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Fisheries & Seafood | 17 July 2025

Joint NGO recommendations on the setting of Baltic fishing opportunities for 2026
Fisheries & Seafood
Europe

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Joint NGO recommendations on the setting of Baltic fishing opportunities for 2026

These joint NGO recommendations to EU fisheries ministers were co-signed by 15 organisations (BalticWaters, Baltic Salmon Fund (Östersjölaxälvar i samverkan), BUND, Coalition Clean Baltic, ClientEarth, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF), Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, FishSec, Lithuanian Fund for Nature (LFN), Nature and Youth Sweden, Pasaules Dabas Fonds (associated partner to WWF), Seas At Risk, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, WWF Baltic Sea Programme). In this document, we jointly call on EU fisheries ministers to set Baltic fishing opportunities for 2026 in line with the requirements and objectives of the CFP, in order to restore and maintain fish populations above biomass levels capable of producing the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and safeguard ecosystem health. We provide clear recommendations regarding: 

  • the need to address shortcomings in the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on fishing opportunities, and decision-makers’ requests for such advice, in order to ensure this is fully recovery-focused, precautionary and ecosystem-based,
  • the setting of recovery-focused, precautionary and ecosystem-based Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for 2026,
  • the conservation and restoration particularly of vulnerable depleted stocks such as eastern and western Baltic cod and Western Baltic herring, and  
  • the correct implementation of the landing obligation. 

The document contains detailed recommendations and background information on all Baltic stocks subject to TACs. 

Related links: 

Find other files produced or co-signed by ClientEarth related to the annual negotiations on fishing opportunities from 2015 onwards here.