On May 2, a meeting concerning the possibilities for restoration of fish spawning areas was held at the Ministry of the Environment with participation of fisheries specialists of the county environmental departments and members of the fish resources reproduction working group. For some years already, the state of fish spawning areas has been of concern to fisheries experts. The roots of the problem date back to land amelioration practices of the Soviet period. According to Mr. Marko Tuurmann, Director General of the Water Department of the Ministry of the Environment, land amelioration in earlier decades resulted in water bodies being changed so that there were no spawning sites left for fish - the ditches were dug straight and deep. In the case of such land amelioration systems, spring high water flow disappeared within a week with no attention being paid to aquatic wildlife. As a consequence of such practice, sediment layers accumulated in the mouths of water bodies not letting fish pass on their way to the spawning grounds. Besides, the self purification ability of straight ditches is much lower than in the case of winding watercourses. "Ditches and streams with natural winding shape can better cope with the pollution accumulating in those and the high spring water does not flow away from those too quickly. Thus, the water level will remain sufficient for fish coming to spawn within those water bodies," said Tuurmann. There are plans to start restoration of fish spawning areas in all regions of Estonia, the fastest start has been planned in the island of Hiiumaa (Dagö). According to Mr. Paul Niit, Chief Specialist on Fisheries of the Hiiumaa County Environmental Department, the restoration of fish spawning areas will also contribute to improving the state of ground water of the island and to levelling the flows of water bodies. Within Hiiumaa, restoration projects have been compiled for 13 sites and environmental impact assessment has been carried out for all those sites already. Application for funding the project are submitted to the water management programme of the Estonian Centre for Environmental Investment and to the European Union LIFE programme. In other regions of Estonia, restoration plans are also being initiated. Within the island of Saaremaa (Ösel), the Järveküla lake spawning sites will be restored in 2002 and possibilities for improving the state of lakes Mullutu-Suurlaht and Linnulaht will be investigated. In Jõgeva County, investigations will be initiated concerning the restoration of the River Kääpa spawning sites. In Pärnu County, attention is focussed on the area of lakes Ermistu and Tõhela; in Lääne County on the restoration of Sutlepa sea and other coastal water bodies. Possibilities for improving the state of fish stock within water reservoirs will be investigated by Wildlife Estonia. Most of the activities for restoration of spawning sites will be performed manually as this causes less risk to the wildlife of the water bodies. In Hiiumaa, local inhabitants will be involved in the work. For additional information please contact: |
