45 minutesBaltic fish are part of a complex food chain, at the end of which are humans. For the survival of each link in the chain, it is important to balance the entire ecosystem. Disturbance of this balance can have very negative consequences.
45 minutesCod is a particularly important species for fishing in the Baltic Sea because cod eat sprats and herring. Sprats and herrings, in turn, feed on cod roe and small cod. As a result, the size of cod stocks influences the size of herring and sprat stocks and vice versa - an increasing population of sprat and herring means more food for cod and more opportunities for expansion, but at the same time it causes increased pressure on cod eggs. Disturbing this balance has a negative effect on all elements of the ecosystem.
source: msc.org
We will look at this chain in more detail later during the lesson.
45 minutesPlant organisms called phytoplankton and phytobenthos are at the beginning of the Baltic Sea food chain.
45 minutesPhytoplankton are microscopic plant organisms that float passively in the water - they derive food from the sunlight (e.g., diatoms, brown algae, cyanobacteria)
45 minutesPhytobenthos are plants growing at the bottom of the Baltic Sea that have different colors depending on depth, i.e. on the amount of light taking part in the photosynthesis process (the deeper it gets, the more their shade changes from green, through yellow, to red). These include, e.g., green algae (branchwort, ribbonwort), brown algae (seaweed), kelp (forkbeard, rosebay), and flowering plants (seagrass).
benthos - bottom bound organisms
45 minutesAnimals are the next group of organisms:
45 minutesThe next link in the food chain is the nekton - fish and marine animals, which we can be broadly divided into:
45 minutesThe next link is avifauna. This is what we call the birds that inhabit the coast of the Baltic Sea. They feed on fish and phytobenthos - plants that grow on the bottom of the coast.
45 minutesThe last link in the food chain are humans.
Humans feed on fish, birds (although not the Baltic ones), but also on zoobenthos (e.g. mussels). For humans to be able to eat, it is necessary to balance the entire food chain. In order to maintain resources at a level that allows sea fishing, it is necessary to restore balance in the Baltic ecosystem. Legislation imposed by the EU and those developed in cooperation with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) helps to achieve this.
45 minutesThe International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) was founded in 1902 and is an intergovernmental body. It conducts scientific research into the marine ecosystems of the North Atlantic. It advises European Union bodies on setting catch limits to protect fish species whose continued fishing would harm their survival. In the document setting the so-called fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2020, special consideration was given to cod, herring and sprat stocks to enable the recovery of these fish stocks.
45 minutesAccording to the recommendation, cod fishing in the eastern Baltic Sea was stopped in mid-2019. Later, the ban was extended to 2020. And now ICES is recommending its extension for another 2021, or even another three years.
45 minutesThe reason is simple. Instead of thinking about what we might have on our plate now, we should think about what might be on it in the long term. Short-sightedness can have significant consequences for people. If we don't make sure that endangered species can recover, we will drive them to extinction. Along with them, other species involved in the food chain will also disappear. It is worth remembering that climate change, resulting in less frequent inflows of salty oxygenated water from the North Sea, is itself creating increasingly difficult living conditions for demersal species living in the Baltic Sea.
Global population growth should mobilize us to be concerned about regenerating fish stocks to provide us with food for the future.
45 minutesIf we look at the fishing issue globally, there are several factors to consider:
45 minutes
The Baltic Sea is home to many species of fish. These include fish that can live in brackish seas, as well as those that feel comfortable in the water in the river deltas flowing into the Baltic Sea, where fresh water mixes with salt water.
In this regard, we distinguish between marine, diadromous and freshwater fish species.
45 minutesBody length 40-70 cm; in addition to the tail, pectoral, ventral and anal fins, it has three more dorsal fins.
A subspecies of the Atlantic cod (which lives in much saltier ocean waters) is the Baltic cod. However, the baltic one is smaller than the Atlantic one. What they have in common is that they need very salty water to breed. In order for the female to spawn, she migrates towards Gotland, Bornholm and Gdansk, where conditions in the depths are suitable.
The shape of the body of cod resembles a spindle. It is covered with tiny scales. The lateral line is distinct and there are dots above it. The sides are lighter than the back and the underside is almost white. A single mustache grows on its chin. It is a predator that feeds on other fish and crustaceans. It lives up to seventeen years.
45 minutesBody length 30-35 cm, it is gray-green with red spots on one side.
