NGOs call on decision makers to do right by the Baltic Sea ecosystem – new scientific advice shows that Baltic fish stocks are still under stress

CCB • June 3, 2024

On Friday, 31 May, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice on how much fish can be caught in the Baltic Sea next year [1]. The numbers show that the Baltic Sea ecosystem and fish stocks remain in severe distress and that even the cuts in catches that have been made over the past years are not enough to bring stocks back to healthy levels. NGOs and small-scale fishermen alike call for a drastic overhaul of the current fisheries management that should put the health of the Baltic Sea ecosystem at its centre.

June 3, 2024 – The decline of fish population in the Baltic Sea has been well documented. It started with salmon and cod over 20 years ago, then the herring stocks started to dwindle until now even the previously abundant sprat stock has entered a free fall. The cause behind this is that fishing pressure is still too high, each year more is taken then can be replenished, leading the ecosystem in a downward spiral.


The main reason for this is that the political choice has been made to set fishing quotas around the lowest level of fish abundance that will avert collapse. This goes against both the EU law as well as common sense, the law stipulates that quota levels should aim for strong fish stocks that can sustain a fishery without being at risk. For example, the scientific advice for central Baltic herring shows that we are far from the target level for a resilient fish stock and there is only a slim probability that this level will be reached in 2026.


“The sad reality is that there is no herring along the coasts, and coastal fishermen have just about given up. The scientists have again produced advice on stocks that are far from stable in numbers and size. This time even the experts indicate that they do not trust in their own models and data”, says Nils Höglund, Fisheries Policy Officer at Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) - “Everyone has totally lost sight of the precaution needed and the actual goal of our fishing policy: to reach healthy fish stocks. The aim has become to just barely stay away from catastrophe and to stop this, the quotas must come down drastically”.


The scientific advice from ICES released today shows that most stocks are not recovering or are even declining further. Cod and western herring have been at historically low levels for several years now but now sprat has joined this somber list. The catch advice for this year is nearly 20% lower than last year. This is of high concern as sprat are a vital food source for many seabirds, large fish and marine mammals, species that are already under severe pressure in the Baltic Sea.


“This depressing conclusion on the new advice has to be that managers simply have not done enough to help some of these stocks recover”, says Lina Birgersson, project coordinator at FishSec - “In some cases we even see them trying to reduce the few legal safeguards we have so they can continue to allow fishing even when the scientific analysis shows these stocks to be in an unhealthy state, this is not ecosystem based management, this is fishing down the food web”.


"The critical situation for the Baltic Sea demands immediate action. The latest ICES data confirms that key species like sprat, cod, and herring continue to face critically low population levels, threatening the entire marine ecosystem. This year’s EU negotiations aren’t just routine — they are a crucial opportunity to redefine our approach and implement quotas that will allow these stocks to recover. It’s time to act decisively to preserve the Baltic Sea for future generations," says Konrad Stralka, CEO of BalticWaters.


For both cod stocks in the Baltic, the situation remains critical and with no sign of improvement even though no fishing for Eastern cod has been allowed in the past three years. ICES indicates that catches of western cod along the German, Danish and Swedish coasts need to be reduced and advises a maximum of only 24 tonnes in total, comprising both commercial bycatch and catches by recreational anglers. This affects other stocks too, in particular plaice. Even though the ICES advice notes that more plaice can be fished in the Baltic Sea this is problematic since plaice is mainly caught with bottom trawling gear which can have high levels of cod as bycatch. ICES states in the advice that: “there are gears available that successfully reduce cod bycatches in the flatfish fisheries; however, these active gears are not currently in use”.


“Despite the closure of the cod fishery, cod is still being caught as by-catch by bottom trawlers fishing after flatfish like plaice. We must reduce cod by-catch by introducing bottom trawl free zones in key cod areas as well as electronic monitoring on trawl boats to stop illegal discarding of cod”, says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Chief Advisor at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.


“Despite the closure of the cod fishery, cod is still being caught as bycatch by bottom trawlers fishing after flatfish like plaice. We must reduce cod bycatch by introducing bottom trawl free zones in key cod areas as well as introduce mandatory electronic monitoring on trawl boats to stop illegal discarding of cod”, says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Chief Advisor at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation.


