Commercial fishing for cod in most of the Baltic Sea has been banned until the end of the year following a directive from the European Commission. The ban is part of emergency measures to support the ailing eastern Baltic cod stock from impending collapse and comes into force immediately. It covers all fishing vessels and applies in all those areas of the Baltic Sea wher the largest part of the stock is present, except for some specific targeted derogations.

The ban also follows measures that have already been taken by some member states to save fish stocks. However, given that these measures do not ensure a uniform approach in all areas wher the eastern Baltic cod stock is found, and not all countries intend to adopt national measures, the Commission has decided that further emergency action is warranted.

“The impact of this cod stock collapsing would be catastrophic for the livelihoods of many fishermen and coastal communities all around the Baltic Sea. We must urgently act to rebuild the stock – in the interest of fish and fishermen alike,” says Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella.

“That means responding rapidly to an immediate threat now, through the emergency measures the Commission is taking. But it also means managing the stock – and the habitat it lives in – properly in the long term.”

But, campaigners argue the ban is “too little, too late.”

Our Fish – which works to end overfishing and wasteful discarding – gave a guarded welcome to the EC’s ban announcement. The organization has criticized both the decision to broadly exempt industrial fishing vessels with Eastern Baltic cod bycatch and the missed opportunity to introduce obligatory monitoring for these vessels as an incentive to reduce their by-catch.

“Our Fish believes that while it is proportionate and fair to have an exception for small scale fishermen fishing near the shore, it is problematic that the Commission’s measures include a very broad exception for industrial fishing vessels not directly targeting Eastern Baltic cod, but having a considerable Eastern Baltic cod by-catch - and are allowed to continue their fishing operations without any restriction,” it says.

The Eastern Baltic cod stock has been deteriorating for many years. The dire situation has been known since the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) provided advice earlier this year confirming that Eastern Baltic cod stock is in a critical state, notes Our Fish. 

The EC adds that while the fishing ban is an essential immediate step to help protect this vulnerable stock, it will revisit the need for longer-term action later in the year.

Scientists also warn of many factors besides fishing that threatens the stock and that need to be addressed separately, including a lack of salinity, too high water temperatures and too little oxygen, as well as parasite infestation.

Total allowable catches for eastern Baltic cod have already been reduced every year since 2014, from 65,934 tons down to 24,112 tons in 2019. Even so, in the last years fishermen only used up between 40-60 percent of the total allowable catch, probably due to a lack of fish of commercial size, notes the EC.