Latest news

Here we share research milestones, upcoming events, and recent media appearances.

2025

• November:  Saaristomeren Kalaleader  awarded ca. 75 000 € to a study investigating the survival of Baltic herring eggs and developing new methods to enhance herring reproduction in the Archipelago Sea. The two-year pilot project will start in spring 2026. More info on ongoing projects here.
• October: Katja Mäkinen will give a presentation at WWF’s and Coalition Clean Baltic’s herring workshop in the Åland island on 8-9.10.2025.
• September: Max Tallberg joins the group as a PhD researcher. Research assistants Mikko Kaasinen, Laura Lammi and project worker Aarne Lauerma are continuing their work on the project thanks to donations supporting herring research.
• August: Katja Mäkinen gave a presentation about the Baltic herring research in ‘Seilin tutkimus- ja kulttuuripäivät’ event on 22.8.2025.
• Updates from the project will be featured in the next newsletter of the Archipelago Unesco Biosphere Reserve, written by project researcher Aarne Lauerma.
• June: Team visit to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Öregrund, Sweden.
• April: BSc Mikko Kaasinen received 1000 € grant for his Master’s thesis from the Finnish Foundation for Nature Conservation’s Rafael Kuusankoski Memorial Fund.
• March: Lieto Savings Bank Foundation awarded €25 000 to support the environmental monitoring programs at Seili, including the Baltic Herring Project, funding one research assistant position in 2025.
• January: In memoriam docent Marjut Rajasilta, the founder of the Baltic herring project.
• Our latest publication: Limburg, K.E., Heimbrand, Y., Hüssy, K., Blass, M., Thomas, J., Mäkinen, K., Næraa, T. 2025. The Forgotten Element: Why Do We Ignore Calcium in Otolith Studies? Fisheries Research. Accepted.

2024

• December: Donations to support herring research have been received from Paraisten kaupunki, Salmonfarm ab, Selkämeren Jää oy, Uudenkaupungin kaupunki, Uudenkaupungin Kalanlajittelukeskus, Taivassalon kunta, Kustavin kunta, and Suomen Ammattikalastajaliitto. Thank you for the valuable support!
• 2 December: Marjut Rajasilta gave a presentation on the herring research at TEKS meeting in Turku.
• 21 November: Weisell Foundation awarded €88 501 to support the 1st year of our research project focusing on herring migration, natal origins and stock structure.
• 6 October: Katja Mäkinen presented the latest findings on Baltic herring at the Silakkasoutu event in Helsinki.
• 10 September: Katja Mäkinen presented the latest findings on Baltic herring at the Vesiviljelyn ympäristösuojelun neuvottelupäivät event in Turku.
• 8 August: Herring Day (Silakkapäivä)– event was organized at Seili. See the program for details.
• 17-27 April: Katja Mäkinen conducted a research visit to Prof. Karin Limburg’s lab at SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY, USA.
• 11 April: Public lecture on Baltic herring at the Main Library of Turku, part of the Biodiversity Unit’s lecture series.
• Two new bachelor theses finished by Laura Lammi and Eino Nousiainen on Mysid ecology and Baltic herring male characteristics.
• 9 April: Saara Miinala received a €1,000 grant for her Master’s thesis from the Finnish Foundation for Nature Conservation’s Baltic Sea Fund.
• March: Lieto Savings Bank Foundation awarded €25,000 to support the environmental monitoring programs at Seili, including the Baltic Herring Project, funding two research assistant positions in 2024.
• February: Team visit to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Öregrund, Sweden.

2023

• 5 December: Katja Mäkinen interviewed in Suomen Luonto article: “Onko runsain merikalamme silakka vaikeuksissa?”
• 14 December: Presentation at the 2nd Annual Science Day of the Faculty of Science by Katja Mäkinen.
• 31 October: Opinion piece by Marjut Rajasilta & Katja Mäkinen: “Silakkakantojen säilyminen elinvoimaisena riippuu ennen muuta lisääntymisen onnistumisesta” in Turun Sanomat.
• 28 September: Marjut Rajasilta interviewed in Suomen Kuvalehti article “Kamppailu silakasta“
• 1 September: Jari Hänninen interviewed in Yle News: “Tutkijat moittivat komission esitystä silakan kalastuskiellosta: Täyskielto olisi kalastajille katastrofi” – Yle News.
• 11 August: Publication accepted in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences: “Effects of incubation temperature and maternal phenotype on Baltic herring eggs and larvae.”
• Herring research featured in Arja Renell’s art work at John Nurminen Foundation’s “Tuntematon Itämeri” exhibition at Suomenlinna, Helsinki, from 17.5 to 15.9.2023.
• 13 July: Our latest publication, “The prevalence of Corynosoma parasite worms in the Baltic herring and the great cormorants in the northern Baltic Sea, Finland” has been accepted for publication in the International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife.
• 15 June: Olvi Foundation awarded €15,000 for Johannes Sahlsten’s PhD research.
• 26 May & 1 February: Media interviews with Katja Mäkinen featured in Yle News and Helsingin Sanomat.
• 25 May: Katja Mäkinen gave an oral presentation related to maternal effects in the Baltic herring at the Baltic Sea Science Congress on Friday, August 25th, in Helsinki, Finland.
• March: A two-year collaborative project (2023-2024) with the National Resources Institute Finland begins. The project is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Earlier highlights (Selected examples)

• 2022: Article in Suomen Luonto: “Suhteellista: Hylkeen loinen matkustaa äyriäisen ja silakan kyydissä.”
• 2021: Blog post by Katja Mäkinen: “Iodine in the Baltic Sea – a new factor behind a changing sea?” on the Sakari Alhopuro Foundation Blog.
• 2020: Opinion article in Turun Sanomat by Jari Hänninen, Katja Mäkinen, & Marjut Rajasilta on climate change impacts on marine ecosystems in Europe.