BSEP116B Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea - Helcom

800
700
600
bag of the two German Baltic Federal States is
currently between 1 000 and 1 500 birds, more
than 50% being herring gulls. In Estonia, the
annual gull bag (2000–2007) varies between 50
and 200 birds.
The cormorant is not a game bird in the EU Member
States, since it is not listed in Annex II of the EU
Birds Directive. However, the national authorities
may allow harassment activities against cormorants,
including shooting, in order to prevent damages on
fishery or negative impacts on other species, e.g.
salmon smolts. On this legal basis, cormorants are
shot since the mid-1990s in Denmark, Germany, and
Sweden (Table 6.9.1). In Estonia, shooting of cormorants
was started in 1997, but the bag remained low
in all years, reaching a maximum of 354 in 2006.
In Åland, permission to shoot 100 cormorants was
given in 2008. The total number of cormorants shot
in the Baltic Sea area probably does not exceed
10 000–15 000 birds annually. In Mecklenburg-
Western Pomerania, Germany, culling of young
cormorants just before fledging off was practiced
from 2001–2005, but was then stopped because of
strong public protests.
6.9.2 Hunting of seals
The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population
has steadily increased after decades of low abun-
Reported kills, Sweden
Reported kills, Finland
Quota, Sweden
Quota, Finland
dance in the northern parts of the Baltic Sea (see
Chapter 4.2, Seals). Along with the seal population
increase, conflicts between fishermen and seals
have also increased. All three seal species are still
legally protected in the countries around the Baltic
Sea but annual permits to shoot grey seals are
given in Sweden and Finland.
In Sweden, all three seal species of the Baltic Sea
were protected during 1989–2000. Since 2001
controlled hunting of grey seals has been allowed
from Kalmarsund (North of the Öland Bridge) and
northwards according to quotas set by the Swedish
Environmental Protection Agency. The geographic
delimitation north of the Öland Bridge has been
set to avoid mistaken shooting of the small and
genetically distinct harbour seal population (Phoca
vitulina) in the Kalmarsund area. In Finland, quotas
have been set from 2000 onwards. The grey seal
quotas in Sweden, Finland and Åland were 230,
590 and 450 individuals in 2008, respectively
(Figure 6.9.2). In Sweden and Finland, individual
permits can be applied for shooting harbour
seals and ringed seals (Phoca hispida botnica).
Between 12–26 harbour seal permits have been
granted annually in Sweden in 2003–2007 and
the first ringed-seal permits were granted in 2008
in Finland. Sweden has a management plan for
grey seal, action plans for ringed seal and harbour
seal in the Baltic proper, and a management plan
for harbour seal in the Kattegat is under development
7 . There are management plans for both grey
seal and ringed seal in Finland 8 . Seal hunting is not
allowed and permits not given in any other country
in the Baltic Sea area.
Number of grey seals
500
400
300
200
100
6.9.3 Major international frameworks
regulating hunting of seabirds and
seals
The main legal frameworks regulating hunting in
the Baltic Sea area are the EU Habitats and Birds
Directives. All the seal species in the Baltic Sea are
protected by the Habitats Directive and the Birds
Directive protects all the seabird species in the
area. However, Member States can set specific
130
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Figure 6.9.2. Quotas and killed grey seals in Finland (excl. Åland)
and Sweden during 2000–2008.
7
Available at: http://www.naturvardsverket.se/
upload/04_arbete_med_naturvard/jakt/forvplan.pdf
8
Available at: http://www.mmm.fi/sv/index/framsida/
fiske_vilt_renar/Viltvard/forvaltningsplaner/
forvaltningsplanenforostersjonssalstammar.html