NGOs welcome Baltic Sea fishing limits amid concerns ecosystem has not recovered

European NGOs have welcomed the news that the EU Fisheries Ministers have set fishing limits for the Baltic Sea in line with the scientific consensus for eight of ten of the fishing populations, but have warned they may not be enough to save the sea's dwindling populations of cod or herring, as well as the ecosystems that sustain them.

Experts warn that even if fishing for cod stopped completely, it would take years for the stock to recover owing to the rampant overfishing unless strides are made in securing its habitats, food and breeding grounds.

They admit that controlling fishing quotas is a small part of salvaging fish levels and that EU legislature must start taking ecosystem and environmental impact into account when handling the crisis.

Ottilia Thoreson, director of WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, said: “We are disappointed to see how EU fisheries ministers ignored the progressive proposal from the European Commission on Baltic sprat fishing limit, which took into account wider ecosystem considerations and interactions between this species and the Eastern Baltic cod population - one of the founding objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy.

“On the other hand, WWF welcomes the science-based decision ministers took last night to set eight out of the ten stocks within scientific recommendations.”

Ministers agreed to a slight increase in total allowed catches (TACs) for herring in the Gulf of Riga, Western Baltic cod, plaice, sprat and salmon in the main Baltic basin, while TACs on salmon in the Gulf of Finland will be moderately decreased.

The allowance for Bothnian herring will remain at the same levels as last year.

Javier López, campaign director for Sustainable Fisheries at Oceana in Europe, said: “Baltic member states have made a satisfactory decision regarding scientific recommendations on catch limits for many of the fish stocks.

"However, for iconic species like Western Baltic herring and Eastern Baltic cod, ministers have not met the necessary ambition to adopt catch limits and additional measures that will contribute to firmly curbing their dire status, which is undermining the credibility of the member states.

“The poor status of the marine ecosystem in the Baltic makes fisheries management challenging, which is why it is particularly relevant to set catch limits for fish populations in line with scientific advice and reflecting wider ecosystem considerations."

The required fishing levels were decided upon to meet the requirements of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which was specifically engineered to control fish stocks.

This includes setting maximum caps on fishing allowance based on scientific guidance provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

In addition to the TACs and quotas on some species, the Council agreed on some further measures:

1. Maintain the existing summer spawning closure for the Eastern Baltic cod with an exception for purely scientific fisheries and small-scale coastal fisheries using specific gears.
2. Extend the spawning closure period for cod in Subdivision 24.
3. Maintain the ban on recreational fisheries of Eastern Baltic cod, and maintain the reduced bag limit for Western Baltic cod recreational fisheries.
4. Declaration by the relevant Member States not to use year-to-year flexibility for Eastern Baltic cod.

Andrea Ripol, fisheries policy officer at Seas At Risk said: “We are supportive of the progress and ambition shown by Fisheries Ministers to recover the good status of many Baltic fish populations.

"However, we cannot miss the fact that Fisheries Ministers allowed the population of Western Baltic Herring to be overfished again in 2021, ignoring for the third year in a row scientific recommendations to close its fisheries due to the critical state of this fish population. Allowing overfishing of European fish stocks is illegal since January 2020.

"This is thus an irresponsible, illegal and unacceptable decision that overshadows the good progress made on other fish populations.”

Yesterday it was reported that messages had been placed in key locations across the Baltic states.

The activists responsible for the action was European fishing charity Our Fish.

Discussing the new rulings, Rebecca Hubbard, the programme director of Our Fish, said: “Instead of wasting valuable time haggling during all night circuses, EU fisheries ministers should set fishing limits in light of the ecological crisis faced by the Baltic, and the ocean and climate worldwide, and in line with the commitments they’ve made through the European Green Deal and the UN Biodiversity Summit.

"By continuing to push fish populations to their very limits and beyond, we fail to change the future for Baltic Sea health, and cause continued pain and suffering for its coastal communities. It’s clear fisheries ministers are not up for the job - EU Prime Ministers must step in, to get the situation under control."

The new regulations are expected to be put in place on November 1, subject to finalisation by legal and linguistic experts.

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