EU Scientific body confirms stronger bycatch measures are needed to protect Bay of Biscay common dolphins and Baltic Proper harbour porpoises

CCB • April 15, 2021

NGO concerns over EU countries’ inadequate response to the bycatch of protected species have now been confirmed by the evaluation of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) [1]. 

With respect to the measures proposed by France, Spain and Portugal to reduce bycatch of common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay, it concludes that measures are insufficient to prevent the many thousands of incidental killings recorded every year. Regarding measures for the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise brought forward by Baltic Member States, STECF highlights that these proposals have the potential to reduce incidental catches in marine protected areas but they leave out crucial measures recommended by scientists to minimise bycatch of this critically endangered species in the wider region. 

Now the ball is in the European Commission’s court to decide on the proposed measures. NGOs call on the European Commission to reject these inadequate measures and require Member States to urgently revise their proposals according to the entirety of the scientific advice and uphold their legal obligations to prevent bycatch.

STECF has warned that the number of bycaught dolphins stranded on the French coast has doubled in January 2021 compared to January 2020 [2]. In the Bay of Biscay, between 1 December 2020 and 6 April 2021, around 750 dolphins were found stranded on the French Atlantic coast [3], which could imply that around 7500 died in the fishing nets of the Bay of Biscay this winter [4]. If this keeps going, common dolphins could disappear in the Bay of Biscay within 40 years [5].

The increase in dolphin mortality due to bycatch, and the negative evaluation from STECF of the currently proposed measures by France, Spain and Portugal should be taken very seriously by governments of France and Spain, which are under legal pressure due to their innaction, following infringement action taken by the Commission [6]. 

On the other hand, measures proposed by Baltic Member States to prevent bycatch of the critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise follow parts of the scientific advice more closely. STECF’s scientists have now concluded that, if effectively implemented, these measures will ‘contribute to reducing incidental catches of the harbour porpoise in the Baltic’ [7], however, they are unlikely to eliminate the threat entirely. Given that every single bycaught porpoise threatens the future of this small population [8], marine NGOs have expressed concern that the proposal only covers measures in Marine Protected Areas, neglecting the wider Baltic Sea area, where bycatches are as likely to occur. Furthermore, Baltic Member States are under legal obligation to protect the harbour porpoise throughout its habitat range, not only in Marine Protected Areas. This concern is also highlighted in the STECF’s evaluation. 

There is no time to waste for the Baltic porpoise and while Baltic Member States aim to submit a second set of proposals by June 2021, NGOs are calling on them to urgently include measures covering the entire Baltic Sea region as well as measures for recreational fishers, in line with scientific advice. Until such measures are implemented, the European Commission must promptly adopt emergency measures to protect the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise.

Andrea Ripol, Fisheries Policy Officer, Seas At Risk said: “ The message is clear – the measures proposed by France and Spain fall short of any ambition and are clearly not enough to prevent the deaths of thousands of dolphins, which is a growing concern for the public. Over 300,000 people have signed a petition demanding urgent action. Science and public opinion are aligned. Why shouldn’t then decision makers act accordingly? We count on the European Commission to reject this proposal and on Commissioner Sinkevičiust to keep his word and to step in. ”

Sarah Dolman, Bycatch programme lead at Whale and Dolphin Conservation said: “ More dolphins were bycaught in the Bay of Biscay last winter than have been recorded for more than a decade. Member States wasted time proposing inadequate measures which do not meet the scientific requirements presented twice now by regional experts, ICES and STECF. The Commission must act urgently to enforce EU law and require robust measures that will prevent further deaths of dolphins and porpoises. ”

Cecilia del Castillo, fisheries campaigner at Ecologistas en Acción said: “Uneffective measures have resulted in hundreds of dead dolphins for another consecutive winter in the Bay of Biscay. Commissioner Sinkevičiust, it is time to demand the French and Spanish governments to stop procrastinating. The scientific advice is clear: temporary closures of fisheries are required to cease with this disaster at once”.  

Ida Carlén, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic and Chair of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group , said: “ The Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population is critically endangered and even one animal bycaught poses a serious threat to the survival of the population. Member States must act to save the only whale in the Baltic, and they must act now.” 

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, senior marine policy officer at The Danish Society for Nature Conservation said: “ The Baltic member states are undermining the implementation of effective measures throughout the entire distribution range of the baltic harbour porpoise by cherry picking measures recommended by ICES regarding marine protected areas, while stalling the implementation of measures throughout the Baltic Proper. This delayment tactic is very regrettable, as harbour porpoises don’t self contain themselves to marine protected areas, but have a broad distribution range in which they need to be protected against incidental bycatch. We therefore call on the Baltic member states to agree on bycatch measures that follow the entirety of the ICES advice without further delays ”.    

Sophie Mjati, Oceans, Seas and Coastline coordinator at France Nature Environnement , said: “ More than 65 000 dolphins have died in the fishing nets of the Bay of Biscay since 2000. The refusal of governments to act is deafening and may lead to a disappearance of the population ”. 

