The Baltic Sea suffers from eutrophication, an excess amount of nutrients, which affects the delicate ecosystem of fish stocks, marine life, and overall water quality. To capture nutrients, such as phosphorus, local fish play a vital role in recycling nutrients and is an effective method to improve the health of the Baltic Sea. The Fish project promotes sustainable fishing practices and policies to address these issues. Besides being a cost-efficient measure to combat eutrophication, cyprinid fish offer a new revenue stream for local fisheries and a healthy protein source for consumers.

Native fish such as bream and ide have historically been common food fish but are now rare in the fish market. The Swedish Food Agency recommends eating fish and seafood 2-3 times a week for health and environmental benefits. Bream is a sustainable, climate-friendly, and healthy local option with a carbon footprint similar to beans. The locally sourced bream and ide in the Fish project are being made into sustainable fish products by Guldhaven Pelagiska, under the brand Braxa. The fishing – carried out in Bothnian Bay and Gotland, Sweden and the Åland Islands - is monitored by Swedish experts to carefully manage fish stocks.

Launched in 2019 and co-funded by the NEFCO Baltic Sea Action Fund, the project involved partnerships with businesses, authorities, researchers, and NGOs. Although the project ended in September 2021, efforts for sustainable fishing continue in Finland and Sweden. Race For The Baltic remains engaged in working with fishermen and authorities in Sweden to establish a long-term, sustainable cyprinid fishing industry along the Baltic Sea coast.

Project Activities

• We have developed guidelines for sustainable fishing including monitoring, fishing gear, by-catches, reporting, and more. The guidelines have been agreed by all concerned parties and authorities.

• We have conducted health tests on the fish.

• We have enrolled fishermen in our sustainable fishing program.

• We have partnered with commercial producers to develop production chains and bring new products to market.

• The products were tested and accepted by The Swedish Food Agency.

• The carbon footprint on bream was officially calculated and proven to be in the same level as beans and lentils (0,5 kg CO2 per kg bream).

• We have developed recipes with celebrity chef Frida Ronge.

• We have contributed to research on cyprinid fish populations.