EU proposes 2024 fish quotas to address 'dire' situation in Baltic Sea

(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission adopted its proposal for the 2024 fishing quotas for the Baltic Sea Monday, responding to scientific assessment which indicates several fisheries are in a dire situation.

The Commission proposed the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for three out of the ten stocks managed in the Baltic Sea. The remaining quota proposals will be established at a later stage. The Commission proposes to increase fishing opportunities for salmon in the Gulf of Finland by 7%, while proposing to decrease fishing of salmon in the main basin by 15%, and to decrease herring catches in the Gulf of Riga by 20%.

"I am increasingly worried about the effects of the Baltic Sea ecosystem's degradation on fish stocks and the multiple food chains that depend on them," said Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius. He added that the EU needed to take action "so that local fishers can again rely on healthy fish stocks for their livelihoods."

The current situation is difficult for fishermen and women as formerly important commercial stocks (western and eastern cod; western, central and Bothnian herring; and salmon in the southern Baltic Sea and rivers) are also under additional pressures, notably from habitat loss due to a degradation of the environment both in inland waters as well as in the Baltic Sea itself.

As for the other stocks in the Baltic (western cod, eastern cod, western herring, Bothnian herring, central herring, sprat and plaice), the Commission has requested additional information from the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) to take better account of the fact that cod is caught together with flatfish, and herring together with sprat.

Scientists estimate that the size of the central Baltic herring stock has been around or below minimum levels since the early 1990s. The stock size of Bothnian herring fell below healthy levels due to the lower number of young fish and the smaller size of older fish. The Commission therefore proposes to close the targeted fisheries for both stocks, and to maintain the closure for the targeted fisheries on cod stocks, western herring and salmon in most of the main basin.

The Commission will propose setting by-catch TACs for western cod, eastern cod, western herring, Bothnian herring and central herring on the basis of additional information expected in autumn. This proposal will allow vessels to land the unavoidable catches of each of these weak stocks when fishing for example for plaice or sprat.

The Commission says the proposed TACs are based on the best available scientific advice from ICES and follow the Baltic multiannual management plan adopted in 2016 by the European Parliament and the Council.

The Baltic Sea is the most polluted sea in Europe. It is affected by biodiversity loss, climate change, eutrophication, overfishing, and elevated levels of contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and litter.

Proposal fishing opportunities Baltic Sea 2024

Commission proposal for 2024 fishing opportunities 
in the Baltic Sea - guide

Table: Overview of TAC changes 2023-2024 (figures in tones except for salmon, which is in number of pieces)

Based on these proposals, EU countries will take a final decision to determine the maximum quantities of the most important commercial fish species that can be caught in the Baltic Sea basin. The Council will examine the Commission's proposal in view of adopting it during a Ministerial meeting on 23-24 October.