EU ministers have agreed catch limits for key Baltic Sea fish stocks for 2027, including herring, cod, plaice, sprat and salmon.
The deal sets total allowable catches (TACs) — the maximum quantities of fish that can be caught — based on scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), alongside environmental and socio-economic considerations, the Council of the EU informed on Monday.
Sprat fishing opportunities will rise by 44% for 2027, in line with scientific advice and reflecting growth in the stock.
Catch limits for central Baltic herring will increase by 71%, but the Council said the figure remains below the level recommended by scientists, and a three-month closure during the spawning season will be maintained.
For Gulf of Riga herring, the catch limit will rise by 11% compared with 2026, reflecting what the Council described as the stock’s healthy condition.
Western Baltic herring catch limits for unavoidable by-catches — fish caught unintentionally while fishing for other stocks — will stay at 2026 levels, and an existing exemption for small-scale fisheries will continue.
Bothnian herring catch limits will increase by 12%, alongside continued restrictions on fishing during reproduction periods in shallow coastal waters for three months.
Cod limits stay restricted as stocks remain in poor condition
Catch limits for eastern and western Baltic cod will remain set for by-catches only at 2026 levels because the stocks are still in poor condition, according to the Council.
A ban on recreational cod fishing across the entire area will also be maintained.
Salmon catch limits in the Gulf of Finland will stay at 2026 levels, as will by-catch limits for the main basin of the Baltic Sea.
It also kept an exemption for the summer coastal fishery in subdivisions 29 N, 30 and 31, and said recreational fishing will continue to be allowed for reared salmon only.
Plaice catch limits will increase by 3% under the agreement.
Beyond the Baltic Sea, the Council also set fishing opportunities for Norway pout in the North Sea, a stock shared by the EU and the UK, agreeing an EU limit of 300 tonnes for by-catches only following consultations with the UK.
The decision will be formally adopted at a future meeting once the text has been finalised in all EU languages.
