 HOME
|
|
|
|
In the archipelago a professional fisherman lives on the mercy of the changing seasons. In winter he bores holes in the ice and floats his nets underneath to catch burbot and pike-perch. Towards spring it is time to put out the trap nets for perch and a little later for herring. When the spawning season of herring is over the fisherman starts fishing for whitefish with drift nets. As soon as the waters cool down the gill nets for pike-perch are put out in the open waters. For a multi-species fisherman the fishing seasons are short but busy. When the conditions are favourable the gear has to be put out as soon as possible – the best catches may be a matter of a certain couple of days. Freezing over and breaking up of the ice, cooling down or warming up of the waters, they all start almost unnoticed, and a lot of experience of the natural phenomena is needed to observe the gradual change. Traditional knowledge combined with own experience can be regarded as capital as well as the nets and boats. In addition to the natural conditions a fisherman must know the secrets of building and setting the different types of gear. It is necessary to master an infinite variety of details as each species requires an exclusively designed gear. The nets have various depths and mesh sizes and separate nets are used for summer and winter fishing. The same applies to the boats. Each fishing method requires a vessel best suited for the conditions: a smaller boat for pike-perch, a boat with a greater carrying capacity for herring trap nets and a more seaworthy vessel for drift nets. All these bind capital which is in use for a part of a year only, and therefore a fisherman tries to find the most profitable combinations of fishing methods and gear. A thorough cost estimate study is required when marketing the fish. As the amounts caught and sold are small the price has to be reasonable. This is achieved with a prime-quality product, which puts even more importance on the fisherman’s skill of handling his catch correctly. A multi-species fisherman often processes his catch himself. This makes possible a better utilisation of the catch and a specialisation in the most profitable species. The possibilities of a single fisherman to specialize in the development of re-processing are limited, however, because the fishing itself takes a lot of time. Efficient operation of small units is the best example of sustainable fisheries in our country. |
 |
|
