Questions and answers on the Commission Proposal for Fishing Opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2027

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

What are the fishing opportunities? Why is the Commission proposing fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea?

Every year, the European Commission proposes fishing opportunities – also known as total allowable catches (TACs), for all the EU sea basins, including the Baltic Sea. These TACs set catch limits for most fish species, based on scientific advice.

Once agreed by the Council of the European Union, these limits are divided into national quotas determining how many fish each EU country is allowed to catch in a given year. Quotas can also be exchanged among EU countries.

What is the situation of the Baltic Sea and how is the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan contributing to the management of Baltic Sea fisheries?

The Baltic Sea is fragile, especially due to its shallowness, limited connection with the ocean and slow water circulation. The Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan plays a crucial role in helping managing fish stocks and fishing mortality. However, urgent action is needed to address broader ecological challenges.

Fishers face significant challenges due to pressures beyond fishing, such as habitat degradation. To improve the state of the Baltic Sea, Member States must enforce EU environmental and climate legislation, alongside the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Maintaining fish populations above scientifically determined minimum level ensures their survival, reproduction, and prevents overfishing.

Eastern Baltic cod

Why is the Commission decreasing the by-catch TAC for eastern Baltic cod for 2027?

By-catches are fish species caught unintentionally while fishing for a different fish species. By-catch is a concern because it can threaten vulnerable species, such as the Baltic cod.

Despite the measures of recent years, scientists estimate that the Baltic cod stock’s condition has not improved. As a consequence, they advise a continued stop for all catches of eastern Baltic cod for 2027. The Commission therefore proposes to extend the current measures.

Regarding unavoidable by-catches, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has not provided specific advice. The Commission proposes to set the by-catch TAC based on the by-catches reported by each Member State in 2025.

Are the measures put in place since 2019 yielding results, and what is the Commission’s strategy moving forward?

Thanks to the recovery measures already in place, cod stocks are beginning to show signs of improvement, although progress remains gradual. This slow recovery can be attributed to two main factors.

First, conservation measures take time to deliver results, particularly when a stock has been under severe pressure for a prolonged period. Second, recovery is influenced by wider ecosystem conditions, including oxygen depletion, rising water temperatures, pollution and disease, which continue to affect the already fragile cod stock.

At the same time, important action has been taken at regional level to support recovery.

In September 2020, the Commission held a high-level conference where the Ministers responsible for Environment, Fisheries and Agriculture from the Member States across the Baltic Sea region signed a joint declaration to take a series of measures to address the ecosystem issues of the Baltic Sea. A follow-up conference was held in September 2023 to take stock of the advances made and to tackle additional issues. The Commission also asked Member States to work on other measures such as developing gears for the flatfish fisheries, which could substantially reduce cod by-catches. This legislation entered into force in April 2025. A third high-level conference was held in Stockholm in September 2025 to monitor progress and remaining challenges.

Western Baltic cod

Why is the Commission decreasing the by-catch TAC for western Baltic cod for 2027?

Since last year, ICES has advised a complete halt on western Baltic cod fishing. The Commission therefore proposes maintaining the ban on commercial and recreational fisheries for 2027.

As ICES has not provided specific advice on unavoidable by-catches, the Commission proposes to set the by-catch TAC based on the by-catches reported by each Member State in 2025.

Western herring

Why is the Commission again proposing to close the remaining targeted western herring fishery for small-scale coastal fisheries?

For the eighth consecutive year, ICES advises stopping all fishing to allow the severely depleted western herring stock to recover. For such situations, the Baltic Sea Multiannual Plan indicates that measures need to be taken to ensure the rapid return of the stock to sustainable levels. In addition, the TAC level needs to ensure with a very high probability that the stock biomass will not fall below the minimum levels.

Like last year, the Commission therefore proposes to close all the targeted fisheries, including small scale coastal fisheries. Regarding the TAC level for unavoidable by-catches, ICES has not been able to provide such information. The Commission proposes to adjust the level to the catches reported in 2025.

How does the Commission intend to help western Baltic herring recover?

ICES has been advising a stop of the western herring fishery for eight years. The EU, therefore, has drastically reduced the quotas in the Baltic Sea over the past few years. However, western herring is not only present in the Baltic Sea – it also migrates into the Skagerrak and the eastern North Sea. Most catches are currently taken in these areas.

For 2027, ICES estimates that 59% will be caught in the North Sea and the Skagerrak, with the remaining 41% in the Baltic Sea. This means that catches in the North Sea and in the Skagerrak also have to decrease significantly for the stock to recover. However, fisheries in these areas are managed jointly with Norway and the UK. Therefore, the Commission – on behalf of the EU – has been discussing with both Norway and the UK the need to keep the fishing pressure in those areas low and thus avoiding a negative impact on western Baltic herring. In June 2026, Norway announced a seasonal fishing closure (15 May to 31 July) to protect western Baltic herring in its the North Sea waters.

Other stocks

Why is the Commission proposing only such a small TAC increase for Bothnian herring?

The Bothnian herring stock has declined since 1994, reaching its lowest level in 2024, well below sustainable levels. While the stock increased marginally in 2025, it is expected to fall again in 2026 and to keep declining if the 2027 TAC reflects the increases of up to 62% set out in the ICES advice. The Commission’s main objective is to keep the stock on a rebuilding path, so that fishers can benefit from more stable incomes and fewer fluctuations in the years ahead. To this end, the Commission proposes a TAC that maintains a stable fishing mortality rate and is expected to support stock growth.

Why is the Commission not proposing a much higher TAC increase for central Baltic herring?

The central herring stock has been fluctuating around the minimum level since the 1990s. It has increased above this level in recent years but remains below sustainable levels. ICES estimates that due to better reproduction the stock should be above sustainable levels in 2027 and also lead to catches which could increase by up to +153% in 2027. Due to past experience, the Commission however proposes to be cautious and not to increase the fishing mortality rate in 2027, which results in a TAC increase of +49%.

Why is the Commission proposing to maintain the spawning closures for Bothnian and central herring?

Both stocks have been fragile, prompting several Member States and the Commission to ask ICES to provide additional advice. While ICES has not issued formal recommendations, it outlined spawning patterns, meaning reproducing patterns, in a technical report (February 2025). Bothnian herring spring-spawning occurs in shallow coastal zones between February and July, while data on autumn-spawning of the central herring remains uncertain.

Given that both stocks are still below sustainable levels, the Commission proposed – and the Council adopted in 2025 – spawning closures as a precautionary measure.

Spawning closures are temporary bans on fishing in specific areas during the time when fish reproduce.

These closures should remain in place to support more rapid stock recovery.

Why does the Commission propose to ban recreational fisheries on reared salmon?

Since 2021, ICES has advised halting all fishing for salmon in the main basin, including recreational fishing. The Council decided to keep a daily bag limit to allow for continued recreational fishing on reared salmon. However, in these fisheries wild salmon are also caught, and while they have to be immediately released, a non-negligible amount dies thereafter. Given low salmon reproduction rates, the Commission proposes to also prohibit recreational fishing for reared salmon. Coastal recreational fishing on wild salmon can however continue during summer, when and where commercial fishing is also allowed.