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CONTACTS
For more information or an interview please contact:

or

  • Ida Carlén, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic and Chair of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group: ida.carlen@ccb.se; +46 70 3133067

Seas At Risk is an umbrella organisation of environmental NGOs from across Europe that promotes ambitious policies at European and international level for the protection and restoration of the marine environment.

WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation is the leading charity dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises.  We work globally through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation projects, field research, rescue, education and advocacy to advance our vision of a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)  is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 member organizations and 1 observer, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at: www.ccb.se

Ecologistas en Acción is a non-governmental umbrella organisation of over 300 environmentalist groups throughout Spain that was founded in December 1998 and is one of the top five environmental groups active in Spain today. The organisation’s guiding principles are built around the core concept of social ecology, which views environmental problems and the global ecological crisis as rooted in an increasingly unsustainable and globalized model of economic production and consumption.

The Danish Society for Nature Conservation (DN) is a non-profit, non-governmental membership based organisation that works to conserve nature and the environment in Denmark through local work, conservation, lobbying and specific projects. DN is the largest green NGO in Denmark with 130.000 members and over 1.500 active volunteers. 

France Nature Environnement was created in 1968 and gathers more than 3500 local NGOs from all France including overseas territories, working on a range of environmental areas (oceans, energies, forests, agriculture, health, education, transports, waste, etc.). Therefore, France Nature Environnement’s objective is to give voice to the civil society and protect the terrestrial and marine environment. France Nature Environnement is involved at a local, regional, national and European level.

NOTES

 

Peltier H et al. 2020. ‘Can modelling the drift of bycaught dolphin stranded carcasses help identify involved fisheries? An exploratory study’. Global Ecology and Conservation. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/des-dauphins-retrouves-echoues-par-dizaines-sur-les-plages-aquitaines-1999444.html

 

 

Additional information on the lack of effective action from France and Spain and the need for emergency measures is available here .

 

NGOs urge stronger action as 2027 Baltic Sea fishing limits fall short of securing full recovery of fish populations

By CCB • October 27, 2026
27 October 2026 , Luxembourg - EU fisheries ministers increased central Baltic and Bothnian herring catch limits beyond the European Commission’s proposals and significantly increased the sprat catch limit, falling short of the precaution needed to protect the role of herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea food web. The Council also rejected proposed cuts to accidental catches of severely depleted cod and western Baltic herring populations. NGOs warn that fishing limits remain too high and urge EU ministers to follow the agreement with concrete plans to rebuild depleted fish populations. Herring: further measures needed to safeguard fragile recovery and protect vulnerable populations EU fisheries ministers increased the catch limit for central Baltic herring to 165 228 tonnes, a 71% increase compared with 2026. The population has shown signs of improvement after years of depletion. However, the central Baltic herring population remains vulnerable, and rebuilding must restore healthy age and size structures as well as overall abundance. Although below the scientific headline catch advice, the Council’s decision exceeds the Commission’s proposal, which was more precautionary and recovery-oriented and should have been followed by the ministers. “Ministers have recognised the need for caution, but still allowed more herring to be caught than the Commission proposed. These vulnerable populations need a stronger chance of lasting recovery, with clear rebuilding targets, a timetable for reaching them and measures that are implemented and enforced ,” said Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Fisheries Policy Advisor at Coalition Clean Baltic. For Bothnian herring , ministers retained the three-month spawning closure but increased the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) by 12% , despite the population remaining below healthy levels. The Commission’s proposed TAC for this fish population was already a compromise between population rebuilding and maintaining fishing opportunities. The agreed higher TAC poses a risk to the recovery of the Bothnian herring population and creates increasing uncertainty for the industry. “ Fisheries decisions must also account for the risks to fish population recovery. Even catch limits within the ICES advice range can leave stocks at risk of remaining below the biomass levels that should trigger recovery measures. Fishing opportunities must give depleted populations a real chance to recover to healthy level s,” said Beatrice Rindevall, Chairperson of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. The Gulf of Riga herring TAC was also set above NGOs’ recommendations, with an increase of 11% compared with 2026, despite the recent decline in its spawning biomass and its importance to the Baltic food web. Lower limits for this fish population would have better supported population health and long-term resilience. Sprat: recovery must extend to the Baltic Sea food web The sprat agreement remains a significant concern. The Council’s decision, in line with the Commission’s proposal, to increase the sprat catch limit by 44% to 291 590 tonnes exceeds the level NGOs recommended. Although the population has increased, the agreed limit does not sufficiently account for sprat’s importance as prey for cod, salmon, seabirds and other marine wildlife, persistent catch misreporting or the risk of catching vulnerable herring alongside sprat. “ Herring and sprat are vital to the Baltic Sea ecosystem. When setting fishing opportunities, decision makers must leave enough prey in the water to support predators like cod and salmon, to rebuild ecosystem health and align with the EU’s nature restoration ambitions ,” said Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead for WWF Baltic Sea Programme. Salmon: no increase in catch limits, but stronger protection needed NGOs welcome the decision not to increase salmon fishing opportunities. However, fishing should be restricted to compensatory hatchery-released salmon or salmon from rivers where populations are at full reproductive capacity. Fishing on vulnerable wild populations must be avoided and, if returning salmon numbers are insufficient, additional adaptive management measures should be deployed immediately, considering the impact of recent poor spawning runs. “ Good returns to some large rivers are encouraging, but they do not demonstrate recovery across the Baltic region. Many smaller river populations remain in serious difficulty. We need fishing restrictions that protect those vulnerable salmon throughout their migration and allow enough fish to reach their spawning grounds ,” said Thomas Johansson, Chairman of Östersjölaxälvar i Samverkan and Secretary General of the Baltic Salmon Fund. Cod, western Baltic herring and plaice: Council misses opportunity to curb bycatch Both Baltic cod populations and western Baltic herring remain severely depleted. Targeted cod fisheries remain closed, while ministers retained the small-scale fisheries exemption for western Baltic herring. Yet ministers agreed bycatch quotas well above the Commission’s proposals for 2027 and at the same level as 2026, falling short of the protection sought by NGOs. For all three populations, the agreed bycatch quotas permit continued catches despite ICES advice for zero catch. The Council’s decision to increase the plaice TAC to 11,237 tonnes , well above the level NGOs recommended, missed an opportunity to secure a reduction in accidental cod catches. The decision also does not reflect the very low reported landings of this species. Declining weight and condition of plaice also warrant greater caution. The TAC must be combined with effective enforcement of mandatory selective gear to reduce cod bycatch and the implementation of the landing obligation. Annual fishing limits must support lasting recovery The Council’s decisions on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027 are not ambitious enough to secure restoration of all Baltic Sea fish populations. These decisions should be seen in the context of last year’s joint commitment by the European Commission and Baltic Sea Member States to seek dedicated scientific advice from ICES on rebuilding pathways for fish populations. In the absence of such rebuilding-oriented advice, and whilst we are waiting for it, decisions should be more cautious and based on the available recovery-focused catch options provided by the scientists in their traditional advice. Fisheries management must also support EU marine restoration objectives and the achievement of good environmental status in the Baltic Sea. Restoring fish populations and food webs is essential to the recovery of the sea itself and to the long-term future of Baltic fisheries and the coastal communities that depend on them. ENDS *** Further information: Link to Council decision Link to Commission’s proposal Link to Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027 Media contact: Beatrice Rindevall, Chairperson, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, ordforande@naturskyddsforeningen.se Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer , Senior Fisheries Policy Advisor, Coalition Clean Baltic, Cathrine@ccb.se Justyna Zajchowska , Fisheries Lead, WWF Baltic Sea Programme, jzajchowska@wwf.pl Dr. Katja Hockun, Senior Expert Meeresschutz, Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., hockun@duh.de Konrad Stralka , Executive Director, BalticWaters, konrad.stralka@balticwaters.org Magda Jentgena , Baltic Sea and Freshwater Programme Manager, Pasaules Dabas Fonds, mjentgena@pdf.lv Regan McEnroe , Chairperson, Nature and Youth Sweden, ordforande@faltbiologerna.se Tapani Veistola, Executive Director, Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto (Finnish Association for Nature Conservation), tapani.veistola@sll.fi Thomas Johansson , Chairman, Östersjölaxälvar i Samverkan, and Secretary General, Baltic Salmon Fund, thomas@balticsalmonfund.com .

