Several species in the Baltic Sea face an acute threat. Cod stocks have collapsed, nine out of ten pike have disappeared in the 2000s, and herring stocks in the central Baltic Sea have declined by a third in just four years. Several other important species are showing dramatic declines.
The decline of fish stocks not only affects ecosystems, but also has economic, social and cultural impacts on communities dependent on fishing or fishing tourism. Between 2021 and 2022, more than 100 small-scale boats stopped fishing in the Baltic Sea, a loss of a quarter of fishing boats in just one year (Source: data requested by BalticWaters from the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management). Yet almost as much fish was caught, as quotas were set high and the 20 largest vessels fishing for food account for 95 per cent of fishing.
This document summarises the facts about fishing in the Baltic Sea, its impact on the ecosystem and the necessary measures and studies needed in 2023 to reduce the negative impact of fishing on the Baltic Sea environment.
Previous versions of The Way Forward
- The way forward 2022-2026: Necessary measures for fisheries policy in the Baltic Sea. (Published September 2022)
- (Swedish only) Vägen framåt – Nödvändiga åtgärder för Östersjöns fiskbestånd 2022. (Published january 2022)
