Core State

Primary importance Secondary importance

BSAP

Segment and Objective

Natural Distribution and occurrence of plans and

animals

Viable populations of species

• Consider to add issues listed in the core

indicator description (expired in terms of

time objective)

MSFD

Descriptors and Criteria

1.3. Population condition (demography, genetic

structure)

1.1 Species distribution (range, pattern,

covered area)

1.2 Population size (abundance, biomass)

1.5 Habitat extent

3.1. Level of pressure of the fishing activity

3.2 Reproductive capacity of the stock

4.3 Abundance / distribution of key trophic

species

Other relevant legislation: (e.g. WFD)

Legislative linkage:

Abundance of salmon spawners and smolt

Concept/ design

Coordinated monitoring Assessment

Research needs for operationalization (in

relation to needs stated under the

coordinated monitoring and

assessment columns)

Data arrangements

Monitoring strategy (method, frequency, spatial resolution) in relation to relevant indicator parameters Technical guidelines Geographic scale

Assessment method

GES / assessment criteria (currently all GES are provisional)

A ) in place B) under development C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A ) monitoring in place B ) monitoring needs revision C ) monitoring not available, what needs - action level?

A ) in place B ) needs revision, what needs doing C ) not available, what needs - action level?

HELCOM assessment units: A ) identified B) Identified not described C) not identified, what needs - action level?

A ) available and described B ) available not described C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A ) proposed and described B ) proposed but needs more supporting data C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A ) in place B ) needs revision, what needs doing C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A A A B - ICES WGBAST six assessment units to be checked against HELCOM assessment units - TM

A B - suggested GES to be checked against maximum sustainable yield (MSY) - TM

Abundance of adult spawners is missing from several rivers due to missing data (lack of automatic counters).

B - agreement with ICES on data handling - TM/HELCOM (discussions on this topic ongoing in BALSAM)

A – Joint sea and river surveys

A – monitored in 26 rivers with wild salmon stock, 14 rivers with mixed salmon stock and 16 stock of Kattegat;; time series at least from early 2000s

A A A A Abundance of adult spawners is missing from several rivers due to missing data (lack of automatic counters).

A – Compiled by ICES annually

(action level = who needs to complete the task)

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Abundance of salmon spawners and smolt

• The GES is measured comparing the actual smolt production to the potential smolt production capacity (PSPC).

• Reaching at least 75 % of the PSPC in rivers has been suggested by ICES if the plan is to recover salmon populations to the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) level. The ICES workshop on Baltic Salmon Management PLan Request (WKBALSAL, ICES 2008), however showed that reaching MSY may require revising the 75 % target level in most rivers to over 80 %. HELCOM has aimed to use the 80 % PSPC target for the BSAP assessments (HELCOM 2007, HELCOM 2011).

• In present version of the core indicator the 75 % target has been used until ICES WGBAST has revisited the target. The natural production capacity in the Baltic is highly variable and the estimates for PSPC include uncertainty which has been incorporated into the models. Therefore the estimated smolt production as well as the PSPC (and the 75 % target) have been presented as probability intervals (PI) of the value distribution.

Abundance of salmon spawners and smolt

• HELCOM Assessment Unit Level: 2

• The indicator is applicable in: all coastal areas around the Baltic Sea

• Currently data is available : all coastal areas around the Baltic Sea

GU

LF O

F BO

TH

NIA

ESTONIA

FINLAND

RUSSIA

GULF OF FINLAND

POLAND

SWEDEN

LATVIA

LITHUANIA

NORWAY

GERM

ANY

ATLANTICOCEAN

BALTICSEA

North

90-95 % of wild smolts 60-65 % of released smolts

• Natural reproduction in 30 rivers in the Baltic sea

• Smolts are also raised in hactheries and realease in a number of rives and estuaries

• Only for the wld salmon stock have internatiuonally agreed management objectives

• In 2011 the smolt production in relation to 75 % of the potential smolts production capacity:

reached

reached with a moderate probability

uncertain if reached

improbable that reached

Mirgation of smolts to the feeding areas

Offshore fishery

River fishery

Coastal fishery

Spawning migration

of mature fish to the

home rivers

Salmon stocks in the Gulf of Bothnia

– migrations and fisheries

Abundance of salmon spawners and smolt

List of issues that still need

to be solved for the

indicator

Describe what is hindering solving the issue

Not a crucial shortcoming but in the

assessment unit 5 and 6 ( Baltic

countries and Gulf of Finland) the

conversion of the parr densities into

smolt production estimates as well as

the estimates of the potential smolt

production capacities are based on

the expert evaluation. ICES WGBAST

aims to include also these stocks in

the same assessment model as AU1-4

stocks.

