ESTONIAN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW 2009

3.2.3. Restocking
As a consequence of overfishing or the lack of suitable
spawning or feeding areas, many fish species are
endangered and their ability to recover naturally is too
low. Such species include salmon, eel and sea trout. To
restore or strengthen the wild populations of endangered
fish species, fish stocks are replenished. Restocking of fish
means that bodies of water are stocked with juvenile fish
reared in fish farms. As to which species must be stocked,
this is set forth in the State programme of reproduction
and re-stocking of fish 2002–2010.
Of the species farmed for stocking purposes, the most
endangered is the salmon (Salmo salar). The possibilities
for salmon to spawn have been significantly harmed due
to poaching and weirs on rivers. The International Baltic
Sea Fishery Commission (IBSFC) 1997 salmon plan calls for
Estonia to ensure salmon spawning in potential salmon
rivers of 50% of the maximum. Intensive salmon stocking
began after the founding of the Põlula Fish Rearing
Centre in 1994. Põlula is also the location of a gene bank
for salmon from the River Kunda, which is the source for
eggs for production of juveniles. A considerable number
of salmon were tagged from 1997–2008. The tags on fish
caught allow us to draw conclusions as to how productive
the replenishment of fish stocks has been – in other
words, how many of the juvenile fish reared on farms
survived in the body of water. Unfortunately salmon
catches – both professional and amateur fishing – are on
the wane, which leads to the conclusion that the results
of stocking have been poor. One reason is the lack of
spawning areas and habitats due to weirs, and another
reason is presumably related to changes in the Gulf of
Finland’s ecosystem. ICES believes it is not possible to
fulfil the set objective.
Another major species being stocked is the eel (Anguilla
anguilla) but the objective of stocking is the increasing of
fishing possibilities in inland waters. As eel can no longer
travel upstream of the Narva weir, constructed in the
1950s, eel fishing is based on eel stocked in the Lake Peipsi
complex. Eel stocks have fallen dramatically everywhere
in Europe and an eel stock recovery plan prepared at the
initiative of the European Commission effective 2009.
On the basis of the plan, fishing will be reduced over five
years to the extent that the yield will fall 50%.
After salmon and eel, sea trout is the third most important
stocked fish. Other species stocked include asp,
pike-perch, tench, carp, pike and crayfish.
600 000
500 000
salmon
eel
400 000
300 000
200 000
specimens
100 000
0
304 940
577 870
213 800
375 000
172 560
411 000
240 706
317 851
253 513
194 496
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Figure 3.9. Salmon and eel stocked in 2004–2008. Data: Ministry of the Environment.
Read more:
• Joint Final Report on the Audit of Environmental Monitoring and
Fisheries Management and Control in the Baltic Sea
[WWW] http://www.riigikontroll.ee/upload/failid/
final_report_on_audit_of_fisheries_management_12.01.2009.pdf
• Ministry of the Environment website.
[WWW] http://www.envir.ee/67251 (Fishery and fish resources)
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