Small Fish – Big Impact, the importance of forage fish
Forage fish, such as sprat and herring, are small pelagic fish species that serve as a key food source in the marine ecosystem. Our new project, ‘Small Fish – Big Impact,’ will focus on the importance of forage fish in the Baltic Sea and the need to manage them through an ecosystem based approach.
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Latest briefing on the status of Baltic fish stocks and quota recommendations
Read more on the State of the stocks and find our joint briefing providing analysis and comment on fishing quotas in the Baltic Sea here.
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Take action to save European eel
In less than 50 years, European eel has gone from one of our largest, most widespread fishery resources to a critically endangered species in need of urgent, coordinated action.
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Baltic Sea
Working with the fishing industry and policy makers, we focus on improving fishery sustainability in the Baltic Sea through policy development.
Common Fisheries Policy
The CFP provides the framework for fisheries regulation in the European Union. We work with a number of polices and regulations emerging under the reformed CFP.
European Eel
We work together with partners for further actions to secure eel recovery across its geographical range. Some needed actions are; a revised EU management framework, improved control and regional coordination.
Latest news
December 5, 2025
Proposal to list all Anguillid eels under Appendix II of CITES rejected
CITES Summit ending today rejected a proposal to list all Anguillid eel species under Appendix II to protect them from illegal and unsustainable trade. The proposal put forward by the EU and Panama was rejected by a large majority including key countries involved in trade, aquaculture and consumption. European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has been listed … Continued
November 4, 2025
Press Release: No catches of European eel in 2026 can be in line with scientific advice
Widespread exploitation of the critically endangered European eel population continues against scientific advice, despite few signs of recovery. Today, the International Exploration of the Sea, ICES, published its scientific advice on fishing opportunities and conservation for European eel for 2026. As in previous years, ICES advises zero catch for all life stages, all uses and … Continued
October 28, 2025
Fisheries Ministers Risk Breaking EU Law, Jeopardising Baltic Sea Recovery
EU Council decision on 2026 fishing limits fails to implement legally required safeguards, jeopardising the fragile marine ecosystem Luxembourg – 28th of October 2025 – Environmental organisations across Europe (Baltic Salmon Fund, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, Coalition Clean Baltic, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, FishSec, Oceana, Östersjölaxälvar i samverkan, Pasaules dabas fonds, Seas At … Continued
October 24, 2025
Small fish, big impact: time for ecosystem based management
Key takeaways from last week’s Brussels event Small pelagic fish play a big role in keeping Europe’s seas healthy. Yet, despite their crucial ecological and economic importance, forage fish such as sprat, herring and sandeel have long remained in the shadows of policy and public attention. Last week on October 16, experts, policymakers, politicians, fisheries … Continued
Upcoming events
Location: Davis, California, United States
Dates: 04 - 08 May