The Baltic Shadow Plan: for the future of the Baltic Sea

CCB • March 3, 2020

This shadow plan presents NGO requests to HELCOM for the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) update.

The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) adopted in 2007, by the Helsinki Convention, had the goal to restore the Baltic marine environment to a good ecological status by 2021. However, the nine Baltic Sea Countries are nowhere near achieving this goal .

The vision of the BSAP for “A healthy Baltic Sea environment, with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good environmental/ecological status,” cannot be reached without explicit implementation of the ecosystem approach across all the segments of the Action Plan and engaging all economic sectors and human activities within the Baltic Sea catchment area.

We are in the midst of a biodiversity and climate crisis . Healthy marine and coastal life and habitats are essential to our resilience to ecological and climate breakdown. We are dependent on marine and coastal ecosystems to be healthy and rich so that they can perform their natural functions. We depend on it as a crucial life system and as a protein source, even for those who live inland far from the sea.

The coming decade will be decisive. A collapsed Baltic cod population is the most alarming indication yet, signalling the very real need to change how we manage the entire ecosystem where we continue to fish, build and extract. With brave and sufficient political commitment, we can deliver that change – if we act now .

We call on all the Baltic Sea countries to keep to their commitments of the founding HELCOM BSAP and to strengthen those by adopting the revised 2021 Action Plan that aims to:

  1. lead on the protection and conservation of the marine ecosystems on which livelihoods and all marine sectors ultimately depend;
  2. urge all actors to intensify efforts to safeguard marine biodiversity and recovery of the Baltic Sea and;
  3. invite and engage civil society, stakeholders and rights-holders to work together towards a sustainable blue economy.

Read and download the full Shadow Plan here .

NGOs to EU decision makers: Commit to a Genuine Baltic Sea Recovery Plan

By CCB • May 28, 2025
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.

EU Commission upholds Fisheries Law: Finland's 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota reduced after unjustified overfishing in 2024

By CCB • May 7, 2025
7 May 2025 - Yesterday the European Commission took a strong decision to deduct Finland´s 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota due to unjustified overfishing last year. This action is a clear application of the EU fisheries rules - aiming to ensure sustainable fishing practices and compliance with established quotas - and an important precedent for the consistent enforcement of fisheries law. In 2024, Finland was allocated a strict by-catch quota for Atlantic salmon, with direct fishing prohibited, except for some specific, minor exceptions. Despite this, Finland reported catching 3,162 salmon in a targeted fishery, under a claimed derogation stating the fishery was for scientific research purposes. Upon review, the European Commission concluded that these activities did not meet the legal standards for such an exemption and therefore found this claim unjustified. The number of vessels participating, 32, the number of salmon caught as well as the fact that Finland refused to re-release the salmon after conducting the “scientific research” are all reasons why the fishery cannot be considered to have been carried out for scientific research purposes. As a result, the same number of salmon caught beyond the legal limit in 2024 is now being deducted from Finland’s 2025 quota, from the same stock. “ We welcome the Commission's decision to take enforcement action and apply the law as intended. It sends a clear message to Member States that exceeding quotas will have consequences. However, more consistent enforcement is urgently needed across EU waters, especially in the Baltic Sea, where many fish stocks are collapsing and the ecosystem is in a poor state ” said Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland has already responded to the Commission´s quota reduction for Atlantic salmon by stating that this decision “is not legally justified” and they will consider taking legal action against it. As this matter continues to evolve, it is highlighting the importance of collective responsibility in managing fish stocks sustainably. Species like salmon, herring and cod , are under increasing pressure due to overfishing, climate change and habitat loss. In this context, rule enforcement is not just a bureaucratic step but a necessary action to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine life in the Baltic Sea.