CCB's submission on sustainable fishing in the EU

By CCB • August 31, 2026
Uppsala, 31 August 2026 - Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) welcomes the Commission’s recognition that declining fishing pressure has not consistently delivered higher biomass, that recruitment and biomass are deteriorating for a number of stocks, and that Baltic fisheries urgently need rebuilding trajectories. These findings must now shape the Council’s decision on the 2027 fishing opportunities and the Commission’s position during the Council negotiations. The poor status and decline of many Baltic Sea fish populations have been documented over several decades and show that the ecosystem is in severe distress. Cumulative human pressures have contributed to major ecosystem shifts, and at the same time climate change is making the shallow, semi-enclosed Baltic Sea warmer and less saline. These combined pressures affect not only fish biomass but also recruitment, population age and size structures, species interactions and the functioning of the wider food web. The Baltic crisis reflects the persistent failure to fully implement the CFP and the Baltic MAP, including their precautionary safeguards and the legal obligation to apply ecosystem-based fisheries management. Fishing opportunities for 2027 must therefore mark the first concrete step towards ambitious, timebound rebuilding trajectories that reduce fishing pressure and enable depleted populations to recover to healthy levels. These trajectories must include implementation of an ecosystem based approach by accounting for species interactions, food-web needs, habitat conditions, environmental and climatic change and scientific uncertainty, while reinforcing, not replacing the CFP’s objectives and the Baltic MAP’s existing safeguards in Art. 4.6. The Commission’s 2027 proposal is now before the Council. The October Council must turn the commitment to rebuild Baltic fish populations into measurable action by adopting fishing opportunities that deliver rapid and sustained recovery. Under no circumstances should the TACs adopted be higher than levels proposed by the European Commission. Fishing opportunities aligned with scientific evidence, legal safeguards and ecosystem needs are the basis for both a recovering Baltic Sea and viable fisheries in the long term. Read the full CCB's submission and recommendations here .