The health of the Baltic Sea’s fish stocks is not only a precondition for commercial- and recreational fisheries, but also of fundamental importance for the whole ecosystem and environment of the inland sea. The development of Baltic herring populations bears an alarming resemblance to the one of the Eastern cod. Ever since the collapse of the Eastern cod in 2019, the fishing quota for the stock has been set to zero. If we fail to act, this negative trend will continue and the long-term survival of numerous species will be jeopardized.
Since the 1970s, the number of mature herring in the Central Baltic has decreased with nearly 80 % and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) assesses that the fishing pressure is too high. Today, the stock is below scientific recommendations for sustainable fishing. Meanwhile, large-scale commercial fishing prevails.
In order not to risk the viability of the Baltic Sea’s commercial fish stocks, a new management model needs to be developed, one that puts ecosystems and biodiversity first. The foundation’s vision is for large-scale commercial fishing for feed to end, so that fish stocks can recuperate. Recovered fish stocks should be fished for human consumption in a low impact matter. Achieving this will require a number of changes, both political and administrative, as well as a transformation of the fish-processing industry, wholesale and retail.
BalticWaters works towards the vision by disseminating knowledge about the Baltic Sea ecosystem and commercial fish species to politicians, decision-makers and the public. We fill knowledge gaps, with the goal of decisions being made and measures being implemented.
In the coming two years we will focus our efforts on:
- moving the trawling border
- keeping fishing quotas well under MSY* until a new model has been devised
- expanding the scientific knowledge base for quota decisions to include size and age distribution
- advocating for caught fish to primarily be for human consumption rather than feed
* MSY can be understood as the largest annual harvest that a fishstock can produce in the long term, that is how much fish can be caught annually without reducing the stock.
In the Baltic Sea Brief, we write about current environmental policy issues related to the Baltic Sea analysing the effects of political decisions and new research. Most of our briefs is in Swedish, but if you find a brief you are intrested in you are welcome to contact us and let us know! Translated briefs are found under Publications.
