Baltic Sea Fishing Opportunities 2020 – Council agreement

Council agreement and other related statements and commentary.

Text and table of the Council agreement are available below and on the EU Council website here. 

 

Council agreement on 2020 catch limits in the Baltic Sea

		COMMISSION proposal			COUNCIL agreement
Name Latin name	ICES FISHING ZONES	TACs 2019	2020	2020	TACs 2019	variation
		in tonnes	in tonnes	variation	in tonnes	in %
Bothnian herring Clupea harengus	Baltic Sea subdivisions 30-31	88 703 (-7%)	65 018	-27%	65 018	-27%
Western herring Clupea harengus	Baltic Sea subdivisions 22-24	9 001 (-48%)	2 651	-71%	3 150	-65%
Central herring Clupea harengus	Baltic Sea subdivisions 25-27, 28.2, 29, 32	170 360 (-26%)	153 384	-10%	153 384	-10%
Riga herring Clupea harengus	Baltic Sea subdivision 28-1	31 044 (+7%)	34 445	+11%	34 445	+11%
Eastern cod Gadus morhua	Baltic Sea subdivisions 25-32	24 112 (-15%)	2 000 (by-catch only)	-92%	2 000 (by-catch only)	-92%
Western cod Gadus morhua	Baltic Sea subdivisions 22-24	9 515 (+70%)	3 065	-68%	3 806	-60%
Plaice Pleuronectes platessa	Baltic Sea subdivisions 22-32	10 122 (+43%)	6 894	-32%	6 894	-32%
Main basin salmon Salmo salar	Baltic Sea subdivisions 22-31	91 132 (0%)	86 575	-5%	86 575	-5%
Gulf of Finland salmon Salmo salar	Baltic Sea subdivision 32	9 703 (-3%)	9 703	0%	9 703	0%
Sprat Sprattus sprattus	Baltic Sea subdivisions 22-32	270 772 (+3%)	203 027	-25%	210 147	-22%

 

In addition to setting TACs and national quotas on some species, the Council agreed on additional measures on cod stocks such as:

• stricter limits for recreational fisheries (bag limitations of five specimens per fisherman per day as a general rule)
• longer closure periods in subdivisions 25 and 26 (from 1 May to 31 August), in subdivisions 22-23 (from 1 February to 31 March), and in subdivision 24 (from 1 June to 31 July)

 

Other related information and links:

Speech by Commissioner Vella at the start of the AgriFish Council in Luxembourg on Baltic Sea Fishing Opportunities 2020 is worth reading. It has detail not included elsewhere.

 

Press Statement by Commissioner Vella at the end of the AgriFish Council in Luxembourg on the Baltic Sea Fishing Opportunities 2020 is also worth reading

 

Press release by Our Fish, WWF and SAR re Council decision on Baltic TACs – EU Fisheries Ministers Ignore EU Law and Nature’s Limits for Baltic Sea

 

Coalition Clean Baltic: Comment to ministers’ decision on TACs for the Baltic sea – Better than expected, but the major failure is the missing link between cod and main pray sprat

 

Chris Davies MEP – Chair of EU Parliament PECH Committee: @ChrisDaviesLD

Tweeted about the outcome:

“Fisheries Ministers have agreed 60% cuts in Baltic herring and cod catches- Serious stuff, but will it be enough to let stocks recover? Scientists recommended even bigger cuts. No future for the Baltic fishing industry if there are no fish. #StopOverfishing”