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In the southern parts of the Baltic salmon was commonly harvested with drift net in the 1940s already, but there was no need for that kind of fishing method in our waters as the catches from the coastal fishery were sufficient. Here the off-shore fishing of salmon concentrated on longline fishery which has a long history, especially in the Gulf of Finland. When the catches collapsed in the coastal fishery after the building of dams in the spawning rivers, and also due the depression in herring fishery in the beginning of the 1970s, many a vessel was equipped with salmon gill nets. Salmon trawlers follow the shoals of fish. In spring the fishing grounds are closer to the coast and in the autumn, as the waters cool down, on the feeding grounds in the middle of the Bothnian Sea and in the Baltic Sea. A fishing trip may last several days and the schedule is determined by the weather conditions. In the 1980s only a few vessels specialised in fishing with drift lines and the profitability problems of the traditional small-scale fishery forced an increasing number of fishermen to start gillnet fishing of salmon. A fleet of smaller coastal vessels joined the larger trawlers, and the largest boats used for herring and whitefish fishery were also equipped with salmon gill nets. Due to successful stockings salmon catches grew making fishing profitable. Centres for off-shore fishery of salmon were formed in the Bothnian Sea area and on the Åland Islands. Dozens of vessels, ranging from 8 to 18 meters, used them as their base. The regulations of
salmon fishery were started in the 1990s to protect the wild
salmon. This made drift- net fishing impossible. As salmon fishery
was forbidden in the home waters the largest vessels moved to
the southern parts of the Baltic for most of the year. Part of
the off-shore fishermen started fishing herring or changed occupation.
A substantial number of the vessels were scrapped with state
and EU aid. FISHING FROM DISTANT PORTS Due to regulations
of the off-shore fishery the fishermen had to adapt themselves
to a several months’ stay in unfamiliar waters and foreign
ports. In addition to increasing costs and risks this caused
problems in arranging the fish trade, and social problems were
not rare. This, however, was the only way of continuing the drift
net fishery. During the first years
of regulation some fishermen replaced their salmon fishing gear
with cod gill nets due to the steadier availability and reasonable
price of cod. This solution meant that the fishermen had to stay
in an unfamiliar port from autumn to spring. Only in summer did
the vessels return to their home ports for maintenance and service. |
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A SALMON FISHER’S WORKING PLACE Off-shore fishing of salmon is an occupation suited for tough men. Several days of working on windy seas requires a good physical condition and mental strength. The salmon fishers have learned to adjust and to take whatever the sea brings. Fishing shows its best sides in spring when the nights are light, the winds mild and the fish big. The total opposite are the fishing trips on the wintry seas where a storm may rise in a few minutes. Even in the good weather you have to work several hours to get the nets up, but in a storm you must also have faith in the maneuverability of the vessel and in your own skills. Drift net fishing
starts in September when the summer closed season is over. The
trawlers set out to the Baltic, serviced and inspected, their
tanks filled with fuel, their holds full of ice. Salmon vessels
generally carry a three-man crew and the maximum number of nets
allowed, i.e. 600 pcs. The salmon nets are put out to drift in
loops of about 20 nets. At both ends of the loop there Co-operation is a vital condition when working at sea. Although the number of nets seems high it is not much in the open seas and it may take a long time to locate a place where the salmon move. There are many fishing vessels at sea and the skippers phone each other telling about their catches. Each skipper then decides, on the basis of the size of his vessel and the required amount of fish, where he steers his vessel. It may take several days to reach the chosen fishing grounds. The salmon drift nets are kept in water for a few hours, depending on the weather. The crew does not have much time to rest as lifting up the nets will take several hours, often around the clock. The fish are handled immediately after being disentangled from the nets. They are slaughtered, gutted and packed in ice in the hold. If the weather is favourable in the afternoon when the work is finished, the nets are put out again and the circle starts from the beginning. In autumn it is seldom possible to fish for several successive nights and this has been taken into account when leaving the port. There are enough provisions, ice and fuel for a week’s stay at sea, but the work is often interrupted by the winds turning into a storm. When returning to the port the fish are weighed, re-iced and packed for transport. After the long stay at sea the efficiency of a fishing port is appreciated. The fishermen expect that the equipment used for lifting the catch from the vessel and transferring it into the truck is in good condition. When the refrigerated truck has left with the catch, it is time for a sauna bath the crew has longed for, provided there is one in the port. If the weather doesn’t favour returning to the sea, the crew can visit their homes, but in active fishing seasons vessels return to the sea as soon as the fuel tanks and the ice hold have been refilled. In winter there are not many days suitable for fishing but towards spring there are more opportunities to succeed. Hauling the nets from the sea and removing the fish on the open deck on a light spring morning is pleasant compared to harsh winter conditions. In June the closed season for salmon begins in the Baltic, and the salmon vessels head for their home ports. It is time to service the vessels and repair the gear for the next fishing season starting in September. |
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