Baltic Sea Ranger

Summary

In this first operative and externally funded project, BaltCF has partnered up with Wismar-based NGO Sea Ranger e.V. This organisation has already succeeded in establishing a state-recognized job training for coastal fishers in the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania that combines in-depth ecosystem and conservation knowledge about the sea with practical skills in sampling, monitoring and other areas. The program has already 11 graduates, who are now participating in research and conservation projects facilitated by Sea Ranger e.V.

The initiative aims at two goals: The protection of the Baltic Sea ecosystem by utilizing the resources and local knowledge of the fishers, and the preservation of the small coastal fisheries by providing additional income streams and thus perspectives for future generations in this profession. BaltCF sees this as an opportunity to change the often confrontational relationship between marine conservation and commercial fisheries. The program co-opts fishers for research and conservation activities while providing a benefit for them, too. Also, it serves as a platform for direct exchange between the two groups.

In this particular project, BaltCF will facilitate a process of exchanging experience and knowledge between the fishers in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and those in the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), with the goal of establishing similar programs in those countries.