University of Aberdeen

WP 2 “Shifting baselines” Workshop

Tallinn, 3-4 March 2006

• Fishing activity data

data from 1965 onwards

Landings - weight and value

• Total

• Species / gear type

• Main species

DATA AVAILABLE

Biological framework

DATA AVAILABLE

• Species in analysis

Cod (Gabus morhua)

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)

Herring (Clupea harengus)

Whiting (Merlangius merlangus)

Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou)

Mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus)

Anglerfish (Lophius litulon)

• Biological data

Lenght-frequency data

Size & age at maturity

Biomass

Discards data

Maximum sizes

Plankton data

DATA AVAILABLE

• Fishing activity data

data from 1965 onwards

Fishing fleet – number of vessels

Employment – number of registered fishermen

DATA AVAILABLE

Socio-economic framework

• Environmental data

North Atlantic Oscilation (NAO) – data from 1821 onwards

Sea Surface Temperature (SST) – data from 1891 onwards

Chlorophill – data from 1960 onwards

River flow – data from 1948 onwards

DATA AVAILABLE

Environmental frameworks

• Legislative data

• Management regimes

DATA AVAILABLE

Institutional framework

Study sites

Fisheries one of the oldest activities in the firth

Fisheries date back to 8000 years ago

Medievel times salmon were salted and exported to Europe

By mid 19th century concerns about salmon stock led to traps being banned from the inner firths

Several settlements fishing for herring

By mid 19th century Wick was the most important herring port in Europe

HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF FISHERIES IN THE MORAY FIRTH

MORAY FIRTH

Tallinn, 3-4 March 2006

• Include fishermen’s perpective on shifting baselines

Possible Publications ?

East coast: Moray Firth

Moray Firth

• General information

• Largest firth in Scotland - sea area of 2020 sq miles (5230 km2)

• Several nature conservation designations:

• SSSI;

• Natura 2000 network – Inner MF is a SPA and SAC

• Ramsar site

• Fisheries

• Importance has declined – accounts for 26% scottish vessels over 10m

• Very important from a cultural point of view

• Fleet shifting to small scale fleet and a shellfish fishery

West coast: Loch Torridon & Inner Sound

Loch Torridon & Inner Sound

• General information

• Representative of northwest & island type glaciar sea lochs

• Wester Ross National Scenic Area (largest in Scotland)

• Upper Loch Torridon & Shieldaig – MCA status

• Fisheries

• Dominated by nephrops fishery

• Characterized by a creel-only fishery – closed area (2000)

• LTNCF awarded MSC label (2003) for sustainable and well-managed marine fishery