Pike has declined sharply along the east coast since the mid-1990s. This is how the trend has looked along the coast of Öland too, but in recent years the pace has increased there. The places that the pike can play are getting fewer and fewer and both the juveniles and the adult pike have many enemies.
Few pike play
During the spring the anglers have tried fishing in several places on Öland.
- It confirmed that there are few pike that go up and play along the Öland coast, says Tobias Berger, project manager at the Swedish Sports Fishing and Fisheries Association.
Why it has become so here are several explanations. The eutrophication in the Baltic Sea is one.
- We have a cod stock that is almost gone today and this has led to a large increase in the spike. They eat pike and rum on the coast. Predators, such as seals and cormorants, have also increased a lot, says Tobias Berger.
The seals travel further inland to find food and then the pike are an easy prey.
"Gloomy development"
During the last 100 years, many important play environments for pike have disappeared.
- Many wetlands have been ditched to gain land to grow on.
The pike is a popular sport fish and has historically been an important food fish.
- It is an important species in the coastal ecosystem.
It is not just the pike that has been affected.
- This is a bleak development for most fish species along the east coast. Previously, perch was very common, but now it is difficult to find, says Tobias Berger.