Baltic Sea: Council agrees on catch limits for 2025

The Council today reached a political agreement on new limits on fish catches for the Baltic Sea’s key fish stocks, including herring, cod, plaice, sprat, and salmon, in order to ensure sustainable stocks and a viable sector for the future.

The agreement on total allowable catches (TACs) and national quotas for 2025 is in line with the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and sets the maximum quantities each member state will be allowed to catch for each fish stock.

EU fisheries ministers took into account both environmental and socioeconomic considerations, aiming to ensure sustainable fishing practices while supporting the livelihoods of those in the fishing industry.

The livelihoods of fishers depend on the long-term sustainability of our fishing stocks. With today’s agreement we aim to strike a balance between helping fish stocks recover, protecting marine ecosystems, and ensuring the viability of the sector in the future.

István Nagy, Hungarian Minister for Agriculture

The agreement in detail

Herring

The Central Baltic herring stock has increased above the minimum sustainable level in the past year. Moreover, the scientific forecasts for this stock are positive. Therefore, the Council agreed to increase the fishing opportunities by 108%, in line with the Commission’s proposal.

The Council also followed the Commission’s recommendations regarding herring in the Gulf of Riga and herring in the Gulf of Bothnia, increasing the catch limits by 10% and 21%, respectively, in light of the positive scientific advice.

In the case of Western Baltic herring, due to low biomass levels, the Council agreed to carry over last year’s TAC for unavoidable by-catches. This refers to fish caught unintentionally while fishing for other species. The Council also decided to maintain the exemption currently in place for small-scale coastal fisheries.

Cod

With both Eastern and Western Baltic cod stocks in poor condition, the Council agreed to continue setting TACs for by-catches only, in order to allow for the recovery of the stocks. Compared to last year, the catch limits have been reduced by 28% and 22%, respectively. To help improve the situation of these stocks, the Council agreed with the Commission’s proposal to prohibit recreational cod fishing in the entire area, but taking into account incidental by-catches.

Plaice

Catch limits for plaice will remain unchanged compared to 2024. While plaice stocks are healthy, the plaice TAC takes into account the fact that cod is caught unintentionally while fishing for plaice.

Sprat

The Council agreed to reduce the total allowable catches for sprat, in line with scientific advice, by 31%, in order to prevent a decline below sustainable levels.

Salmon

The Council decided to decrease catch limits by 36% for salmon in the main basin and to maintain last year’s TAC for salmon in the Gulf of Finland.

Additionally, recreational salmon fishing for salmon in the main basin will be limited to catching no more than one specimen of adipose fin-clipped salmon retained per fisher per day. After catching the first specimen, recreational fishers will have to stop fishing salmon for the remainder of the day.

Norway pout

The Council also decided on fishing opportunities for Norway pout in the North Sea, a stock that is shared by the EU and the United Kingdom. Following consultations with the UK, delegations agreed to set an EU limit of 300 tonnes for by-catches only.

Next steps

The Council will formally adopt the decision in an upcoming meeting, once the text has been finalised in all languages.

Background

The Council sets limits on how much fish can be caught in EU waters in order to avoid fish stocks becoming depleted. The Council has a key role in setting these catch limits, as it alone has decision-making competence in this area.

The Council’s agreement is based on a Commission proposal and follows the scientific advice provided by ICES. Additionally, it is in line with the goals of the Common Fisheries Policy, as well as with the provisions of the multiannual plan for Baltic Sea stocks.

The work conducted by BALTFISH, the regional fisheries forum for the Baltic Sea, which is currently chaired by Germany, contributed to the Council’s efforts towards reaching the agreement.

The Baltic Sea is the most polluted sea in Europe, and faces numerous challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, the effects of overfishing in the past, and high levels of contaminants and litter. In order to address these challenges and ensure sustainable fisheries and a healthy marine environment, the EU favours a long-term approach to sustainability.