Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024

A coalition of NGOs recommends drastic reductions in fishing quotas for the Baltic Sea in 2024, including zero-catch limits for several cod and herring stocks. The authors argue that current single-species management fails to account for ecosystem dynamics, bycatch, and climate change, urging the EU to implement stricter monitoring and selective gear requirements.

• The Baltic Sea ecosystem is in severe distress, with cod stocks on the verge of collapse and most herring stocks facing severe difficulties, except for those in the Gulf of Riga.
• The NGOs recommend a zero TAC for 2024 for Eastern Baltic cod in subdivisions 24-32 and Western Baltic cod, noting that any bycatch is detrimental to the stock's reproductive potential.
• For Western Baltic Spring Spawning (WBSS) herring, a zero TAC is recommended for 2024, as the spawning stock biomass has been below the limit (Blim) since 2007.
• The document argues that the Baltic sprat TAC should be set below the lower end of the FMSY range (≤ 171,815 t) to account for mixed fisheries with degraded herring stocks and poor recruitment trends.
• The NGOs recommend that the Baltic plaice TAC be set well below single-stock headline advice (≤ 7,727 t) to prioritize the recovery of cod, which are frequently caught as bycatch in flatfish fisheries.
• For Baltic salmon, the NGOs recommend a total sea catch limit of 60,000 salmon, with targeted fishing restricted to the Bothnian Bay within four nautical miles of the coast.
• The authors call for the mandatory use of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) and more selective fishing gear to combat illegal discarding and minimize cod bycatch.
• The document highlights a lack of transparency in the Council's decision-making process for setting fishing opportunities, urging for the public release of non-papers and meeting minutes.
• The NGOs argue that the current management system is flawed because it focuses on single stocks rather than an ecosystem-based approach that considers predator-prey relationships and climate change.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/nh1fi2zz/230712_final_joint_ngo_bsr_tac_paper_2024_v2.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/nh1fi2zz/230712_final_joint_ngo_bsr_tac_paper_2024_v2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/nh1fi2zz/230712_final_joint_ngo_bsr_tac_paper_2024_v2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearthndjoint, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2024}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/nh1fi2zz/230712_final_joint_ngo_bsr_tac_paper_2024_v2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }