A Bodden pike tagged as part of the project is being released. | Photo: Philipp Czapla
From 2019 to 2023, intensive research was carried out in the Bodden lagoons as part of the ‘Boddenhecht’ project. The findings were jointly discussed and weighed up within a flanking working group set up to support the project, in which all stakeholder groups representing both use and conservation interests were involved. This resulted in 35 management recommendations on which a consensus could be reached. Some of these have now been directly incorporated into the amendment to the regulation, including the so-called ‘harvest window’ for angling and trap fishing, as well as a maximum mesh size for set-net fishing. These measures are intended to reduce the excessive catch of large pike, which are particularly important for the stock and its reproduction.
“Such transdisciplinary research approaches, in which stakeholder groups are involved at an early stage, are labour-intensive – but well worth the effort! Valuable practical knowledge feeds into the research. Participation and mutual exchange can lead to significantly greater consensus and acceptance of the resulting measures for the conservation and use of ecosystems,” explains project leader Prof. Robert Arlinghaus, head of the IGB research group on Integrative Angling Management.
Amended Coastal Fisheries Regulations (in German) >
Read more about the declining coastal pike catches around Rügen, Germany >