In the Baltic restaurants, it is often confused with flounder. Flounder is a colloquial term for fish of the flounder family with similar shape. The correct name for the species we are describing is Common Flounder. It is a flat fish, inhabiting the bottom at depths of up to 100 meters. It has two eyes usually set on the right side of the body. When it rests on the bottom, the eyes located at the top make it easier to observe the depths of the sea. Its body is covered with cents on the top, along the lateral line. Its scales are small. The dorsal fin extends from the head to the shaft of the tail fin. It lives close to shore, where it is most likely to choose muddy estuaries, and breeds about 300 km from land. It feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, such as crustaceans and clams, and smaller fish. It lives up to fifteen years.
45 minutesIt grows up to about 25 cm on average, and has silvery scales with an elongated shape.
Baltic herring is the smallest of the oceanic herring varieties. Its head has no scales and its eyes are relatively large. The shape is spindly and the body slender, covered with silvery scales. It swims in shoals at depths of up to 250 meters, although it reproduces in shallow waters. It feeds on fish larvae and crustaceans. They can live up to twenty-five years, but usually live up to six-seven years.
45 minutesBody length ranges from 10 to 14 cm; body is covered with silver scales and the back is tinted blue.
A small fish with large eyes. The body is elongated with a silvery color. The back is darker than the underside. It has no lateral line. Sprat can be found up to 100 km from shore, at depths not exceeding 20 meters. It feeds on plankton. It lives up to six years.
45 minutesThe length of turbot in the Baltic Sea reaches about 50 cm. The body shape is almost circular and flattened. The eye side is grey with black spots covering its whole surface
Turbot is a large, circular and flat fish. Juveniles have eyes on both sides of the body and, as they mature (when they measure over 25 mm), the right eye moves to the left side of the body. The scales of the turbot are speckled and dark brown in color. This fish lives on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where it willingly buries itself in the mud. It lives at depths of 20 to 70 meters. It feeds on fish, crustaceans and mollusks living on the bottom. It lives up to 25 years. It is an endangered species.
45 minutesBody length up to 90 cm and weight up to 1 kg.
The eyes are large and the jaws long and thin. The body is elongated and laterally flattened. Scales range in color from dark blue or dark green on the back, to silvery sides, to a light underside. It lives in the top layers of water, in flocks. Thanks to its teeth, it feeds easily on crustaceans, mollusks and fish. Due to its long snout it is also called the Baltic stork.
.
It lives up to three years.
45 minutes
There are also so-called diadromous fish - fish that do well in both fresh and salt water. Examples are salmon and eels.
Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) - although not a Baltic species, it enters the Baltic Sea while getting stuck in the inflows from the North Sea.
45 minutes
45 minutesAdults spend their lives in the deep sea, but breed in clear freshwater. To do this, they swim from the sea directly into fresh rivers, where they spawn. The young salmon, when mature, go directly to the sea, where they remain until they reach reproductive age. The Baltic salmon population is endangered and fishing is therefore limited. To increase its numbers, it is bred in special farms, from where it is released into the coastal rivers. It feeds on insects, molluscs, crustaceans and other fish.
45 minutesWhen buying fish, it is a good idea to check if it is certified. One of them is the MSC - sustainable fisheries certificate. It means that the fish contained in the product comes from sustainable fisheries certified by the MSC. In the case of farmed fish the ASC certificate will inform us that the fish contained in the product comes from a responsible farm holding the ASC certificate. Naturally Baltic is a label for products meeting the highest standards. It indicates that we are dealing with the highest quality Baltic fish, full of healthy values. The creators of this label are also spreading knowledge about the Baltic fish. Thanks to them this e-learning platform and many other educational activities for children and adults on how to take care of the Baltic Sea resources were created;
45 minutesWe should be inquisitive. Ask for the exact name of the species and the fishing area where the fish comes from. Check the calendar, available from the previous lesson, to see if the species protection period is on. If the seller is unwilling to give you this information, it is highly likely that the fish was caught illegally. The more inquisitive you are, the more cautious retailers and fishermen will be.
45 minutes
Let's take care of the cleanliness of water. Nature has constructed the world in such a way that all pollutants getting into the groundwater due to our carelessness will in time reach the rivers and with throught them the seas.
To prevent this, let's choose natural cosmetics, detergents, fertilizers and avoid throwing garbage into rivers. All this will not only result in a healthier environment for the fish, but also better nutritional value.
