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On 26 August, the Commission adopted its proposal for fishing opportunities for 2025 in the Baltic Sea. This proposal follows a scientific assessment indicating that several fishing areas are in a dire situation.
Today, the Commission proposed total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for nine of the ten stocks managed by the EU in the Baltic Sea. The remaining quota proposal (Gulf of Bothnia herring) will be submitted at a later date.
The Commission proposes to increase fishing opportunities for Central Baltic herring (+108%) and Gulf of Riga herring (+10%). It proposes to decrease fishing for salmon in the main basin (-36%) and the Gulf of Finland (-20%), as well as sprat (-42%). Catches of plaice would remain unchanged. The Commission proposes to reduce catch authorisations for unavoidable by-catches of Western Baltic cod (-73%), Eastern Baltic cod (-68%) and Western Baltic herring (-50%).
The proposal on fishing opportunities is part of the European Union’s approach to adapt fishing levels to long-term sustainability objectives, or maximum sustainable yield (MSY), as agreed by the European Parliament and the Council in the framework of the politique commune de la pêche.