Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2026 in the Baltic Sea

Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2026 in the Baltic Sea

26th August 2025

The Commission has adopted its proposal for the 2026 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea. It is based on a scientific assessment that indicates several fisheries are in a dire situation and the proposal puts forward total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for the ten stocks managed by the EU in the Baltic Sea.

The Commission proposes to increase fishing opportunities for salmon in the Gulf of Finland (+1%), and to maintain catches of central Baltic herring and sprat unchanged.

The Commission also proposes to decrease fishing of Bothnian herring (-62%), herring in the Gulf of Riga (-17%), plaice (-3%) and salmon in the main basin (-27%), as well as allocations for unavoidable by-catches of western Baltic cod (-84%), eastern Baltic cod (-63%) and western Baltic herring (-50%).

The proposed TACs are based on the best available scientific advice from the International Council on the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and follow the Baltic Sea multiannual management plan adopted in 2016 by the European Parliament and the Council.

Commission proposes fishing opportunities for 2026 in the Baltic Sea

Date Posted: September 2, 2025