On Friday 31 August, the European Commission adopted proposals on fishing possibilities for 2019 in the Baltic Sea, including a 31% rise in the total allowable catch (TAC) for cod in the Western Baltic. There is bad news for herring in the Western Baltic (recommended cut of 63%), whose stock is outside the biological limits.
European Commissioner for Fisheries Karmenu Vella said the efforts made by fishermen were starting to pay off since the cod resources in the Western Zone are improving. In fact, for 2019, the Commission proposes a 31% rise into the TAC for cod to 7,340 tonnes (3,204 tonnes of which for Denmark and 1,566 tonnes for Germany). The Commission proposes to lift the current fishing ban.
For cod stocks in the Western Baltic, scientific opinion indicates that recreational fishing contributes significantly to the overall mortality per fish for this stock. The Commission proposes maintaining a bag limit for recreational fishermen to 5 specimens a day.
The precautionary approach dominates for cod in the Eastern Baltic, for which the Commission proposes a 15% cut in catches to 24,112 tonnes (including 6,378 tonnes for Poland and 5,612 tonnes for Sweden). The scientific opinions recommend reducing the excessive pressure on this stock.
Herring. It is proposed to made cuts in many herring stocks: a 63% cut for fishing possibilities for Western Balkans herring (down to only 6,404 tonnes), a 26% cut for herring in the Central Baltic (to 170,360 tonnes) and a 7% cut for herring in the Bay of Bothnia (a total of 88,703 tonnes). There is a rise of 9% for herring in the Gulf of Riga (31,044 tonnes).
Salmon. The European Commission proposes a 1% cut for salmon in the Gulf of Finland and a 15% rise for salmon in the Main Basin.
Finally, the Commission proposes a rise in TACs for sprat (by 3% to 270,772 tonnes) and a 43% rise for plaice.
Depending on the type of fishing, the proposals for 2019 will have widely differing impacts. In total, the Commission’s proposal would lead to total fishing possibilities for the Baltic Sea of around 609,000 tonnes, a 9.7% cut on 2018.
The new multiannual plan for fishing in the Baltic Sea came into force on 20 July 2016. Under the plan, fishing possibilities have to be set in line with the plan’s objectives and respect the targeted ranges of mortality foreseen in the plan for each species.
At a later date, the Commission will propose measures for eel stocks and quotas for the Baltic will be negotiated by fisheries ministers on 15 and 16 October. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)