SLU Aqua Institute of Freshwater Research National register of survey test-fishing - NORS

Standardized test-fishing with Nordic multi-mesh gillnets is a widely used method in Sweden to investigate the fish fauna in a lake. In 2005 the method became an European standard (EN 14757). Standardized test-fishing catch most of the Swedish species in a representative way, giving a good estimate of species abundance and size distribution. The results are generally used for purposes of environmental protection and fishery management.

NORS consists of thousands of test-fishing occasions back to the 1950’s. The Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is responsible of collecting and checking test-fishing data generated in national and regional environmental programs, on behalf of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. SLU Aqua also collect test-fishing data from several other types of investigations in order to create a database as representative as possible. The purpose is to facilitate obtaining data of high quality for research, national investigations and reports. The database also serves as a reference for local and regional investigations. All data is available for the public.