“In 2013 the EU reformed its fisheries policy promising a new era with healthy fish stocks. Since then, the fish biomass in the Baltic has declined by around 800.000 tonnes while catches have shrunk by 130.000 tonnes (40% from the closed cod fishery). Implementing the ICES advice will not bring our stocks back. Coastal fishermen are clear: cut the quotas and restrict the trawl fishery for herring, sprat and plaice", says Christian Tsangarides, Baltic & North Sea Coordinator at Low Impact Fishers of Europe, LIFE.


END


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Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) – Is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 27 NGOs, with over 1 500 000 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 for present and future generations. More info at: www.ccb.se 


FishSec – Is a politically independent non-profit organisation. We are dedicated to the protection and restoration of marine ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries. www.fishsec.org 


Danish Society for Nature Conservation – It is a membership based environmental organisation that works to conserve nature and the environment in Denmark through local work, conservation, lobbying and specific projects. www.dn.dk 


BalticWaters – Is an independent foundation engaged in efforts to improve the Baltic Sea environment. The foundation conducts large-scale environmental projects with focus on action-oriented measures and applied research to show which measures can contribute to a healthier sea and viable fish stocks. More about BalticWaters at: https://balticwaters.org 


Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE Platform) – is an EU-wide platform of associations of small-scale fishers committed to fishing in a low impact manner while maximising their socio-economic impact. Small-scale fishing is part of the solution, and LIFE’s mission is to unite small-scale fishers to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities. More about LIFE at: https://lifeplatform.eu 


CONTACT
Nils Höglund: nils.hoglund@ccb.s

Lina Birgersson: lina.birgersson@fishsec.org

Konrad Stralka: konrad.stralka@balticwaters.org

Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer: cathrine@dn.dk

Christian Tsangarides: bans@lifeplatform.eu, +46 76 405 6675


[1] LINKS TO ADVICE:

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027

By CCB • June 10, 2026
The poor status and decline of many Baltic Sea fish populations have been thoroughly documented over several decades, indicating that the entire ecosystem is in great distress. So far, policy interventions have not reversed, or even halted, the negative trend concerning many of these populations. The European Commission itself recently recognised in its Common Fishery Policy (CFP) evaluation report that progress on stock rebuilding is lacking and the number of stocks “ threatened by collapse due to impaired recruitment has increased during the reporting period ”. Fish populations that once formed the cornerstone of the Baltic Sea fishery, such as the eastern and western Baltic cod and the western Baltic herring, are now doing so poorly that the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is advising zero catch for these stocks. Yet, even with the targeted fishery being closed for some years now, none of these three stocks are showing sufficient signs of recovery. The condition (such as size and weight-at-age) of many flatfish populations, such as plaice, also raises alarm bells. The salmon spawning migration has fallen short of the target level in the past three years5. As a result, even the healthiest salmon stocks are now unlikely to produce enough smolts corresponding to sustainable levels in the coming years. To address the crisis facing Baltic populations and the broader ecosystem, political will and ambition to improve fisheries management, alongside full implementation of the CFP provisions, are needed. The recent INI report on the Baltic Sea Multi-Annual Plan shows that the European Parliament recognises the importance of ecosystem-based fisheries management as well as the need for consideration of environmental legislation when making decisions on fishing opportunities.6 Fisheries managers must now act swiftly and decisively on the commitment the Commission and Baltic Sea Member States made at last year’s October Agrifish Council to rebuild Baltic Sea stocks. This document presents the joint NGO recommendations regarding Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027, prioritising long-term ecosystem health and sustainable fisheries management over short-term economic interests. The recommendations are based on the ICES advice, the objectives and requirements of the CFP8 and the Baltic Multiannual Plan (MAP), specifically to apply the precautionary approach and implement an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, and the objective of achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Last year’s overarching joint Briefing Series on TAC-setting, co-signed by almost 30 organisations across the EU and the UK, including environmental NGOs, recreational fishers, and fishing rights owners, remains valid and provides further context, background and detailed explanations on the cross-cutting issues raised in this document. Read the Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027 here .

