Nutrient enrichment from large outlets of sewage and runoff from land is a major problem in many coastal areas. The study area, situated in the northern Baltic Proper just north of Stockholm on the Swedish coast, has received high amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen for over a century. The main part came from untreated sewage. In this study, we documented occurrence of attached brown perennial macroalgae Fucus vesiculosus thalli for geographical and depth distribution and compared this to older surveys from the same area. We also used herbarium material for comparing the cover and species composition of epibiota on F. vesiculosus. Nutrient reduction in the studied area began in the 1960’s. Today, phosphorus levels are similar to the 1930s. With reduced nutrient levels, Secchi depth improved from an average of 2.6 m in late 1960s to 4.5 m in the 2020 s. This increase in light penetration allowed for an increased depth distribution of F. vesiculosus. The nutrient reduction has also resulted in a natural recovery of F. vesiculosus in the area, and the innermost distribution is now back to where it was in the 1880s. The composition of epibiota on F. vesiculosus also showed changes, from a dense cover of filamentous algae to a high cover of filter-feeding invertebrates.

The genus Fucus includes several ecologically significant species that are well-known as foundational to ecosystems on sheltered and moderately exposed rocky shores in the northern hemisphere. Less well-known are the perennial populations of unattached Fucus occurring in sheltered environments on any substratum. These are polymorphic and occur in a range of habitats including embayments, saltmarshes and estuaries, creating structurally complex habitats in areas generally considered atypical for Fucus. This review considers the literature on unattached Fucus from more than 200 years of research. Six main aspects of unattached Fucus are discussed: nomenclature, geographic distribution, morphology, reproductive mode, ecological significance and potential threats. Special focus is given to unattached forms within the Baltic Sea. At least six taxonomically recognized species are associated with unattached forms, classified at both inter- and intraspecific levels. Unattached forms have a wide geographic distribution, although the extent is likely to be currently under-represented. Both convergent and divergent morphologies are common within and among unattached Fucus species and several transitional series and morphological gradations are observed. Asexual reproduction is presumed to be dominant, although further investigation is needed to determine the sexual reproductive capabilities of unattached forms. Unattached forms play a part in structuring their habitats, support numerous ecological processes and facilitate high biodiversity. Unattached populations are exposed to anthropogenic threats due to their life histories as well as because their habitats are vulnerable. Overall, unattached forms are important distinct ecological entities that require management and conservation efforts.

Competition is one of the major factors structuring plant communities. Species with similar traits generally compete more intensely and have more similar yield than functionally dissimilar species, which often respond differently to environmental change. Little is known about how the interacting species’ traits influence the effect of environmental change on interspecific competition. However, theory predicts that environmental change should lead to more asymmetric competition, by favouring the species best adapted to the particular environmental change. Here we used a mesocosm experiment with three common aquatic plant species from the Baltic Sea (Northern Europe), to test how community productivity and competition asymmetry were affected by functional dissimilarity, individual species’ traits and a common stressor: shading. Competition asymmetry was defined as the absolute difference in reductions in yield relative to monocultures of two interacting species. Community productivity decreased and competition asymmetry increased with functional dissimilarity of the interacting species, possibly explained by the traits of the superior species, which had higher specific leaf area, maximum canopy height and primary production rate than the subordinate species. Community productivity was not affected by shading, contrary to our expectation, while competition asymmetry was higher in shaded than ambient conditions. Individual species yield depended on species identity and species combination. Only the shortest species was negatively affected by shading. Thus, by favouring tall-growing species, shading can alter interspecific competition. Together, these findings suggest that non-random species loss following environmental change can be caused by competitive exclusion, in addition to a direct effect of abiotic filtering.

Vattnen i och runt Stockholm stad har under tidigare århundraden haft en central roll i stadens liv, inte minst som transportväg från Östersjön in i Mälaren via Saltsjön. Än idag är det samma sak. Stockholm har inte för inte kallats Nordens Venedig för sina fina strandpromenader, sina bad, sin möjlighet att fiska vid strömmen och ta en båttur ut i den unika skärgården.

Stora insatser har gjorts för att minska utsläpp av föroreningar till vattnen runt Stockholm, vilket lett till tydliga förbättringar i vattenkvaliteten och ökat siktdjup. Men mer finns att göra. I bottensedimentet i Brunnsviken och skärgården finns mycket gamla föroreningar kvar samtidigt som nya typer av föroreningar tillkommer. Dessa kräver nya åtgärder och lösningar, inte minst med tanke på det förändrade klimatet.

Men låt oss börja med en tillbakablick. Miljön runt omkring oss på land förändras hela tiden, även om många förändringar går så långsamt att vi knappt noterar dem. Har vi varit bortresta en länge tid lägger vi märke till förändringar när vi kommer tillbaka, som att ett träd vuxit och skuggar favoritplatsen eller att häcken blivit så hög att det inte längre går att se in i grannens trädgård. På samma sätt är det med havet.

