In the southern part of the sea the condition of cod stock is better and there were taken also most of Estonian catches. Pike-perch stock in the P rnu Bay decreased remarkably, and caught fish were smaller and younger in 1996. The generation of 1995 was assessed as strong the generation of 1996 as poor. As the generation of 1992 was weak and generation of 1993 below average, a further decrease in catch can be expected in nearest years. Perch export demand is greatest for small fish and as the result the perch populations is considerably younger than before.
Perch starts to reproduce in rather early age and has large reproduction area in the coastal sea.
In spite of decreased abundance, the stock condition is yet satisfactory. Flounder catches increased significantly in 1996. The increase seems to be related to migrations. The general increase of nominal coastal catches is related to increased fishing effort and better reporting of catch data. Compared to 1995, the statistical catch from Lake Peipsi decreased somewhat due to low catch of sparling.