Call for Consultant / Expert : CCB Shadow Implementation Plan on the HELCOM Regional Action Plan for benthic habitat restoration

By CCB • June 2, 2026
About CCB Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 28 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden. Background The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) from 2021 includes a commitment to develop a regional action plan for habitat and biotope restoration by 2026. This plan is expected to: Define qualitative and quantitative restoration targets Establish a prioritized list of restoration actions Provide an implementation toolbox of best practices and methods The scope of the HELCOM action plan focuses exclusively on benthic habitats and biotopes , with particular emphasis on active restoration measures . Adoption of the plan is foreseen at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in November 2026. Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) recognizes the importance of the HELCOM process but also the need to strengthen ambition, improve implementation guidance, consider a source-to-sea approach, and ensure long term ecological effectiveness . Therefore, a CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan will complement and critically assess the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan. The purpose of the CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan is to: Provide a science-based and practice-oriented complement to the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan Identify gaps, weaknesses, and missing elements in the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan Propose concrete, implementable actions, under a source-to-sea approach, to ensure effective restoration outcomes Strengthen alignment with the BSAP objectives and broader regional and EU policies Your Role You will compile the CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan with aims to: 1. Assess the proposed HELCOM restoration measures , particularly their expected ecological impact by Reviewing proposed HELCOM actions for benthic habitats Evaluating whether actions are sufficient to achieve good environmental status Identifing missing measures, insufficient ambition, or unclear guidance 2. Define recommendations on how restoration should be implemented in practice including Required scale, intensity, and geographic coverage of actions Feasibility and effectiveness of active restoration methods 3. Propose additional actions and priorities , especially where the scope of the HELCOM action plan is insufficient, such as Integration of a source-to-sea approach for better ecological coherence Passive restoration measures Including actions on riverine systems (barrier removal, flow restoration) and coastal ecosystems (dunes, wetlands, lagoons) Incorporating important fish habitats and spawning/nursery areas, as well as ecosystem connectivity 4. Align HELCOM restoration efforts with other relevant policy frameworks , including the Baltic Sea Action Plan, Marine Action Plan, EU Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Regulation, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, Water Framework Directive and Common Fisheries Policy. This is a Joint efforts with WWF Baltic Sea Programme The organisations, CCB and WWF Baltic Sea Program, will produce two separate documents with separate logos and will be presented at a joint side-event at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in November 2026. Actions for the Consultant/Expert & products to deliver The final document of the shadow restoration implementation plan Conduct interviews with all WA Leaders and MOs of CCB working on restoration to gather concrete input Share at the end all notes of the research and transcripts of interviews with MOs Bi-weekly call of consultant + CCB to check-in on progress, problems and next steps Publications/Sources CCB Restoration Guidelines https://irp.cdn-website.com/53007095/files/uploaded/CCB+Restoration+Guidelines_Update+October+2025.pdf CCB BSAP Shadow Plan: https://www.ccb.se/publication/Shadow%20Plan Profile A college degree, preferably in marine science, political science, environmental studies, social sciences, or a comparable field Experience in political campaigning, strategic communication, or advocacy, ideally in environmental, climate, nature, or marine conservation, preferably with an NGO Knowledge about relevant political settings and frameworks in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM, BSAP, MSFD, NRRL, ...) Experience in collaborating with coalitions, initiatives and civil society actors Initiative, independence and reliability working fully remotely Excellent written and spoken English are required Contract Terms Contract Type: can be structured as a consulting contract or a fixed-term employment (for candidates based in Sweden). We are open to discuss what works best depending on your situation. Time: From 15 June until 15 Oct 2026, at 50-75% work pace. Location: Remote position. Application Process: Should you be interested in applying for this position please send your CV (max. 2 pages) together with a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 9 June 2026 to: secretariat@ccb.se *** Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English. Applications submitted in any other language will not be considered. Incomplete applications (e.g. lacking either CV or personal letter) will be also not considered. We will be reviewing applications as they come in and encourage early applications. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. *** For inquiries , contact CCB Biodiversity Officer: andrea.cervantes@ccb.se Equal Opportunities CCB is an equal opportunity employer. In the application and hiring process, CCB will not discriminate against any individual based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property, disability, age, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic and social situation.