As GAP2 fishermen, scientists and policy makers travel around the world to learn more about successful collaboration, you can follow their progress by reading their blogs. And if you want to get involved yourself – find out more about the GAP2 Exchange here.
Lake Vättern - Lake Constance Exchange
- GAP2 Scientist Dr Alfred Sandström and a team of scientists, fishers, and policy managers from GAP2′s Lake Vättern case study in Sweden travel to Lake Constance to see what can come out of mutual knowledge-sharing for lake fisheries.
One of GAP2’s case-studies is located in the Swedish Lake Vättern and is channeled through a fisheries co-management group which is concerned with selectivity development in whitefish fisheries and mitigating substantial total catch decline (partly due to gillnet-fishery bycatch). The fisheries co-management group operating in Lake Vattern is regulated through an advisory function and has provided an arena for management advice, conflict resolution, general discussions and information exchange between different stakeholders.
Generally the majority of other co-management freshwater fisheries are located in tropical regions, with Lake Vattern being the possible sole large freshwater fishery management system in Europe.
However, physical similarity can be found with the alpine Lake Constance, with both lakes being deep, oligotrophic (historically eutrophic), having both small catchment areas and similar fish species. Furthermore both have small-scale fisheries targeting similar stocks and using the same gear. Despite this Lake Constance has a profoundly different management system, which is governed through the international commission for the fishing management of Lake Constance (IBKF), which includes local government representatives from Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland. Contrary to Lake Vattern the management style of the IBKF commission has been described as relatively formal with only invited experts and stakeholders taking part in decision making alongside national representatives.
The aim of this exchange project is to bring together Lake Vattern’s co-management group alongside the IBKF and leading scientific institute of Lake Constance University of Konstanz to discuss varying management design, stakeholder knowledge and create a participatory atmosphere between various stakeholders.
| Reflections from Lake Vättern Learn more about the main topics of discussion that took place throughout the #GAP2exchange trip to Lake Constance, written by Dr Alfred Sandström. | Dec 2014 |
| Linking Whitefish Fisheries: Lake Constance & Lake Vättern Linking whitefish fisheries in Lake Constance and Lake Vättern – an exchange trip to the heart of Central European lake fisheries. | Dec 2014 |
| Personal Reflections: Lake Constance #GAP2exchange Another interesting addition to the latest updates on the Lake Constance #GAP2exchange. In this blogpost, Dr Alfred Sandström shares the personal reflections of some of the participants on the trip. | Nov 2014 |
| Lessons from Day One: Lake Constance – Lake Vättern #GAP2 Exchange In this blogpost, Dr Alfred Sandström highlights the lessons learnt on the first day of the #GAP2exchange to Lake Constance. | Nov 2014 |
| The Lakes Exchange – Day One GAP2's Dr Alfred Sandstrom provides the first update on the Lake Vattern - Lake Constance exchange trip, centred around European whitefish lake fisheries | Nov 2014 |