Development in the process in AU5-6 rivers to meet the data requirements for the

assessment model.

Abundance of sea trout spawners and parr

The indicator follows the sea trout parr densities and compares them with reference densities in good habitats of the spawning rivers. The parameter has a linkage to the number of adult spawners ascending the rivers and, hence, indirectly to fishing pressure at the sea and in the river. The main parameter of the proposed core indicator is:

1. Parr densities in rivers and the core indicator is supported by the following parameters: 2. Number of rivers with self-sustaining sea trout populations 3. Fishing catches

Core indicator data is based on the annual reports of the ICES Working Group on Baltic Salmon and Sea Trout (WGBAST).

Abundance of sea trout spawners and parr

Stage of development Indicator type

Core State

Primary importance Secondary importance

BSAP

Segment and Objective

Natural Distribution and occurrence of plans and

animals

Viable populations of species

• To be considered: ”Classification and

inventorying of rivers with historic and

existing migratory fish species no later

than 2012.”

MSFD

Descriptors and Criteria

1.3. Population condition (demography, genetic

structure)

1.1 Species distribution (range, pattern,

covered area)

1.2 Population size (abundance, biomass)

1.5 Habitat extent

3.1. Level of pressure of the fishing activity

3.2 Reproductive capacity of the stock

4.3 Abundance / distribution of key trophic

species

Other relevant legislation: (e.g. WFD)

Legislative linkage:

Abundance of sea trout spawners and parr

Concept/ design

Coordinated monitoring Assessment

Research needs for operationalization (in

relation to needs stated under the

coordinated monitoring and

assessment columns)

Data arrangements

Monitoring strategy (method, frequency, spatial resolution) in relation to relevant indicator parameters Technical guidelines Geographic scale Assessment method

GES / assessment criteria (currently all GES are provisional)

A ) in place B) under development C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A ) monitoring in place B ) monitoring needs revision C ) monitoring not available, what needs - action level?

A ) in place B ) needs revision, what needs doing C ) not available, what needs - action level?

HELCOM assessment units: A ) identified B) Identified not described C) not identified, what needs - action level?

A ) available and described B ) available not described C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A ) proposed and described B ) proposed but needs more supporting data C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A ) in place B ) needs revision, what needs doing C ) not available, what needs - action level?

A B - method is under revision - ICES WGBAST. Spatial resolution may need clarification in some countries (e.g. more electrofishing in smaller rivers and streams) and sea trout Index rivers to be established in all ICES subdivision – TM

B - detailed specifications may be needed - TM

A B - model to be developed to estimate potential parr densities in rivers - TM, ICES WGBAST

A sea trout stock assessment missing

B - agreement with ICES on data handling - TM/HELCOM (discussions on this topic ongoing in BALSAM)

A A – monitored in 143 rivers in all sea areas around the Baltic Sea; time series at least from early 2000s

A – some issues associated to the selection of electrofishing sites will be updated

A B – the model to estimate the river (and site) specific estimates for the potential parr densities need to be further developed – ICES (WGBAST)

A A – Compiled by ICES annually

(action level = who needs to complete the task)

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Abundance of sea trout spawners and parr

• GES measure compares the actual site specific parr density to the model estimated potential parr density capacity.

• GES is reached when the parr density is more than 50 % of the reference parr densities in good habitats of spawning rivers.

Abundance of sea trout spawners and parr

• HELCOM Assessment Unit Level: 3

• The indicator is applicable in: all coastal areas around the Baltic Sea

• Currently data is available : all coastal areas around the Baltic Sea

Abundance of sea trout spawners and parr

List of issues that still need

to be solved for the

indicator

Describe what is hindering solving the issue

A model to estimate the potential

parr densities for each selected river

(and electro fishing site) need to be

further developed. Also criteria for

the selection of electrofishing sites to

the model input need to developed.

A preliminary model version is already available but still some further development is

needed. The required resources for an expert work and modeler work have not been

possible to allocate so far to complete the work. At present the situation has improved

and the model development will be progressed in SLU in Sweden, ICES(WGBAST)