Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the salty waters of the Kattegatt and Skagerrak, but the cod is heading for extinction due to
overfishing.
Indigenous crayfish were once netted or trapped in Sweden's lakes, but overfishing and
disease have driven them to extinction.
Grey and common seals swim in Swedish waters, although overfishing has caused a ser-
ious decline in numbers. Common dolphins may also be observed from time to time.
The North and, particularly, the Baltic Seas are suffering severe pollution, and vast alga
blooms, caused partly by nitrogen run-off from Swedish farms. As a result, herring, sprats
and Baltic salmon contain higher than average levels of cancer-causing dioxins; the
Swedish National Food Agency has recommended that children and women of child-bear-
ing age eat Baltic fish no more than two or three times a year.
Overfishing of these waters is also a huge cause for concern, with cod and Norwegian
lobster on the verge of extinction. Fishing quotas are determined by the EU as a whole,
and there's been a constant struggle to achieve balance between sustainable fish stocks and
consumer demand.
You can swim - and fish for trout and salmon - in the waters by Stockholm's city centre.
National Parks
Sweden was the first country in Europe to set up a national park (1909). There are now 29,
along with around 2600 smaller nature reserves; together they cover about 9% of Sweden.
The organisation Naturvårdsverket oversees and produces pamphlets about the parks in
Swedish and English, along with the excellent book
Nationalparkerna i Sverige
(National
Parks in Sweden).
Four of Sweden's large rivers (Kalixälven, Piteälven, Vindelälven and Torneälven) have
been declared National Heritage Rivers in order to protect them from hydroelectric devel-
opment.
The right of public access to the countryside
(allemansrätten)
includes national parks
and nature reserves.
