Sustainable use of aquatic resources and aquaculture

Fish and seafood are increasingly important form of nutrition in every parts of the world. Ensuring sustainable use of fish and other aquatic resources is of essence.

Luke provides a wide range of research resources to enable the sustainable use of waters and fish stocks. Continuous development of methodology through international cooperation is an integral part of the work.

The restoration of regulated watercourses is an important area of our research, aiming to find solutions for enhancement of natural reproduction of migratory fish, revival of endangered fish populations and conservation of fish biodiversity. The management of fisheries both in the Baltic Sea and in the inland waters support both sustainable and profitable fishing industry as well as extensive recreational fisheries. Spatial planning is an important recent process aiming to maintain prosperous fish stocks. The potential of blue wellbeing services is also investigated.

For decades, Luke has developed methodology for sustainable aquaculture. Our key expertise is in cold water fish farming, in flow-through and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Aquaculture is a rapidly growing way of producing protein-rich food, already accounting for a bigger share of the fish on our plates than fisheries. Furthermore, fish is farmed for stocking into natural waters, securing the conservation of biodiversity and management