Partner 10: Riista- ja kalatalouden tutkimuslaitos (FGFRI)
The Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute (FGFRI) is a governmental research organisation and the principal research centre on fisheries research in Finland. The Institute’s budget totals EUR 24.6 million and it has a staff of 300 persons. FGFRI basic research profile include production of background information for policy making, to promote sustainable use, maintenance and management of natural resources, to promote fisheries and fish stocks, game management, reindeer husbandry as a business and recreational activities. The institute has scientific expertise in all major fields of fisheries research. There is also considerable experience on the assessment of environmental, biological and socio-economic interactions in marine ecosystems. International cooperation is maintained with ICES, NASCO, STECF and HELCOM. FGFRI has participated in a number of European Union framework programs for example “PROTECT”, 2004-2008, "BECAUSE”, 2004-2007, “COMMIT”, 2004-2007, EFIMAS, 2004-2008, “NECESSITY”, 2002-2004, "STORE, 1999-2002 and“CORE”, 1994-1997.
Contribution to the project: FGFRI will work in the Baltic Sea, mainly in WP1 and WP3. They will focus on the role of spatial overlaps of forage fish and marine mammals, and help to implement this in the Baltic SMS.
The scientific team:
Eero Aro (Ph.D., Senior Scientist). His expertise cover areas such as fish biology and ecology, population dynamics, multispecies interactions, spatial distribution analysis, environmental impact on fish stocks, sustainable exploitation of natural resources and advisory processes in fisheries management to national and international bodies. Chairman or a co-chair for various ICES’ multispecies study groups (SGMPB 1999-2002, SGMAB (2002-2005) and a member of WGBFAS since 1983. He has been member of ACFM 1991-2001. Presently he is an alternate member of ACOM of ICES (since 2007). He is in the editorial board of Journal of Applied Ichthyology (2004-) and member of ICES Publication Committee (since 2005).
Pekka Jounela (Research Assistant). His main fields of expertise cover fish stock assessment methods, fisheries management issues and management scenarios, MPA modelling, systems analysis, fish migration modelling and stochastic simulation.
References:
Aro, E. 1989: A review of fish migration patterns in the Baltic. - Rapp. P.-v. Reun. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer 190: 72-96.
Aro, E. 2002. Fish migration studies in the Baltic Sea – a historical review. ICES Marine Science Symposia 215: 361-370.
Flinkman, J., Vuorinen, I., Aro, E. 1992: Planktivorous Baltic herring prey selectively on reproducing copepods and cladocerans. - Can. J. Fish. Aquatic Sci. 49(1):73-77.
Flinkman, J., Aro, E., Vuorinen, I. and Viitasalo, M. 1998. Changes in the northern Baltic zooplankton and herring nutrition from 1980s to 1990s: Top-down and bottom-up process at work. - Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 165:127-136.
Hakala,T., Viitasalo, M., Rita, H., Aro, E., Flinkman, J. and Vuorinen, I. 2003. Temporal and spatial variation in the growth rates of Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras L.) larvae during summer. – Marine Biology 142: 25-33.
Hinrichsen, H.-H., St.John, M., Aro, E., Grønkjær, P. & Voss, R. 2001. Testing the larval drift hypothesis in the Baltic Sea: Retention vs. dispersion due to the influence of the wind driven circulation. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 58: 973-984.
Jarre-Teichmann, A., Wieland, K., MacKenzie, B., Hinrichsen, H.-H., Plikshs, M. & Aro, E. 2000. Stock-recruitment relationships for cod (Gadus morhua callarias L.) in the central Baltic Sea incorporating environmental variability. Arch. Fish. Mar. Res. 48(2):97-123.