Vattenmiljöerna förändras hela tiden, men vattenytan fungerar ofta som en spegel. Det är lättare att planera och genomföra åtgärder för att förbättra miljöförhållanden på land än i vattnet. Vad som händer eller har hänt under ytan i Mälaren, i de närmaste fjärdarna runt Stockholm och ute i skärgården är mycket svårare att uppfatta. Detta innebär att påverkan från utsläpp av föroreningar kan pågå mycket längre i vattenmiljöer innan några åtgärder sätts in.

Handbokens syfte är att vara ett stöd inför planering och genomförande av projekt med avsikten att restaurera blåstångssamhällen i Östersjön. Alternativt, för att etablera ett blåstångssamhälle som en kompensationsåtgärd vid byggnationer och anläggningar i havet. En restaurering av ett blåstångssamhälle innebär att med insatta åtgärder hjälpa blåstång att återetablera sig i ett område där den tidigare funnits men försvunnit från på grund av mänsklig påverkan i form av till exempel övergödning och/eller föroreningar. En restaureringsåtgärd kan också innebära att den naturliga återhämtningen av ett blåstångssamhälle sker snabbare, dvs. att beståndets utbredning och/eller täthet ökar. Etablering av blåstångssamhällen som kompensationsåtgärd vid byggnationer i havet är högaktuellt i kustområden där exploateringstrycket är stort. Byggande av hamnar, vågbrytare och pirer skapar nya hårdbottnar som snabbt kan koloniseras av fintrådiga alger. Blåstången har sämre spridningsförmåga och kommer därmed att ha svårare att kolonisera nya ytor, vilket innebär att det kan ta lång tid innan ett tätt blåstångssamhälle etableras.

I handboken presenteras metoder för att etablera blåstångsamhällen i miljöer där den försvunnit, för att påskynda blåstångens naturliga kolonisering och etablering där den minskat, samt som kompensationsåtgärd vid byggnationer i havet. Inför planering av restaurerings- eller kompensationsåtgärder krävs grundläggande kunskaper om naturliga begränsningar och biologiska förutsättningar för blåstångens utbredning tillsammans med kunskap om blåstångens biologi och funktion i Östersjöns ekosystem. Denna bakgrundsinformation presenteras i första delen av handboken. Metodiken för att genomföra en restaureringsåtgärd av ett blåstångsamhälle är en process i flera steg och beskrivs i andra delen av handboken. Här beskrivs de förstudier av miljöförhållanden och biologiska förutsättningar som måste finnas innan en åtgärd att restaurera/nyetablera ett blåstångssamhälle initieras. Handboken bygger på sammanställda data från forskningslitteratur och miljöövervakning om blåstångens ekosystem i Östersjön samt författarnas egna erfarenheter från fältförsök, tester och observationer.

Handboken avser främst restaurering- och kompensationsåtgärder utifrån miljöförhållanden i Egentliga Östersjön, men bör kunna tillämpas i hela blåstångens utbredningsområde även i Bottenhavet med hänsyn till lokala förhållanden. Handboken är en handledning för att hjälpa utföraren att undvika kända problem vid återetablering av blåstång och ge konkreta förslag på metodik. Författarna vill dock påpeka att handboken inte garanterar att ett restaureringsförsök lyckas eftersom det fortfarande finns luckor i kunskapen om vad som krävs för att restaurera ett blåstångssamhälle. Arbetet med att genomföra fältstudier och underlag till handboken har finansierats av stiftelsen BalticSea2020 med stöd av Stockholms universitets Östersjöcentrum.

Fucus vesiculosus is common both on the tidal coasts of the North Atlantic and in the Baltic Sea, where it has adapted to low salinity and nontidal conditions over the last 7000 years. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, extensive declines of F. vesiculosus populations were reported in the Baltic Proper, mainly attributed to high nutrient loads. During the past 30-40 years, considerable efforts have been made to reduce nutrient runoff to coastal areas but few successful initiatives to restore F. vesiculosus populations have been performed. In this paper, we present how substratum manipulation, i.e. clean rocky surfaces, brushing rocks, Hildenbrandia rubra cover and different filamentous algae, as well as different algal exudates, affect the recruitment and survival of juvenile F.vesiculosus. Further, we show through a 5-year field experiment that it will take at least 4-5 years to reach reproductive age for F. vesiculosus in the Baltic Sea. We also present transplantation studies from two different areas, showing that epiphytic load, light, grazing and type of substratum are some of the factors that need to be taken into consideration in order to achieve successful restoration of F. vesiculosus.

