Workshop
Workshop on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management
March 4, 2025
Workshop
Workshop on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management
Start date: March 4, 2025
End date: March 6, 2025
Time:
Place: BfN's International Academy for Nature Conservation on the island of Vilm
Address:
Official meetings of all HELCOM Working and Experts Groups and other subsidiary bodies are postponed due to the HELCOM strategic pause until further notice, however, informal consultation sessions, without Russian participation, are organized and hosted by a Contracting Party.
The informal consultation sessions process and discuss documents and provide guidance and recommendations as to how to progress work.
The informal consultation sessions process and discuss documents and provide guidance and recommendations as to how to progress work.
Description
From 4-6 March 2025 was the workshop on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management on the island of Vilm. Guests from the Baltic Sea states, representatives of the HELCOM (Helsinki Commission) Secretariat, observer organisations and invited guests met at the BfN's International Academy for Nature Conservation on the island of Vilm for an international event organised by the HELCOM Working Group on Ecosystem-based Sustainable Fisheries (WG FISH).
Why we needed this workshop?
Exploited fish populations and the marine ecosystem in the Baltic Sea are in a poor state. Human activities giving rise to pressures on the Baltic Sea are continuing to increase, with additional stress due to climate change and oxygen deficiency areas. In order to increase the resilience of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, including fish populations, against pressures from human activities and climate change, ecosystem-based fisheries management needs to consider not solely the direct impacts of fishing on fish resources, but also impacts on marine habitats and protected species, the marine foodweb and other pressures within the context of the entire marine ecosystem.
Outcomes
The aim of the workshop format on the first day was to collect views and discuss a common HELCOM understanding of ecosystem-based fisheries management. The HELCOM working group then met the second and third day to discuss their workplan and the next steps in finalization of the common understanding.
The next steps
Under the responsibility of the Fish Working Group, the workshop results will be used to finalize the common understanding, and relevant actions of the Baltic Sea Action Plan are reviewed, planned and implemented.
CCB Participant in the meeting
- Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer
Participation supported by
CCB's participation in the event was supported by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither
the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.
Why we needed this workshop?
Exploited fish populations and the marine ecosystem in the Baltic Sea are in a poor state. Human activities giving rise to pressures on the Baltic Sea are continuing to increase, with additional stress due to climate change and oxygen deficiency areas. In order to increase the resilience of the Baltic Sea ecosystem, including fish populations, against pressures from human activities and climate change, ecosystem-based fisheries management needs to consider not solely the direct impacts of fishing on fish resources, but also impacts on marine habitats and protected species, the marine foodweb and other pressures within the context of the entire marine ecosystem.
Outcomes
The aim of the workshop format on the first day was to collect views and discuss a common HELCOM understanding of ecosystem-based fisheries management. The HELCOM working group then met the second and third day to discuss their workplan and the next steps in finalization of the common understanding.
The next steps
Under the responsibility of the Fish Working Group, the workshop results will be used to finalize the common understanding, and relevant actions of the Baltic Sea Action Plan are reviewed, planned and implemented.
CCB Participant in the meeting
- Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer
Participation supported by
CCB's participation in the event was supported by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither
the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.