On Tuesday 28 October in Luxembourg, European fisheries ministers reached a political agreement on the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas applicable in the waters of the Baltic Sea, following lengthy negotiations which began the previous morning.
Ministers relaxed a number of restrictions initially proposed by the European Commission on pelagic species such as herring and sprat.
The Danish minister, Jacob Jensen, stressed that the discussions had been “long and intense”, while welcoming the fact that a “balanced” compromise had been reached. Only one Member State, Sweden, was unable to accept the agreement. The President-in-Office of the Council acknowledged that the situation in the Baltic Sea “remains worrying”, adding that pelagic stocks had been a “major challenge” during the discussions.
For his part, European Commissioner Costas Kadis felt that the Commission’s initial proposals would have “better contributed to the objective of launching a recovery trajectory for fish stocks in the Baltic Sea”.
Sprat. The Council decided to increase fishing opportunities by 45% in 2026, to a total of 201,975 tonnes (t), in line with scientific recommendations. The Commission initially proposed a renewal of the 2025 volumes.
Herring. For central herring, the ministers adopted a 15% increase in catches (to 96,463 t), accompanied by a three-month closure during the spawning period. The Commission proposed maintaining the current TAC.
The TAC for herring in the Gulf of Riga was reduced by 17% compared to 2025.
It was decided to maintain current volumes for western herring, along with a ban on directed fishing and the maintenance of a derogation for small-scale fisheries.
For Bothnian herring, a 40% reduction was been applied (39,108 t for 2026), with a provisional TAC until 31 October 2025 and a three-month closure during the spawning period. This stock is currently at one of its lowest levels ever recorded.
Salmon. In the Gulf of Finland, salmon fishing opportunities will increase by 1%. However, the TAC for salmon in the main basin was reduced by 27% (to 25,537 specimens/fish). Restrictions on coastal summer fishing and recreational fishing for farmed salmon were maintained.
Cod. Cod stocks, both east and west of the Baltic, remain in very poor condition. The Council decided to limit the TACs to by-catches only, renewing the 2025 volumes, without authorising directed fishing. The ban on recreational cod fishing throughout the area was also maintained in order to help stocks recover.
Plaice. The 2026 catch limits for plaice were reduced by 3%.
Norway pout. European ministers also set quotas for Norway pout in the North Sea, a stock shared with the United Kingdom. After consultation with London, the delegations agreed to maintain the current limit of 400 tonnes for by-catches only.
Link to the table: https://aeur.eu/f/j6b (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)