Socio-cultural values as a dimension of fisheries management: the cases of Baltic salmon and herring

The way fish resources are utilised and managed reflects the socio‐cultural values associated with the fish. Different values may, however, be represented in an unbalanced way in current fisheries management systems, thereby potentially reducing the legitimacy of management schemes. We suggest that addressing the whole range of values in policy processes could reinforce the knowledge base of management, facilitate tradeoffs between objectives, and enhance successful implementation of decisions. We analysed values that stakeholders in Finland and Estonia associate with Baltic salmon and herring, based on interviews. In the case of salmon, fair management, species conservation, and recreational values were often emphasized both in Finland and Estonia.
The Finns also highlighted the economic importance of salmon for the coastal fishery and fishing tourism, traditions, and symbolic values. Efficient and sustainable use of the herring resource and its economic value were regarded important in both countries. In Finland also environmental values relating to herring fishing, and in Estonia traditions were emphasised. The analysis demonstrates the multivalued nature of fish resources. The next steps will be to reflect how these values materialize in management, and to discuss how they could be systematically engaged in policy processes and how this might
influence management performance.