Asking Chat-GPT on what to blame
If we stop fishing, who will care for the fish?
I’m sure that most of us will look back at the summer of 2024 and remember it as one of worst seasons in the last decade.
After 2023 I made myself a promise. I promised to keep a positive attitude and keep fishing as long as the conditions were good, meaning that the water wasn’t too warm and exceed 18 degrees Celsius. So, I did get quite a few hours in throughout June and the 1st of July, but already on the 2nd of July the water hit 18 degrees. I put the rod away until mid August, when the temperatures started dropping again.
To sum it up, I lost one fish in June, caught one on the 1st of July, and had a take in August. That’s it! I’m sure none of us would call that neither good nor okay.
My main concern, living in the Torne river vally with my home rivers being the Torneälven and Lainioälven, are the lack of big fish, the overall low numbers of fish, and that the Lainio salmon in particular seemed to be extreme few and far apart. The Torne River system is at the moment not reaching the MSY (Maximum sustainable yield) goal, which means there’s too few smolt being produced in the system. This is obviously a big one for everyone, both now and in the long run.
So with that said, I honestly put a lot of hope in our politicians moving forward. Of course, I’m concerned that we won’t see neither the right nor tough enough restrictions to protect the wild Baltic salmon and secure the rest of the Baltic Seas wellbeing and this ill-treated ecosystem. And the recently advised herring quota for 2025 sure makes hoping for this necessary change of direction, harder.
But like Emilie said in our previous blog post, we’ll keep fishing, because if we don’t who’s going to care for our beloved salmon?
But has it all been bad? No, it has not been a total disaster in all rivers, Vindelälven for example, even had a stronger run than expected (though expectations were low) with more than 7800 individuals running the system, of which 4 544 were hen fishes. That’s the second highest ratio of hen fish a year, since 1974 — more on that in the final documentary.
Speaking of the documentary, with everything happening so quick, we are pushing production hard with the intention to advance the premiere, and hopefully we’ll be able to launch early 2025 instead of March.
So back to the salmon. No, we shouldn’t give up hope just yet and we shouldn’t stop caring for the Baltic. We really need to act now! And when I say we, I mean that we as salmon anglers need to come together more clearly and raise our voices and push our local, national and international politicians to awareness on this matter.
Below you’ll see the numbers of returning spawners during 2024 from some of the Swedish rivers with wild salmon.
Torneälven approx. 24000
Kalixälven approx. 8000
Råneälven approx. 496
Byskeälven approx. 3913
Vindelälven approx. 7 835
Asking ChatGPT
Living in this time and age we decided, as an experiment to ask ChatGPT. Conversation as follow.
Lars: I got a question for you. We know that the salmon population in the Baltic sea is struggling, can you tell me the reason for that, who’s to blame and how to fix it?
Answer: The salmon population in the Baltic Sea is struggling due to several interrelated factors:
Significantly reduced salmon numbers. Regulations have been insufficient in some areas to protect spawning stocks.
Habitat loss. Dams and coastal development have disrupted natural habitats, making it harder for salmon to spawn and migrate.
Pollution. Nutrient runoff and pollution from agriculture and urban areas contribute to poor water quality, affecting salmon health and their food supply.
Climate Change. Rising water temperatures and changing salinity levels affect salmon migration patterns and spawning success.
Lars: And who’s to blame:
Answer: Multiple stakeholders contribute to these issues, including fishing industries, agricultural practices, and regulatory bodies that have not effectively managed resources or protected habitats.
Lars: And how does one fix It:
Stricter Fishing Regulations. Implement and enforce sustainable fishing quotas and practices.
Habitat restoration. Restore river habitats and remove barriers like dams to improve spawning conditions.
Pollution Control. Reduce agricultural runoff and improve waste management to enhance water quality.
Research and Monitoring. Invest in research to better understand salmon populations and their needs, and monitor environmental changes closely.
A collaborative approach involving governments, local communities, and environmental organizations is crucial for,
AI is a controversial tool, and we can’t imagen how a world with an extensive AI presence will affect our future, (hell, we don’t even know if we like AI). But we know that a future without a presence of the Baltic salmon and prosperous ecosystems managed for generations to comem isn’t a world we want.