Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022

A coalition of NGOs recommends strict Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for Baltic Sea fish stocks for 2022, emphasizing the need to adhere to Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and the precautionary approach. The document calls for zero catches for several critically depleted stocks, including eastern and western Baltic cod and western Baltic spring spawning herring. It advocates for an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, increased monitoring to combat the failure of the Landing Obligation, and improved transparency in the EU's decision-making process.

• The NGOs recommend a zero TAC for eastern Baltic cod in subdivisions 24-32 and western Baltic spring spawning (WBSS) herring in subdivisions 22-24 for 2022, based on ICES scientific advice.
• For western Baltic cod, the NGOs recommend closing all commercial and recreational fisheries, with a bycatch TAC not exceeding 324 tonnes.
• The document suggests setting TACs for Baltic sprat, central Baltic herring, and Gulf of Bothnia herring within the lower range of the Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY) to account for ecosystem disturbances and misreporting.
• The NGOs argue that the Landing Obligation (LO) is not being effectively implemented, which undermines scientific data and increases fishing mortality; they recommend setting TACs below catch advice to compensate for illegal discards.
• Regarding Baltic salmon, the document recommends closing mixed-stock sea fisheries and limiting catches to no more than 50,000 salmon in specific northern coastal areas (SDs 29-31) during spawning migration.
• The report calls for increased transparency in the EU's TAC-setting process, specifically requesting the public release of Commission non-papers and Council Working Party documents.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/rjiadk3u/final-joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-tacs-2022-2021-10-08.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/rjiadk3u/final-joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-tacs-2022-2021-10-08.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/rjiadk3u/final-joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-tacs-2022-2021-10-08.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 2022}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/rjiadk3u/final-joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-tacs-2022-2021-10-08.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }