CCB options for a new multispecies management plan for Baltic fish stocks
CCB • August 8, 2014
CCB has together with Fisheries Secretariat developed a position paper on what we consider important aspects to include in a new ecosystem-based multispecies management plan for the Baltic Sea. In principle, we support multi-species management but such a plan must consider broad biological interactions. Discussions and proposals from various actors and scientists have so far had too strong focus on optimising overall catch volumes. Measures to minimise the impacts of fisheries and help maintain the ecological functions of the Baltic Sea ecosystem must be included and a central part of management. Read the CCB/FISH report on Baltic ecosystem based multispecies management (pdf).
On Wednesday, 28 May, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice for fish stocks in the Baltic Sea . In response, environmental NGOs from around the Baltic Sea region urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to adopt, fishing opportunities at levels well below the headline advice to safeguard ecosystem needs and dynamics and allow for rapid recovery of Baltic Sea fish populations.
Key Baltic fish populations are in crisis, warn environmental NGOs. New scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, confirms the poor condition of key Baltic fish populations, several of which remain collapsed (1). EU fisheries ministers must set 2026-catch limits well below ICES advice and prioritise long-term recovery over short-term economic gains.