Commission proposes fishing opportunities in Baltic Sea for 2026

TALLINN - The European Commission on Tuesday adopted its proposal for the 2026 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea, based on a scientific assessment that indicates several fisheries are in a dire situation and puts forward total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for the ten stocks managed by the EU in the Baltic Sea.

The Commission proposes to increase fishing opportunities for salmon in the Gulf of Finland by 1 percent and to maintain catches of central Baltic herring and sprat unchanged.

The Commission also proposes to decrease fishing of Bothnian herring by 62 percent, herring in the Gulf of Riga by 17 percent, plaice by 3 percent and salmon in the main basin by 27 percent, as well as allocations for unavoidable by-catches of western Baltic cod by 84 percent, eastern Baltic cod by 63 percent, and western Baltic herring by 50 percent.

"Too many fish stocks are close to collapsing and the ecosystem is worsening. We need to fully implement the EU legislation and take measures at all levels and in all policy areas or this situation will continue over the coming years. We must rebuild fish stocks and reinforce the ecosystem in the Baltic. This must be a joint effort," Costas Kadis, the EU commissioner for fisheries and oceans, said in a press release.

The proposed TACs are based on the best available scientific advice from the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and follow the Baltic Sea multiannual management plan adopted in 2016 by the European Parliament and the Council.

The fishing opportunities proposal is part of the European Union's approach to adjust the levels of fishing to long-term sustainability targets, called maximum sustainable yield (MSY), as agreed by the European Parliament and the Council in the Common Fisheries Policy

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 the final TACs during its meeting on Oct. 27-28.