Fishers are a cornerstone of Germany’s Baltic coastal communities, but as fish stocks dwindle and profits shrink, many are being forced out of the industry. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the EU-funded Sea Ranger programme offers a bold solution—retraining skilled fishers to become ‘stewards of the sea’, giving them the skills to deliver crucial environmental services, earning a livelihood and providing for their families while still maintaining their connection to the sea.
In this part of Germany, as in many other regions, making a living from fishing has become increasingly difficult. The younger generations of families that have fished the local waters for decades or longer are choosing to look elsewhere for work, with significant consequences for the region as a whole.
As Oliver Greve, managing director of the Wismar Bay fishing cooperative and co-founder of the Sea Ranger project explains: “Small-scale coastal fishing along the Baltic Sea coast has shaped the appearance of the harbours for centuries, provided access to the Baltic Sea’s food source and is now also an important tourist attraction. All of this must be preserved, and can only be achieved through the continuous recruitment of young talent [and] the further development of the profession.”
Designing the Sea Ranger programme
Faced with the loss of generations of maritime expertise, Greve and co-founder Martin Schlockwerder came up with the idea of Sea Rangers, a programme that aims to transform experienced fishers into stewards of the sea by training them in environmental services, marine resource management and other maritime skills.
As a first step, they brought together fishers and other stakeholders to utilize, as Oliver says, “…administration, environmental protection and fishers as local experts to carry out long-term, structured, and joint projects along the entire coast to improve marine health.”
Scientists from Kiel, Hamburg and Rostock worked with the fishing industry, tourism and local authorities to deliver coursework on habitat use, migration behaviour, spawning grounds and target fish diets, among other things. The scientific training in the programme enables fishers to support environmental monitoring, research, conservation and tourism.
The 11 pioneers
Beginning in October 2023, the first cohort of fishers began their journey with rigorous courses on scientific methods, marine ecosystems and legal issues. A renowned team of experts were selected to deliver the coursework, which included classes delivered aboard research vessels by the Thünen Institute, and in Kiel at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research.
Eleven fishers completed this first round of training, earning the title of ‘certified specialists in fisheries and the marine environment’ – or more commonly, Sea Rangers. The certification has cleared the way for the one-time fishers to branch out into research, environmental monitoring and tourism, providing them with additional income and a renewed sense of purpose.
Bigger and better
Among the various projects already being carried out by the newly certified fishers are scientific research on herring migration, an investigation into the spread of toxic algae, analysis of seaweed samples for radioactivity, recovering ghost nets and developing an innovative system for the autonomous recording, transmission and evaluation of hydrographic measurement data on fisheries vessels.
A second course is due to begin in 2027 that the Sea Rangers founders hope will build on the success of the original eleven graduates. There is already considerable interest from potential applicants, and there are plans for further expansion of the project, including exchanges with Baltic states facing similar challenges.
More information
Website of the programme: http://www.ostseefischer.org/
