Fish in the tank – this year’s reduction fishing begins

To address algal blooms, reduction fishing has been carried out in Svartbyträsket, Bodträsket and Buddbyträsket since 2018, and from 2019 also in Vittjärvsträsket. In total, around 238 tonnes of coarse fish have been removed between 2018 and 2024. Over these years, improvements have been seen in fish condition, clearer water and better visibility depth.

Sustainable water management

The purpose of this year’s reduction fishing is to maintain the improvements already achieved. The focus is on coarse fish such as roach and bream, species that exist in surplus and compete with zooplankton. When zooplankton decrease, algal blooms are favoured, which creates an imbalance in the ecosystem. The project is funded 90 per cent through national LOVA grants, aimed at supporting local water management measures.

Ongoing monitoring

To ensure good water quality, annual sampling is carried out in Boden’s urban lakes. This year the municipality has also been granted funds to expand the monitoring, and during the summer a test fishing was conducted to assess fish condition.