Climate change creates uncertainty for commercial fishing on Lake Inari

Research article, published in the international
peer-reviewed journal Regional Environmental Change, describes the changing
environment for commercial fishing on Lake Inari and examines the coping strategies
of fishers in the face of changing conditions. 

For this
study, commercial fishers in the region of Inari were interviewed and their
empirical, local knowledge was combined with long-term meteorological and
hydrological observations from the area. The monitoring data and experiences of
local fishers tell a similar story.

“The early winter period when
freezing of the lake has started, but ice cover is not yet strong enough to carry
the fisher and their gear, is a difficult time for commercial fishers. It means lost
working time and no income,” says university researcher Minna
Turunen.

In mid-winter, climate change is
reflected as fewer  very cold weather periods lasting up to weeks. On the
other hand, also very mild periods in mid-winter pose challenges to fishing: The ice
cover may become thinner or there may be water between the ice layers, for
example. 

“Snow, water and slush make it difficult to
move and work, and problematic ice conditions also increase the risk of accidents”,
says Minna Turunen.

How do fishers adapt to
changes?

Both fishers’ experience-based knowledge
and long-term monitoring data show that the winter fishing season on Lake Inari has
shortened and the open water season has lengthened. The adaptation strategies of
commercial fishers on Lake Inari to the perceived and expected risks vary.

Most of the means used are reactive adaptation, i.e. coping with difficult
conditions. On the other hand, there are signs of longer-term planned, proactive
adaptation as well.  Fishers’ responses to reduce risks and cope with
future uncertainty were achieved through diversifcation, flexibility, innovation,
and mobility.

The study identified four long-term adaptation
strategies among fishers, differing in terms of catch species, investment, risk
levels and sustainability. Some fishers clearly used a specific adaptation strategy,
while others had features of several strategies or changed strategy depending on the
situation.

In the dominant whitefish
strategy fishers aim to catch the species most in demand as efficiently
as possible. The risk is that fishing pressure on declining whitefish stocks is
ecologically unsustainable. In addition, focusing on whitefish fishing may be a
risky strategy for fishers who have made expensive investments in gear and
equipment.

In the pike and perch strategy
fishing is focused on catching spring-feeding species that are rapidly increasing in
abundance as a result of climate change. Under this strategy, the risk of ecological
unsustainability is reduced as perch and pike stocks are renewed by rapidly warming
and lengthening growing seasons.

The multispecies
strategy involves fishing for fish stocks using a variety of methods.
Such an overall strategy does not necessarily require large investments. The risk of
ecological unsustainability is reduced because fishing pressure is low, targeting a
wide range of species and locations.

The fishing
tourism strategy is based on catching several species of fish and
providing experiences. The production of fishing trips requires a range of
investments, planning and preparedness.  The risks for fishing tourism
relate to a reduction in the number of tourists as a result of an unexpected
event.

Winter seine is lifted by
commercial  fishers on Lake Inari in the beginning of February, when it is
almost -30C. Photo: Erno Salonen.

Weather observations and hydrological data have been collected on Lake
Inari for several decades. Time series of ice conditions go back over a hundred
years. This valuable data should be used more in research, particularly in
combination with local practitioners’ data.