Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021

The document argues that EU fisheries ministers must adhere to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to end overfishing. It provides specific TAC recommendations for cod, herring, sprat, plaice, and salmon, emphasizing a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach to protect biodiversity and restore marine foodweb functionality in the Baltic Sea.

• The NGOs recommend a zero TAC for eastern Baltic cod in subdivisions 25-32 and subdivision 24, citing ICES advice that "when the precautionary approach is applied, there should be zero catch in 2021."
• For western Baltic cod in subdivisions 22-24, the NGOs recommend a TAC not exceeding 2,960 tonnes (FMSY lower) and absolutely not exceeding 4,635 tonnes (FMSY), while calling for the complete closure of cod fishing in subdivision 24 to prevent the unavoidable catch of eastern Baltic cod.
• The recommendations for Baltic sprat in subdivisions 22-32 suggest a TAC between 163,265 tonnes (FMSY lower) and 222,958 tonnes (FMSY), with additional restrictions in subdivisions 25-26 to increase food availability for cod.
• The NGOs recommend a zero TAC for western Baltic spring spawning (WBSS) herring in subdivisions 22-24, noting that the spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been below Blim since 2007.
• For central Baltic herring (excluding Gulf of Riga) in subdivisions 25-29 and 32, the NGOs recommend a TAC between 72,319 tonnes (FMSY lower) and 97,551 tonnes (FMSY).
• The document recommends a precautionary TAC for Baltic Sea salmon (excluding Gulf of Finland) in subdivisions 22-31 of 75,831 individuals, which is lower than the ICES advice of 94,765 individuals, to protect weak wild river stocks.
• The NGOs call for increased transparency in the Council's decision-making process, requesting that "any proposals subsequent to the official Commission proposal, including Commission non-papers, Council Working Party, and AGRIFISH Council documents and minutes" be made public.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/deppma3a/joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-sea-fishing-opportunities-for-2021.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/deppma3a/joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-sea-fishing-opportunities-for-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/deppma3a/joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-sea-fishing-opportunities-for-2021.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 2021}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/deppma3a/joint-ngo-recommendations-baltic-sea-fishing-opportunities-for-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }