EU countries are currently discussing the 2022 catch quotas for fish in the Baltic Sea and the Sound.
The European Commission is proposing to significantly reduce quotas, including for the much-discussed herring in the Baltic Sea. The hope of the negotiations is that more sustainable fishing will be conducted, without disadvantaged fishing companies too much.
“We have to find a balance, but I expect that the ministers and member states will take responsible decisions that will allow stocks to recover but also so that companies can continue with their activities,” eu Environment and Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said, according to news agency TT.
State Secretary Per Callenberg will represent Sweden in the meeting.
“The situation in the Baltic Sea is worrying. We need to focus on, for example, cod and herring and ensure that catch quotas are at sustainable levels. At the same time, we need to make some corrections to ensure that local and small-scale fisheries can continue to contribute to prosperous coastal communities,” Callenberg said in a video on the Council of Ministers’ website ahead of the negotiations.
The meeting on fishing quotas in Luxembourg began on Monday.
The European Commission’s proposal for catch quotas in the Baltic Sea in 2022 (in brackets you can see last year’s figures):
Herring in the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia: 111,345 tonnes (-5 per cent)
Herring in the Western Baltic: 788 tonnes (-50%), as a by-catch only.
Herring in the Central Baltic: 44,709 tonnes (-54 per cent)
Herring in the Gulf of Riga: 47,697 tonnes (+21 per cent)
Eastern Baltic cod: 595 tonnes (+-0), by-catch only.
Western Baltic cod: 324 tonnes (-92%), by-catch only.
Plaice: 7,240 tonnes (+-0)
Sprat (sprat): 222 958 tonnes (+-0)
Salmon in the Baltic Proper: 64,811 (-33 percent), only as by-catch.
Salmon in the Gulf of Finland: 9,204 (+3 percent).
Source: European Commission.
