2025 has been another eventful year for BalticWaters, but we are already looking ahead. The foundation’s new laboratory in Studsvik is now complete, and it won’t be long before the first research projects get underway. At the same time, we are continuing our work to develop and disseminate knowledge about the Baltic Sea, with the aim of translating the best available knowledge into action – for a living Baltic Sea.
New Research Opportunities at BalticWaters Fish Laboratory
It has been an intense year at the BalticWaters Fish Laboratory. The building is complete, and tanks, pipes and water purification systems have been installed inside. Several new colleagues have joined the team, and most of the laboratory has been test run to ensure that everything is working properly before the first research projects move into the premises.
Fish are expected to move into the laboratory as early as the beginning of 2026, which will mark a new starting point for the foundation’s project ReCod – release of small cod in the Baltic Sea. Leif Andersson, a geneticist at Uppsala University, and his research team will also conduct experiments at the laboratory as part of the CLUPEA project – mapping the genes of Baltic herring. With the start of these projects, the laboratory will soon take on the role for which it was built: to serve as a hub for researchers and companies wishing to research the fish and environment of the Baltic Sea.
The ReCod Project Prepares for Start-up in Studsvik
During the year, intensive preparatory work has been ongoing within the foundation’s project ReCod – release of small cod in the Baltic Sea. The project hopes to bring in parent fish in early 2026, and, as in previous stages of ReCod, the first challenge is to get the cod to spawn naturally and produce viable yolk sac larvae. The larvae will then be reared to over two centimetres in size before being released into Tvären, a new and exciting challenge for the project!
During the autumn, test fishing was also carried out in Tvären, where the project had previously released cod larvae. A total of 192 one-year-old cod were caught, which is remarkable as the presence of cod in the area has not been reported for several decades. Samples have now been sent for genetic analysis to determine whether the cod originates from ReCod. Regardless of the origin of the cod, the test fishing shows that the environment around Tvären can support cod, which is a prerequisite for future releases to be successful.
Foundation Laid for a More Circular Agriculture
A milestone in 2025 is the completion of the foundation’s Circular NP project. The project has demonstrated that recycling nutrients from manure is technically feasible, that redistribution can be achieved in practice, and that there is a demand for circular fertiliser among farmers. And the issue is more important than ever – increased circularity in agriculture reduces the risk of nutrient leakage into the sea, while also reducing the need for mining for phosphorus extraction and strengthening Sweden’s self-sufficiency.
A transition is not just a matter for individual actors in the agricultural value chain. For circular solutions to have an impact, policy instruments and decisions at the societal level are required. In 2026, the foundation will therefore supplement its opinion-forming work with the issue of increased circularity in agriculture. We will write articles and reports and meet with key individuals to increase knowledge and the application of new and better technologies!
Would you like to know more about the results? More information will be published on the website shortly!
New Progress in the Thriving Bays Project
In 2025, the foundation’s Thriving Bays project has taken important steps towards improving the coastal environment. In the project’s measure bays, researchers have spent a lot of time following up on the effects of previous measures while preparing new trials for 2026. At the same time, the project’s case studies have entered a new phase. After extensive data collection, researchers can now focus wholeheartedly on analysis, bringing us one step closer to understanding how coastal use and natural processes interact and affect the environmental status of the bays.
During the year, project researchers Sofia Wikström and Linda Kumblad have also been working on an investigation assignment for the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. The assignment involves assessing the need for a national centre of excellence for measures in coastal waters and the sea. Three proposals for possible design and location were presented to the agency in December, and now we are eagerly awaiting to see if any of the proposals will be taken further and a centre of excellence established.
Read more about the latest news in the project here.
Advocacy for Sustainable Fish Stocks
It has been a special year in fisheries policy. The biggest change is the government’s position on fishing quotas for 2026: Sweden voted against the quotas and signed two statements calling for stricter fisheries management. The trawling limit was moved out on a trial basis in parts of the Baltic Sea, and Minister for Rural Affairs Kullgren has announced that the current system for allocating Swedish fishing quotas will be reviewed. In addition, new Swedish fisheries legislation has been proposed to consolidate the regulations and implement new EU rules for monitoring fishing catches.
At EU level, the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has continued. At the same time, the European Parliament has begun a review of the Baltic Sea multiannual management plan – a regulation that complements the CFP. The EU’s Pact for the Sea has been launched and related legislation is expected to be presented in the future. The discussion on Baltic Sea fisheries has focused on the need to change the scientific advice on which fishing quotas are based.
Despite progress, the situation remains ominous. 2026 must be the year when the necessary changes take place – fishing quotas are decided based on the need for recovery, quota allocation is reorganised, and ambitious conservation measures are implemented in Swedish marine areas.
Read more about fisheries policy in 2025 in our published Baltic Sea briefs.
Research for a Living Sea
With the aim of building knowledge that can contribute to a thriving Baltic Sea, BalticWaters has for several years awarded research grants and scholarships to researchers. Both programmes are now on hold – partly pending results, and partly with the aim of finding external funding to be able to restart the programmes.
Between 2022 and 2025, the foundation distributed nearly 16 million Swedish kronor, and we are now beginning to see the fruits of our investments. The final reports from the first year’s scholarship recipients show that important knowledge about the Baltic Sea ecosystem has been put to good use in the management of the coast and sea. In addition, several scholarship recipients have been able to scale up their projects into larger research studies that have received government funding. Overall, this shows that the programme has achieved its purpose: to support the development of knowledge for a healthier Baltic Sea and to help new researchers get past the bottleneck at the start of their careers.
Knowledge-building Programmes for a Living Baltic Sea
The foundation has also had the great pleasure of welcoming two new trainees this autumn: Ebba Hadenius and Jens Pettersson. Drawing on their expertise in political science and geography, they have chosen to write a policy document highlighting the important added value of small-scale coastal fishing – look out for its publication in January! If you would like to know more about the trainee programme, take a look here.
In 2025, we also ran another round of Students for the Baltic Sea – a scholarship competition for students in years 7–9. The two winning classes travelled to Stockholm to visit Skansen’s Baltic Sea Science Centre. There, the pupils explored life beneath the surface and delved into the challenges and opportunities of the Baltic Sea. Read about it here. Are you curious about the pupils’ own reflections from the day? Read about how their views on the challenges facing the Baltic Sea changed after the visit.
We Speak for the Sea
A living Baltic Sea starts with knowledge about what is happening beneath the surface – but the sea cannot speak for itself. As a strong voice for the sea, we therefore work continuously to spread facts and build engagement among the general public, journalists and decision-makers, including by writing various reports and articles.
In 2025, we investigated the use of scrubbers – exhaust gas cleaning systems for ships that discharge environmentally hazardous wash water directly into the sea. In addition, we have also produced a number of Deep Dives on various Baltic Sea-related topics, such as water inflows to the Baltic Sea and alien invasive species. Furthermore, we have continued to clarify complex concepts and claims in our article series Murky Waters.
Explore more of BalticWater’s publications here.
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