45 minutesBaltic fish are part of a complex food chain, at the end of which are humans. For the survival of each link in the chain, it is important to balance the entire ecosystem. Disturbance of this balance can have very negative consequences.
45 minutesCod is a particularly important species for fishing in the Baltic Sea because cod eat sprats and herring. Sprats and herrings, in turn, feed on cod roe and small cod. As a result, the size of cod stocks influences the size of herring and sprat stocks and vice versa - an increasing population of sprat and herring means more food for cod and more opportunities for expansion, but at the same time it causes increased pressure on cod eggs. Disturbing this balance has a negative effect on all elements of the ecosystem.
source: msc.org
We will look at this chain in more detail later during the lesson.
45 minutesPlant organisms called phytoplankton and phytobenthos are at the beginning of the Baltic Sea food chain.
45 minutesPhytoplankton are microscopic plant organisms that float passively in the water - they derive food from the sunlight (e.g., diatoms, brown algae, cyanobacteria)
45 minutesPhytobenthos are plants growing at the bottom of the Baltic Sea that have different colors depending on depth, i.e. on the amount of light taking part in the photosynthesis process (the deeper it gets, the more their shade changes from green, through yellow, to red). These include, e.g., green algae (branchwort, ribbonwort), brown algae (seaweed), kelp (forkbeard, rosebay), and flowering plants (seagrass).
benthos - bottom bound organisms
45 minutesAnimals are the next group of organisms:
45 minutesThe next link in the food chain is the nekton - fish and marine animals, which we can be broadly divided into:
45 minutesThe next link is avifauna. This is what we call the birds that inhabit the coast of the Baltic Sea. They feed on fish and phytobenthos - plants that grow on the bottom of the coast.
45 minutesThe last link in the food chain are humans.
Humans feed on fish, birds (although not the Baltic ones), but also on zoobenthos (e.g. mussels). For humans to be able to eat, it is necessary to balance the entire food chain. In order to maintain resources at a level that allows sea fishing, it is necessary to restore balance in the Baltic ecosystem. Legislation imposed by the EU and those developed in cooperation with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) helps to achieve this.
45 minutesThe International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) was founded in 1902 and is an intergovernmental body. It conducts scientific research into the marine ecosystems of the North Atlantic. It advises European Union bodies on setting catch limits to protect fish species whose continued fishing would harm their survival. In the document setting the so-called fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2020, special consideration was given to cod, herring and sprat stocks to enable the recovery of these fish stocks.
45 minutesAccording to the recommendation, cod fishing in the eastern Baltic Sea was stopped in mid-2019. Later, the ban was extended to 2020. And now ICES is recommending its extension for another 2021, or even another three years.
45 minutesThe reason is simple. Instead of thinking about what we might have on our plate now, we should think about what might be on it in the long term. Short-sightedness can have significant consequences for people. If we don't make sure that endangered species can recover, we will drive them to extinction. Along with them, other species involved in the food chain will also disappear. It is worth remembering that climate change, resulting in less frequent inflows of salty oxygenated water from the North Sea, is itself creating increasingly difficult living conditions for demersal species living in the Baltic Sea.
Global population growth should mobilize us to be concerned about regenerating fish stocks to provide us with food for the future.
45 minutesIf we look at the fishing issue globally, there are several factors to consider:
45 minutes
The Baltic Sea is home to many species of fish. These include fish that can live in brackish seas, as well as those that feel comfortable in the water in the river deltas flowing into the Baltic Sea, where fresh water mixes with salt water.
In this regard, we distinguish between marine, diadromous and freshwater fish species.
45 minutesBody length 40-70 cm; in addition to the tail, pectoral, ventral and anal fins, it has three more dorsal fins.
A subspecies of the Atlantic cod (which lives in much saltier ocean waters) is the Baltic cod. However, the baltic one is smaller than the Atlantic one. What they have in common is that they need very salty water to breed. In order for the female to spawn, she migrates towards Gotland, Bornholm and Gdansk, where conditions in the depths are suitable.
The shape of the body of cod resembles a spindle. It is covered with tiny scales. The lateral line is distinct and there are dots above it. The sides are lighter than the back and the underside is almost white. A single mustache grows on its chin. It is a predator that feeds on other fish and crustaceans. It lives up to seventeen years.
45 minutesBody length 30-35 cm, it is gray-green with red spots on one side.
