Brussels, Aug 24. (dpa/GNA) – The European Commission, on Monday proposed sharply restricting fishing in the western Baltic Sea, to protect herring stocks that remain well below sustainable levels.
“The Baltic Sea ecosystem is in a very bad state, and we need to take action across all areas to protect it,” said EU Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis.
Targeted fishing for herring is largely banned in the western Baltic Sea, but an exception exists for fishermen who catch herring passively close to the coast, for example using gill nets.
Brussels aims to scrap this exception for 2027. A similar proposal last year, however, failed to receive the required backing by EU member countries.
A ban would affect the small-scale coastal fishing sector. The commission also proposed to reduce the permitted herring bycatch from 788 tons in 2026 to 437 tons in 2027. Under the proposal, allocations for unavoidable cod bycatch in the western and eastern Baltic Sea would also fall sharply, by 88% to 31 tons and by 51% to 211 tons respectively.
Bycatch can threaten endangered species such as Baltic cod, according to the commission. Fishing opportunities for species with sustainable stock sizes, including herring in the central Baltic Sea and sprat, would increase under the proposal.
Each year, the commission draws up proposals on how much fish may be caught in EU waters based on scientific advice. The final decisions are taken by the EU member states’ fisheries ministers. The total catch is then divided into national quotas.
GNA