Common Bream

In Estonia, the common bream is a target species that is actively fished. Common bream stocks in these lakes have been increasing in recent years due to eutrophication, which is beneficial for this species. The fish species is also underfished.

In Estonian lakes, fykes and anchored gillnets are used. There is little bycatch of endangered species in Estonia.

Fishing in Lake Peipus is well regulated. Estonia and Russia agree on a quota that is determined by scientists from both countries, and this quota has been underutilised in recent years, which has led to an improvement in common bream stocks.
In Lake Võrtsjärv, common bream fishing is regulated by a limit on the number of fishing gears, fishing days and mesh size. Control is less well regulated, but here too the common bream stock remains underutelised.

There is no fishery that targets common bream directly in these Swedish lakes, instead common bream is a bycatch of the pike-perch fishery. The common bream stock in these lakes is healthy and there is no overfishing taking place.

The fishing gears used in the Swedish lakes are the fyke and the ancherod gillnet. There is little bycatch with these fishing methods, except for eels, who can be caught in the fykes. However, fykes give a good survival rate and eels are not caught in such numbers as to affect Swedish eel recovery plans.

There is no specific management on common bream, but as this fish is caught in the pike-perch fishery, the common bream fishery is limited by the limits set on the pike-perch fishery. Judging by the common bream stocks in these lakes, this is enough to keep the common bream population healthy.

Until 2014, the policy on common bream was always to catch it as much as possible; the fish was seen as the cause of poor water quality and turbid water. This policy encouraged overfishing, causing the common bream stock in the IJsselmeer to decline by ~95% compared to before 2000. After 2014, fishing pressure was significantly reduced but the maximum advised catch continues to be exceeded, as a result of which the stock has not yet recovered. Therefore, common bream scores red on the stock.

The most common fishing method is the seine, which has little bycatch. This fishing method is mainly used to catch the common bream alive and place it elsewhere in the country for restocking. The most common fishing gear used is seine, which has little bycatch. Besides common bream, this type of gear also targets pike, pike-perch and roach. All stocks are not doing well. Unwanted bycatch, for example of water fowl, occurs only incidentally. The fishery therefore scores yellow for environmental impact.

The fishery has a management plan with good and bad sides. There are rules to reduce the bycatch of water fowl and there is a maximum mesh size and a limit on the number of fishing days for seine fishing. The government is even trying to reduce this limit to only two days a year. However, the recommended maximum catch of common bream has been exceeded for several years. Wageningen Marine Research recommends a 0-catch advice to achieve full recovery, or a maximum of 20 tonnes per year for partial recovery of the bream stock. Currently, this advice is exceeded 8-10 times.  Therefore, the fishery scores yellow for management.