Restaurering och bevarande av lek- och uppväxtområden för kustfiskbestånd

The coastal zone is affected by a vast spectrum of human activities. Due to historical and strategic reasons, many industries and cities are located in the coastal area. It is also important for recreation and fisheries, especially the archipelago regions. The majority of both recreational and industrial activities are concentrated to the shallow and sheltered parts of the coastal zone. This is a fundamental reason for conflicts between human activities and requirements for fish recruitment. The best recruitment areas for freshwater fish are often situated in such shallow and sheltered areas. Many of the rivers and small streams along the Baltic coastline, which also constitute important recruitment areas, have also been heavily affected by anthropogenic activities.There is, thus, a need for restoration of the disturbed recruitment areas in the coastal zone. Restorational efforts concentrating on fish recruitment requirements could provide a tool in the development of efficient and sustainable management practices for freshwater fish species in the coastal zone of the Baltic. Thus, restoration could play a prominent role in vitalising coastal fisheries. The current experiences of using restoration techniques in management of recruitment areas are unfortunately partially lacking. This document is an attempt to list, categorise and if possibly examine small-scale restoration methods appropriate for enhancing recruitment of warmwater species of fish in the Baltic. Hopefully restoration and remediation may develop into equally central tools in the management of coastal fish stocks as it currently is for management of salmonid stocks in running waters.The report identifies and describes restoration practices within a number of fields. Methods and/or areas that are believed to have potential in future restoration efforts are:in future restoration efforts are: – removal of migration obstacles. – restoration of coastal wetlands and periodically flooded areas. – consideration and restrain towards dredging activities in shallow areas. – increased access to spawning substrates and structural refuges for juveniles. – consideration to fish requirements when designing physical rearrangements of coastal areas, e.g. building of roads, harbours, cutting of reed etc.