The European Commission has proposed new catch limits for 10 EU-managed fish stocks in the Baltic Sea for 2027, including increases for several herring stocks and sprat and sharp cuts to cod by-catch allowances.
The proposal sets total allowable catches (TACs) — the maximum amount of fish that can be caught — and national quotas for Bothnian herring, central Baltic herring, Gulf of Riga herring, sprat, plaice, Main Basin salmon, Gulf of Finland salmon, western Baltic cod, eastern Baltic cod and western Baltic herring, the Commission informed on Monday.
Fishing opportunities would rise for Bothnian herring by 3%, central Baltic herring by 49%, Gulf of Riga herring by 11% and sprat by 44%.
Catch limits would remain unchanged for plaice and for salmon in the main basin and the Gulf of Finland compared with this year.
Cuts were proposed for “unavoidable by-catches” — fish caught unintentionally — of western Baltic cod (down 88%), eastern Baltic cod (down 51%) and western Baltic herring (down 45%), based on the latest reporting by member states.
Cod by-catch limits tightened
A catch limit for unavoidable by-catches of eastern Baltic cod would be kept, but adjusted using by-catch reports from each member state in 2025, while existing accompanying measures would continue, the Commission said.
A similar approach was proposed for western Baltic cod, with the by-catch TAC adjusted and accompanying measures kept in place.
For western Baltic herring, the Commission proposed ending an exemption for small-scale coastal fisheries and limiting catches to unavoidable by-catches only, after the stock remained “significantly below” minimum levels.
The proposed TACs are based on scientific advice from the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and follow the Baltic Sea multiannual management plan adopted in 2016.
EU member states are due to consider the proposal at a Council meeting on 26 – 27 October 2026, with formal adoption expected later in November.
