The National Board of Fisheries

The National Board of Fisheries (NBF) is depending on GIS for carrying out their main activities. NBF carries out and coordinates environmental and ecological research related to fish and crayfish in freshwater, coastal and marine habitats. NBF also develop methods for fishing, biotope conservation and the restoration of acidified waters as well as maintaining fish stocks and endangered species. Breeding fish of valuable strains and a gene bank are kept for fishery conservation and fish farming including the purpose of protecting the genetic biodiversity. Research is essential in order to be able to combine successful stock conservation with efficient fishing and sustainable use of the fishing resources in both freshwater and marine environments. The work is largely based on data gathered by research vessels. NBF is also responsible for the official Swedish fishery statistics. Fishery statistics constitute an important basis for estimations of the size of fish populations. The National Board of Fisheries is responsible for regulating the Swedish sea fishery, mainly within the framework of the EU Common Fisheries Policy concerning catch quotas and fisheries regulations. The National Board of Fisheries is also responsible for issues concerning the fishing fleet and fishing profession, including professional fishing licenses, vessel permits and long-term issues like recruitment to the fishery sector. It also deals with issues regarding the long-term development of the fishing fleet, among them, EU requirements aiming at adjusting the size of the fleet to available fish resources. Furthermore, NBF is responsible for issues concerning the EU market organization, which aims to stabilize income for producers while offering consumers high-quality fish products.