When the EU Council of Ministers decided on next year’s fishing quotas in October, Sweden was the only country to reject the high levels. The government’s rejection marks an important shift in Swedish fisheries policy, but the defeat in the EU negotiations shows that the next change must take place at home – Swedish fishing quotas should be allocated in line with today’s reality.
Intensive feed fishing has fundamentally changed the conditions for how fishing can be conducted today, and has pushed several stocks to the brink of collapse. In addition, climate change is affecting fish reproduction as the salinity and temperature of the sea change. There has been a change in the composition of stocks that requires a new type of management, including a review and modernization of the Swedish allocation of fishing quotas.
The need for a more modern quota allocation was recently highlighted when the European Commission published new guidelines on how member states should allocate their fishing quotas. The Commission notes that many countries do not allocate quotas in a way that meets the challenges facing today’s fisheries, and that small-scale coastal fishermen are particularly disadvantaged.
The guidelines call on member states to review their national allocation with regard to environmental, social, and economic criteria. Transparency, good governance, and support for coastal communities are highlighted as key principles.
This is a clear signal from the EU that the current quota system needs to be reformed. For Sweden, this is much welcomed.
New challenges bring new demands
Today, the national quota allocation is based on three categories: the coastal quota, the regional quota, and individual transferable fishing rights – the so-called ITQ system. The largest share goes to the large-scale pelagic fleet, which accounts for around 90 percent of Sweden’s herring and sprat catches.
Most of this fish is landed in Denmark and used for feed, while the value it creates ends up outside Sweden. At the same time, Swedish processing ports lack stable access to raw materials, and coastal fishing, which can supply food to Swedish consumers, is being pushed back.
When the ITQ system was introduced almost two decades ago, it served its purpose. It reduced overcapacity in fishing and improved the profitability of the fleet. It was an effective tool for addressing the problems facing Swedish fisheries at the time. But today, the reality is completely different. Fish stocks in the Baltic Sea are weak, while the need to increase Swedish food production and strengthen Swedish food security are central and strategic issues.
Under these circumstances, it is difficult to justify a system that rewards the export of Swedish-caught fish to the Danish feed industry, while at the same time weakening domestic food production and the economy of coastal communities.
The European Commission’s new guidelines also make a key point. Coastal fishermen are particularly vulnerable to the changes that characterize today’s fishing industry, such as climate change, high energy costs, and invasive species. At the same time, coastal fishermen account for three-quarters of the EU’s fishing fleet and nearly half of the employment, but often receive a limited share of the quotas.
Imbalance in quota allocation affects Swedish food supply
In Sweden, weak fish stocks limit the greater use of the coastal quota, the quota share allocated to small-scale coastal fishing. At the same time, the regional quota, which is allocated to vessels that only fish and land in the Baltic Sea, is so small that it does not provide the predictability that Swedish processing ports need. Without predictable landings, it is difficult for coastal fishing to grow and for Sweden to strengthen its own supply of raw materials and food.
It is precisely this imbalance that the Commission’s new guidelines aim to address. The guidelines call on countries to use quota allocation to promote selective gear, local value creation, ecological sustainability, and social considerations. If the government was serious when it reserved its position on the Council of Ministers’ quota decision in October, it should follow the European Commission’s call and change the quota allocation in Sweden — as early as next year.
More perspectives should be taken into account
A first step would be to broaden the basis for decision-making. Today, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management decides on the allocation of Swedish fishing quotas, but both the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency have important perspectives that should be taken into account. A comprehensive assessment of the role of fishing in the economy, the environment, and preparedness would provide a stable basis for a more responsible allocation of next year’s fishing quotas.
If there is one lesson to be learned from the introduction of the ITQ system, it is that Sweden can create effective policy instruments. What is needed now is a new policy instrument that meets today’s needs. A quota allocation that leads to stronger fish stocks, higher value creation in Sweden, increased food security, and coastal fishing that can supply food to Swedish consumers.
The brief in short
The government’s rejection of the 2026 fishing quotas in the Baltic Sea must be followed by a modernization of how Swedish quotas are distributed among different fishing vessels. The distribution needs to be adapted to current needs for increased food security and rebuilding fish stocks, while strengthening local and national value creation. The European Commission’s new guidelines that each country should review its allocation support this work. A first step would be to allow the Swedish Board of Agriculture and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, together with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, to consult on the allocation of quotas.
Read our opinion piece in SvD on quota allocation: “Follow up on a bold new approach for the Baltic Sea” November 23, 2025
