On Tuesday 12 October in Luxembourg, the EU Fisheries Ministers reached a political agreement on next year’s total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas in the waters of the Baltic Sea.
The agreement reached includes most of the European Commission’s proposals.
The TAC for herring in the Western Baltic Sea has been limited to by-catches (only 788 tonnes, which is a 50% decrease compared to 2021). In the Central Baltic, the TAC for herring was reduced by 45% to 53,653 tonnes (t).
Also for cod, the agreed volumes cover by-catches: 595 t for the eastern part and 489 t for the western part.
For salmon in the main basin, the TAC is expected to be reduced by 32% to 63,811 individuals, but only for by-catches.
The TACs for plaice and sprat were increased by 25% (to 9,050 t) and 13% (251,943 t) respectively.
The EU Council agreed on specific measures for cod stocks, such as restrictions on recreational fishing (ban on recreational cod fishing in the Western Baltic) and temporary fishing bans (with certain exemptions) during specific periods to protect cod spawning.
The EU Council also established fishing opportunities for Norway pout, for which the fishing season starts on 1 November each year. As this stock is partially present in UK waters, the TAC will be revised at the end of the year to take account of the outcome of consultations with the UK.
For Jože Podgoršek, Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, the agreement strikes a “balance between the socio-economic needs of Baltic fishing communities and the long-term sustainability of fish stocks in the region”.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, welcomed the agreement: “Restoring the marine environment and the fish stocks in the Baltic Sea is at the heart of the Commission’s approach to setting fishing opportunities and I am happy that the EU Council has agreed to follow it for most of the stocks”.
The decisions reached “are difficult, but necessary, so that the Baltic Sea can remain the source of livelihood for fishermen and women today and tomorrow”, the Commissioner concluded.
Link to TAC volumes in 2022 in the Baltic: https://bit.ly/3AsZRdG (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)