WWF calls on EU fisheries ministers to adopt curbs on fishing in Baltic Sea

RIGA - The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has called on the European Union's (EU) fisheries ministers to adopt curbs on fishing in the Baltic Sea, WWF Latvia spokeswoman Daina Steinberga informed LETA. 

Last week, the European Commission adopted its proposal for the 2025 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea, recognizing the need to curb fishing in order to help rebuild fish stocks in the Baltic Sea. The WWF hopes that the EU fisheries ministers, who are to take the final decision on next year's fishing opportunities, will take the warnings of the Commission and scientists seriously and set reduced catch levels. 

WWF Baltic Sea and Saltwater Program Director Magda Jentgen underlines that fishers must not continue to deplete the Baltic Sea and its fish stocks. Jentgen finds the Commission's proposals and the scientists' recommendations to be good enough, but warns that they will be meaningless if the fisheries ministers do not take them into account.

In the proposal, the Commission proposes the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for nine out of the ten stocks managed by the EU in the Baltic Sea. The remaining quota proposal, for Bothnian herring, will be submitted at a later stage, the Commission said in a press release.

The Commission proposes to increase fishing opportunities for central Baltic herring by 108 percent and herring in the Gulf of Riga by 10 percent. It proposes to decrease fishing of salmon in the main basin by 36 percent and in the Gulf of Finland by 20 percent, as well as of sprat by 42 percent. Catches of plaice would remain unchanged. The Commission proposes to decrease the allocations for unavoidable by-catches of western Baltic cod by 73 percent, eastern Baltic cod by 68 percent and western Baltic herring by 50 percent.

The proposed TACs are based on the best available scientific advice from the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and follow the Baltic Sea multiannual management plan adopted in 2016 by the European Parliament and the Council.

For eastern Baltic cod, the Commission intends to keep a catch limit for unavoidable by-catches and all the accompanying measures in place already for several years. However, since the stock continues to be in a bad condition, the by-catch limit should be adjusted to the actual needs. Despite the measures taken since 2019, when scientists first warned about the poor status of cod, the situation has not improved.

The situation is similar for western Baltic cod. The Commission therefore proposes to adjust the by-catch TAC to actual needs, and to keep all the accompanying measures.

The stock size of western Baltic herring remains significantly below minimum levels. The Commission proposes removing the exemption for small-scale coastal fisheries and adjusting the TAC to unavoidable by-catches only.

The stock size of central Baltic herring has increased above the minimum level since last year. ICES forecasts a very positive stock development due to high estimated recruitment but emphasizes that the forecast is more uncertain than usual. The Commission therefore proposes a cautious approach and will not propose to increase the TAC up to the maximum level included in the ICES advice. Herring in the Gulf of Riga is healthy, and the Commission proposes to set the catch limits according to the maximum recommended by ICES.

While scientific advice would allow for a considerable increase in the catches of plaice, the Commission remains cautious, mainly to protect cod -- which is an unavoidable by-catch when fishing for plaice. New measures to reduce cod by-catches through alternative fishing gear are expected to enter into force this year.

The size of the sprat stock has decreased significantly due to persistently low reproduction rates. Scientists warn that the stock size could fall below healthy levels if reproduction is lower than expected. Therefore, scientific advice for sprat recommends a substantial reduction in catches. The Commission proposes to set the TAC at a level that minimizes the risk of the stock size decreasing below the minimum level.