NGOs Welcome Commission's Precautionary Baltic Sea Fishing Limits for 2026

CCB • August 27, 2025

Council Must Follow Commission's Lead to Protect Critical Small Pelagic Fish Populations

27 August 2025 – Environmental NGOs (Deutsche Umwelthilfe, FishSec, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and WWF Baltic Sea Programme) welcome the European Commission's proposal for 2026 Baltic Sea fishing opportunities, published on the 26th of August. The organisations urge EU Fisheries Ministers to support these precautionary measures when the Council meets to decide final fishing limits in October.


Alarming Stock Status Demands Precautionary Action


The Commission's precautionary proposal reflects that the Baltic Sea marine ecosystem is in crisis. Of four herring populations, only the Gulf of Riga stock remains healthy. The population of the Central Baltic herring remains low, Bothnian herring stock has experienced steep decline, whilst western Baltic herring remains at critically low levels with scientists recommending zero catch since 2019.


The Baltic sprat population has also declined due to very low recruitment from 2021-2023. Despite minor signs of stock improvement, the predicted strong year class of 2024 is tied to a single survey in one area of the Baltic Sea. The positive recruitment forecast hence carries significant uncertainties.


“The Commission has shown responsible leadership by proposing to maintain central Baltic herring and sprat catches unchanged whilst significantly reducing Bothnian herring fishing limit by 62% to protect these depleted stocks," says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer, Senior Fisheries Policy Officer from FishSec.


Critical Role of Baltic Sea Forage Fish

Sprat and herring are not merely commercial species – they are the backbone of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. A recent report "Small Fish with a Big Impact" reveals that these small pelagic fish occupy a pivotal position in the Baltic Sea food web, serving as prey for top predators such as cod, salmon, seabirds and marine mammals, whilst simultaneously acting as predators of zooplankton.


This dual role makes them essential for transferring energy and nutrients from lower to higher trophic levels. "These small fish are the backbone of the Baltic Sea ecosystem," says Cathrine Pedersen Schirmer from FishSec. "The Commission's precautionary proposal on fishing limits on herring and sprat offers a vital opportunity to rebuild these depleted stocks – essential not only for marine biodiversity but for the long-term viability of Baltic fisheries."


Council Must Resist short sighted decisions

Due to the critical state of the majority of Baltic Sea small pelagic fish populations, NGOs call on EU Fisheries Ministers to resist industry pressure and support the Commission's proposal on precautionary fishing limits on herring and sprat at the upcoming October Agriculture and Fisheries Council, AGRIFISH.


Past Council decisions have repeatedly set fishing limits above scientifically advised levels, failing to meet legal obligations under both the Baltic Multiannual Plan and the Common Fisheries Policy. Article 4.6 of the Baltic Multiannual Plan specifically requires fishing limits be set in such a way that it ensures the probability of stocks falling below critical spawning stock biomass limits remains below 5% – a safeguard frequently ignored in political negotiations but fully respected in the Commission’s proposal.


“The Commission demonstrates that it’s taking the dire situation in the Baltic Sea seriously. Ensuring healthy sprat and herring populations is a crucial step that could contribute to the rebuilding of depleted cod and salmon populations. Now it’s up to the EU fisheries ministers to decide on Baltic Sea fishing limits that allow for the recovery of Baltic Sea fish populations – for the benefit of people and nature - says Justyna Zajchowska, Fisheries Lead for WWF Baltic Sea Programme.



By adoption of the Commission's proposal on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2026 the EU ministers would make a step towards implementation of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management - an important and legally binding objective of the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

Don't reopen the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Implement it.

By CCB • June 15, 2026
The European Commission's evaluation confirms what environmental NGOs across Europe have long argued: the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)'s challenge is not its design, but its implementation.

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 .