- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
In a pickle: Baltic herring threatened by warming sea
Even aged 84, Holger Sjogren nimbly untangles the knots in his herring net as it was lowered into the murky depths of the Baltic Sea.
"When the trawl bag comes up, the seagulls give us a concert," he said.
Sjogren, a fifth-generation herring fisherman, has been trawling from the waters near Kotka in southeastern Finland for more than five decades.
In the harbour, dozens of customers eagerly await his return to buy his catch straight off the boat.
However, the Baltic, which is enveloped by some of Europe's most industrialised nations, is one of the most heavily polluted marine ecosystems on the planet.
Fishermen in Finland now fear that their trawlers might be mothballed for good.
"Many people are scared that they will have to quit," said Sjogren.
While some experts have called for a reduction in fishing quotas to safeguard the fragile ecosystem, others fear that a halt to fishing could have more adverse effects than positive ones.
In October, the European Union reduced Baltic herring quotas by up to 43 percent for 2024 -- well short of the total ban initially proposed by the European Commission in August.
But with Baltic herring making up approximately 80 percent of Finland's annual catch, fishermen believe they are being punished for a problem they did not cause.
"We take so little herring that it makes no difference to the stock, on the contrary, it revitalises the stock more than it consumes," Sjogren argued.
- Sea turning into a lake -
With stocks plummeting since the 1970s, Baltic herring could face the same fate as many other species that all but disappeared from the region.
The Baltic Sea is remarkably shallow. In size it is comparable to the Black Sea, but holds 20 times less water. That means it is more vulnerable to climate change and human activities.
Rising temperatures and falling salinity due to more rainfall and less inflow from the Atlantic, are threatening numerous species as they strive to adapt.
"The more the Baltic Sea becomes a lake, the worse it will be for marine species," said Jukka Ponni, a research scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE).
Excessive nutrients from agricultural runoff have caused vegetation to proliferate, resulting in areas with low oxygen levels and harmful algae blooms that blanket the sea during summer.
As the Baltic becomes less of a sea, larger saltwater species such as Baltic cod have been among the earliest casualties.
As recently as the 1980s its population reached record levels, but catches have steadily declined to such an extent that the EU had to slap an emergency ban on cod fishing in 2020.
The immense Atlantic sturgeon, once abundant in the Baltic, vanished due to pollution and the obstruction of its migratory rivers.
- 'Ban may not help' -
While some advocate for significant reductions in fishing quotas to safeguard the remaining populations, others differ.
"It wouldn't have helped the stock even if there had been a total ban. It would even have had the opposite effect," scientist Ponni said.
He believes climate and environmental problems threaten the populations more than fishing.
With the disappearance of Baltic cod, herring have very few natural predators.
This means that without the fishermen thinning out stocks, the populations could become "too dense and the growth of individuals would be reduced as a result" due to food scarcity.
But Matti Ovaska, fisheries officer at the World Wide Fund (WWF), dismissed that argument.
If herring stocks are further depleted due to intensive fishing, there is a risk that other species, such as sprat, may take over and hinder the recovery of herring populations, he said.
"It will be necessary to cut fishing on all herring stocks," Ovaska said.
- Last herring market? -
For almost three centuries, the market square in the centre of Helsinki has bustled every autumn with locals buying herring directly from fishing vessels during the annual herring market.
"I eat herring every week," customer Markku Karjalainen told AFP.
From pickled herring with onion and bay leaves to whole smoked herring, "silakka" -- herring in Finnish -- has been an important part of Nordic culinary tradition for centuries.
But as restrictions mount, Ponni fears for the very future of fishing.
"There is a risk that fishing will cease altogether. No one will invest anymore," Ponni said.
This would be regrettable, Ponni argued, as recent innovations have positioned herring as a substitute for canned tuna.
Despite the restrictions, Sjogren wants to continue fishing as long as he can.
"The EU fisheries policy dictated from Brussels should be completely overhauled and the identity of the fishermen respected," he said.
J.Oliveira--AMWN