The Archipelago Sea is a topic of discussion. The July supplement of Turun Sanomat was succinctly titled: “The Archipelago Sea needs action.”
One advocate for improving the state of the Archipelago Sea is the National Coalition Party MP, nonfiction author, and media-familiar figure Pauli Aalto-Setälä. His October 2023 legislative proposal to prohibit the discharge of vessel sewage, graywater, solid waste, and scrubber washwater into the sea within Finland’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone will take effect at the beginning of July 2025.
– Yes, I consider defending the Archipelago Sea my main task at budget meetings and in Parliament. I closely monitor the state of the Baltic Sea as an MP and Baltic Sea Parliamentarian, and I have been involved in drafting new legislation, such as the ban on discharging scrubber washwater, the ban on dumping dirty snow into the sea, and representing Finland at international maritime conferences. Among these, Aalto-Setälä mentions the UN Ocean Conference in Nice this summer and the Baltic Sea Conference in Mariehamn at the end of July.
The state of the Baltic Sea is, according to Aalto-Setälä, twofold
The positive, he says, is that thanks to measures already taken, the overall state of the Baltic Sea is stabilizing. For example, out of over a hundred HELCOM hotspot areas on the problem list, only one remains for the entire Baltic Sea—and that is the Archipelago Sea.
Aalto-Setälä states that the primary cause of eutrophication in the Archipelago Sea is nutrient runoff from fields, which has remained high.
– We have initiated three pilot areas for closed nutrient cycles: in the Paimionjoki, Aurajoki, and Kemiönsaari regions. These directly address this issue and are progressing well. Additionally, in Prime Minister Orpo’s government program and budget, the largest nature conservation project to receive funding is the Archipelago Sea, with over 30 million euros. Now we need corporate partners to leverage funding for the pilot catchment areas, advance emission-free shipping, and restrict the shadow fleet’s access to the Baltic Sea, says Aalto-Setälä, named protector of the Archipelago Sea for 2025.
– I have been an active opponent of the shadow fleet, and I was pleased to see another 100 vessels added to the sanctions list in July, he continues.
Despite the accumulation of problems, Aalto-Setälä wants to see light at the end of the tunnel.
– The risk of oil spills has increased due to the shadow fleet’s dilapidated tankers, and agricultural eutrophication continues. Still, for the first time, less phosphorus is entering the Baltic Sea than is being removed, so I remain optimistic, summarizes Aalto-Setälä, who volunteers as a maritime rescuer during Parliament’s summer recess.
M/S Roope tours and recycles
One of the most persistent protectors of the Archipelago Sea is the over 55-year-old Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association (PSS ry). The association’s communications manager, Veera Säilä, shares concrete examples of PSS ry’s recent projects.
– We have worked on reducing waterway littering for over 55 years and have learned to identify human behavior well. That’s why it’s important for us to always find new ways to communicate the state of aquatic nature and what everyone can do to improve it. We also want to reach new target groups with our messaging. Positive influence works best for this.
– In addition to the latest Seatell data installation, many have noticed our recent “Trash Fish” campaign, which spawned the “Trash Fish Live” event and the popular “Trash Fish” game. Another good example is our “Bellyaches from Plastic” campaign, held every August, where city storm drain covers are decorated with playful fish stickers.
The message is that the Baltic Sea is already starting from the street drain, says Veera Säilä.
The protection work of the Archipelago Sea crystallizes during the summer season in the visits of PSS ry’s service vessel, M/S Roope, to the Roope service points in the archipelago.
– Our service vessel M/S Roope actually circulates almost weekly throughout the open-water season around 30 Roope service points, where, among other things, dry toilets are maintained, and waste is collected from waste points and boat sewage pump-out stations. From the Archipelago Sea, for example, 72 cubic meters of boat toilet waste have already been removed from the water system during three summer weeks this year. There is real demand for these services.
– On many islands, waste management relies solely on the visits of M/S Roope, and the vessel is well known there.
Scrap collection week produced 50 tons of scrap
Säilä reports that a separate scrap collection week in the archipelago, in collaboration with Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto (LSJH), produced 50 tons of scrap this summer.
– Regarding the waste of permanent and seasonal residents in the archipelago, we work closely with LSJH. The 50-ton scrap haul reported in the media is thus only the result of a separate archipelago scrap collection week. The association’s maintenance tours in the Archipelago Sea continue, and the total waste haul keeps growing.
Säilä wants to remind that the foundation of PSS ry’s operations, running on an efficient annual budget of 2.2 million euros, is its members.
– Services on the islands are not a given, nor do they appear out of nowhere. The services we maintain for those moving and recreating on the waters and shores would not be possible without the association’s members, which is why we hope that all who use our services would also become our members. We want to thank everyone who already supports our work! Everyone is welcome to join us—tourists, cottage-goers, and local residents alike—who want to support the diverse, nationwide, and concrete work for the benefit of our home sea and also our lakes, Säilä reminds.
Alongside membership fees, all fundraising campaigns, such as membership drives, monthly donation campaigns, and Christmas collections, are also important for the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association.
– We receive significant annual support from the Ministry of the Environment, and corporate sponsors are also crucial for our work. If our work were left undone, it would become very visible in the water systems very quickly, Veera Säilä emphasizes.
Archipelago Sea program curbs agricultural nutrient emissions
A special objective of the Archipelago Sea program, implemented by the Southwest Finland ELY Centre, is to carry out measures reducing agricultural nutrient loads in collaboration with farmers and other landowners. All measures in the program are voluntary for both farmers and other stakeholders.
Key measures include environmental actions based on agricultural subsidies, increased use of soil amendments, improving field growth conditions, nutrient recycling and transfer, promoting corporate cooperation and water responsibility, water restoration, and water management.
– The program also offers expert assistance and tools, such as catchment-based work materials, catchment area plans, and targeting materials for measures, says Essi Hillgren, program manager of the Archipelago Sea program at the Southwest Finland ELY Centre.
– Planning work is underway and will cover the entire catchment area of the Archipelago Sea. The plans are available to all stakeholders, Hillgren states.
Text Mikko Laitinen
Photos PSS ry and Pauli Aalto-Setälä’s archive
