With fish stocks facing collapse, EU proposes slashing Baltic Sea quotas

BRUSSELS (CN) — European Union regulators announced steep reductions in Baltic Sea fishing quotas Tuesday, citing scientific warnings that multiple fish species face potential collapse in one of Europe’s most commercially important waterways.

The proposed cuts for 2026 would slash fishing across most major species in the Baltic Sea, a shallow body of water bordered by eight EU countries including Germany, Poland, Sweden and Finland. Herring catches would drop by more than half in some areas, while cod fishing — once the region’s most valuable fishery — would be virtually eliminated after years of population collapse.

The cuts will reduce total allowable fishing to approximately 325,000 tons, representing a 14% drop from 2025 levels, according to the proposal, affecting thousands of commercial fishermen across the Baltic rim nations.

“We need to fully implement the EU legislation and take measures at all levels and in all policy areas or this situation will continue over the coming years,” EU Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis said in a statement. “We must rebuild fish stocks and reinforce the ecosystem in the Baltic.”

The Baltic Sea faces environmental pressures, including pollution from farm runoff, climate change effects and decades of overfishing that have pushed the marine ecosystem to the brink.

EU officials call it “Europe’s most contaminated sea.”

The proposed restrictions reflect a severe fisheries crisis where once-abundant stocks have crashed, forcing entire fishing communities to adapt or close. In the Baltic, some fish populations have dropped to their lowest levels since records began in 1990, according to EU data.

Marine scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) — the main scientific advisory body to the EU on this matter — recommended the severe cutbacks after documenting widespread population crashes among key commercial species.

But EU regulators face a complex problem: Many fish species are caught together in the same nets, meaning restrictions on one species can shut down entire fisheries. For example, if cod fishing were completely banned, vessels targeting healthy flounder populations would be forced to stop fishing because they accidentally catch cod in the same nets.

This “mixed fishery” dilemma has led regulators to allow minimal cod catches — called “by-catch” allowances — even though scientists recommend zero fishing. Without these small allowances, the commission warned that “all fisheries would have to be closed,” affecting not just large commercial operations but small coastal boats that fish for other species.

Millions of euros in fishing revenue hang in the balance. The affected fisheries generate first-sale values of about 25 million euros ($27 million) for flounder, 56 million euros for sprat and 43 million euros for herring catches within the proposed limits, according to EU calculations.

Some fish stocks have reached crisis levels: Eastern Baltic cod remains in what scientists call a “critical state” with populations “well below minimum safe levels.” Western Baltic herring populations have dropped to 52% of the minimum threshold scientists consider necessary for species survival.

The proposed quotas include extensive seasonal closures and gear restrictions. Fishing will be prohibited during specific months in multiple areas to protect spawning fish, while coastal trawling faces restrictions during herring reproduction periods from March through July.

Recreational fishing also faces new limits. The EU proposes banning sport fishing for farm-raised salmon because catch-and-release practices kill an estimated 2,500 wild salmon annually when anglers accidentally hook and release wild fish while targeting hatchery salmon.

ICES scientists acknowledge that illegal fishing worsens stock depletion, noting that “continued misreporting of catches increases the uncertainty” of their population assessments, though they cannot measure the scale of unreported fishing.

The proposed cuts come as EU-wide fishing catches have declined to 3.6 million tons in 2023, continuing a downward trend since 2018, according to the most recent data from Eurostat — the EU’s statistical institute. The Baltic restrictions affect part of the EU’s estimated 129,540 commercial fishers employed across the 27-nation bloc.

Affected fishermen can seek assistance through EU support programs that provide temporary income and help transition to other industries.

The Baltic Sea’s unique geography makes it particularly vulnerable to environmental damage. As a shallow, nearly enclosed sea slightly smaller than California, it receives pollution from surrounding farmland and cities while having limited water exchange with the Atlantic Ocean. Agricultural runoff creates oxygen-starved dead zones, while industrial contamination and climate change add additional stress to marine life.

The proposed restrictions stem partly from what EU officials call failures to enforce existing environmental laws. The commission has organized high-level meetings with Baltic nations to coordinate recovery efforts, with the next session scheduled for September in Stockholm.

For several key species, the crisis reflects decades of mismanagement. Central Baltic herring populations “have been below minimum safe levels for most of the last 30 years,” while other herring stocks have dropped to “one of the lowest levels on record,” according to scientific assessments.

The restrictions require approval from EU member countries, which will vote on the final quotas during a late October meeting in Brussels. While countries can modify the commission’s recommendations, they typically follow scientific advice when fish stocks reach critical levels.

The approved quotas would govern 2026 commercial fishing across roughly 10 major species that comprise the Baltic’s primary catches, taking effect Jan. 1.

The Baltic crisis mirrors broader challenges facing fisheries worldwide as environmental pressures intensify. The EU executive has imposed similar quota cuts across European waters, including 30% reductions for some Mediterranean species and restrictions on fishing days in western Mediterranean waters that exceed the Baltic cuts.

Courthouse News correspondent Yuval Molina Obedman is based in Brussels.