In the Baltic restaurants, it is often confused with flounder. Flounder is a colloquial term for fish of the flounder family with similar shape. The correct name for the species we are describing is Common Flounder. It is a flat fish, inhabiting the bottom at depths of up to 100 meters. It has two eyes usually set on the right side of the body. When it rests on the bottom, the eyes located at the top make it easier to observe the depths of the sea. Its body is covered with cents on the top, along the lateral line. Its scales are small. The dorsal fin extends from the head to the shaft of the tail fin. It lives close to shore, where it is most likely to choose muddy estuaries, and breeds about 300 km from land. It feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, such as crustaceans and clams, and smaller fish. It lives up to fifteen years.
45 minutesIt grows up to about 25 cm on average, and has silvery scales with an elongated shape.
Baltic herring is the smallest of the oceanic herring varieties. Its head has no scales and its eyes are relatively large. The shape is spindly and the body slender, covered with silvery scales. It swims in shoals at depths of up to 250 meters, although it reproduces in shallow waters. It feeds on fish larvae and crustaceans. They can live up to twenty-five years, but usually live up to six-seven years.
45 minutesBody length ranges from 10 to 14 cm; body is covered with silver scales and the back is tinted blue.
A small fish with large eyes. The body is elongated with a silvery color. The back is darker than the underside. It has no lateral line. Sprat can be found up to 100 km from shore, at depths not exceeding 20 meters. It feeds on plankton. It lives up to six years.
45 minutesThe length of turbot in the Baltic Sea reaches about 50 cm. The body shape is almost circular and flattened. The eye side is grey with black spots covering its whole surface
Turbot is a large, circular and flat fish. Juveniles have eyes on both sides of the body and, as they mature (when they measure over 25 mm), the right eye moves to the left side of the body. The scales of the turbot are speckled and dark brown in color. This fish lives on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where it willingly buries itself in the mud. It lives at depths of 20 to 70 meters. It feeds on fish, crustaceans and mollusks living on the bottom. It lives up to 25 years. It is an endangered species.
45 minutesBody length up to 90 cm and weight up to 1 kg.
The eyes are large and the jaws long and thin. The body is elongated and laterally flattened. Scales range in color from dark blue or dark green on the back, to silvery sides, to a light underside. It lives in the top layers of water, in flocks. Thanks to its teeth, it feeds easily on crustaceans, mollusks and fish. Due to its long snout it is also called the Baltic stork.
.
It lives up to three years.
45 minutes
There are also so-called diadromous fish - fish that do well in both fresh and salt water. Examples are salmon and eels.
Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) - although not a Baltic species, it enters the Baltic Sea while getting stuck in the inflows from the North Sea.
45 minutes
45 minutesAdults spend their lives in the deep sea, but breed in clear freshwater. To do this, they swim from the sea directly into fresh rivers, where they spawn. The young salmon, when mature, go directly to the sea, where they remain until they reach reproductive age. The Baltic salmon population is endangered and fishing is therefore limited. To increase its numbers, it is bred in special farms, from where it is released into the coastal rivers. It feeds on insects, molluscs, crustaceans and other fish.
45 minutesWhen buying fish, it is a good idea to check if it is certified. One of them is the MSC - sustainable fisheries certificate. It means that the fish contained in the product comes from sustainable fisheries certified by the MSC. In the case of farmed fish the ASC certificate will inform us that the fish contained in the product comes from a responsible farm holding the ASC certificate. Naturally Baltic is a label for products meeting the highest standards. It indicates that we are dealing with the highest quality Baltic fish, full of healthy values. The creators of this label are also spreading knowledge about the Baltic fish. Thanks to them this e-learning platform and many other educational activities for children and adults on how to take care of the Baltic Sea resources were created;
45 minutesWe should be inquisitive. Ask for the exact name of the species and the fishing area where the fish comes from. Check the calendar, available from the previous lesson, to see if the species protection period is on. If the seller is unwilling to give you this information, it is highly likely that the fish was caught illegally. The more inquisitive you are, the more cautious retailers and fishermen will be.
45 minutes
Let's take care of the cleanliness of water. Nature has constructed the world in such a way that all pollutants getting into the groundwater due to our carelessness will in time reach the rivers and with throught them the seas.
To prevent this, let's choose natural cosmetics, detergents, fertilizers and avoid throwing garbage into rivers. All this will not only result in a healthier environment for the fish, but also better nutritional value.
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