In the course of the ongoing global intensification and diversification of human pressures, the study of variation patterns of biological traits along environmental gradients can provide relevant information on the performance of species under shifting conditions. The pronounced salinity gradient, co-occurrence of multiple stressors, and accelerated rates of change make the Baltic Sea and its transition to North Sea a suitable region for this type of study. Focusing on the bladderwrack Fucus vesiculosus, one of the main foundation species on hard-bottoms of the Baltic Sea, we analyzed the phenotypic variation among populations occurring along 2,000 km of coasts subjected to salinities from 4 to >30 and a variety of other stressors. Morphological and biochemical traits, including palatability for grazers, were recorded at 20 stations along the Baltic Sea and four stations in the North Sea. We evaluated in a common modeling framework the relative contribution of multiple environmental drivers to the observed trait patterns. Salinity was the main and, in some cases, the only environmental driver of the geographic trait variation in F. vesiculosus. The decrease in salinity from North Sea to Baltic Sea stations was accompanied by a decline in thallus size, photosynthetic pigments, and energy storage compounds, and affected the interaction of the alga with herbivores and epibiota. For some traits, drivers that vary locally such as wave exposure, light availability or nutrient enrichment were also important. The strong genetic population structure in this macroalgae might play a role in the generation and maintenance of phenotypic patterns across geographic scales. In light of our results, the desalination process projected for the Baltic Sea could have detrimental impacts on F. vesiculosus in areas close to its tolerance limit, affecting ecosystem functions such as habitat formation, primary production, and food supply.

Seals and fish-eating birds have increased in the Baltic Sea and there is concern that they compete with fisheries. Using data from around year 2010, we compare consumption of different fish species by seals and birds to the catch in the commercial and recreational fishery. When applicable this is done at the geographical resolution of ICES subdivisions. Predation by birds and mammals likely has limited impact on the populations of the commercially most important species (herring, sprat, and cod). In the central and southern Baltic, seals and birds consume about as much flatfish as is caught by the fishery and competition is possible. Birds and seals consume 2-3 times as much coastal fish as is caught in the fishery. Many of these species are important to the fishery (e. g. perch and whitefish) and competition between wildlife and the fishery is likely, at least locally. Estimated wildlife consumption of pike, sea trout and pikeperch varies among ICES subdivisions and the degree of competition for these species may differ among areas. Competition between wildlife and fisheries need to be addressed in basic ecosystem research, management and conservation. This requires improved quantitative data on wildlife diets, abundances and fish production.

As discussions and debates are crucial to science, we appreciate the comments by Heikinheimo et al. (in press) on our article on competition for Baltic Sea fish resources between fishery and wildlife. We cannot see that the comments by Heikinheimo et al. changes the general conclusion derived in our original article—that there are cases of competition between wildlife and fisheries in the Baltic Sea, although not for all species and not to the same extent everywhere. Our responses are structured in the same order as the comments by Heikinheimo et al.

Introduced Marine Pests (IMP, = non-indigenous marine species) prevention, early detection and risk-based management strategies have become the priority for biosecurity operations worldwide, in recognition of the fact that, once established, the effective management of marine pests can rapidly become cost prohibitive or impractical. In Western Australia (WA), biosecurity management is guided by the Western Australian Prevention List for Introduced Marine Pests which is a policy tool that details species or genera as being of high risk to the region. This list forms the basis of management efforts to prevent introduction of these species, monitoring efforts to detect them at an early stage, and rapid response should they be detected. It is therefore essential that the species listed can be rapid and confidently identified and discriminated from native species by a range of government and industry stakeholders. Recognising that identification of these species requires very specialist expertise which may be in short supply and not readily accessible in a regulatory environment, and the fact that much publicly available data is not verifiable or suitable for regulatory enforcement, the WA government commissioned the current project to collate a reference collection of these marine pest specimens. In this work, we thus established collaboration with researchers worldwide in order to source representative specimens of the species listed. Our main objective was to build a reference collection of taxonomically vouchered specimens and subsequently to generate species-specific DNA barcodes suited to supporting their future identification. To date, we were able to obtain specimens of 75 species (representative of all but four of the pests listed) which have been identified by experts and placed with the WA Government Department of Fisheries and, where possible, in accessible museums and institutions in Australasia. The reference collection supports the fast and reliable taxonomic and molecular identification of marine pests in WA and constitutes a valuable resource for training of stakeholders with interest in IMP recognition in Australia. The reference collection is also useful in supporting the development of a variety of DNA-based detection strategies such as real-time PCR and metabarcoding of complex environmental samples (e.g. biofouling communities). The Prevention List is under regular review to ensure its continued relevance and that it remains evidence and risk-based. Similarly, its associated reference collection also remains to some extent a work in progress. In recognition of this fact, this report seeks to provide details of this continually evolving information repository publicly available to the biosecurity management community worldwide.