Sharp criticism: The sea is collapsing

 

Herring
Doubled herring fishing in the Baltic Sea: "A death sentence"

TT

Updated 12.58 | Published 09.39

The fisheries ministers of the EU countries agree on next year's quotas for the Baltic Sea. Stock photo. Photo: Susanne Lindholm/TT

Criticism is heavy when the herring and smelt quota is doubled in the central Baltic Sea next year.

- The sea is collapsing, warns former environment minister Isabella Lövin (MP).

The herring quotas will be increased until next year in both the central Baltic Sea and the Bothnian Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Riga. The herring quota is indeed being reduced - but not as much as the European Commission had suggested.

Everything is now decided by the fisheries ministers of the EU countries.

- There are double feelings. Sweden's input into this was that we would keep the quotas as far down as possible. I think we have done that. But Sweden really wants to go even further, says Rural Affairs Minister Peter Kullgren (KD) to TT and SR Ekot.

Peter Kullgren (KD) in Luxembourg. Photo: Wiktor Nummelin / TT

Sharp criticism

However, the criticism of the quotas is sharp, not least from Swedish members of the EU Parliament.

"It is regrettable that more countries do not understand the serious situation in the Baltic Sea," writes Jessica Polfjärd (M) on X.

Isabella Lövin (MP) is critical of the new fishing quota. Photo: Caisa Rasmussen/TT

"Peter Kullgren has today delivered a death sentence for the Baltic Sea," greets Emma Wiesner (C) via SMS.

- He has not managed to reduce the quota by a single percent and yet he stands behind this proposal. He has failed in his negotiations. The cod has already collapsed. The flounder and sprat show clear signs of being able to collapse as well, says colleague Isabella Lövin (MP) to TT.

Emma Wiesner (C). Photo: Caisa Rasmussen/TT

"Easy to be cocky"

However, Kullgren calls for "sense in the debate" and instead points the finger at the opposition.

- They can get quite a lot of criticism back: why did you do nothing during the last eight years that you ruled? Why did you never succeed in all the time that the multi-year plans have been to land on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea minimum council? It is easy to be cocky in opposition, but they have never taken such a strong position and never succeeded to this level, says Kullgren in Luxembourg.

- When we were in the government, the scientific advice was followed completely with regard to streaming, but it has turned out in retrospect that the advice was far too high, however, Lövin defends himself.
 

FACTS

Fishing in the Baltic Sea 2025

This is what next year's fishing quotas look like for the Baltic Sea (compared to 2024 in percentages in brackets):

Herring in the Bothnian Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia: 66,466 tonnes (+21 percent)

Herring in the western Baltic Sea: 788 tonnes, only as by-catch, but with the possibility of small-scale fishing (unchanged)

Central Baltic herring: 83,881 tonnes (+108)

Herring in the Gulf of Riga: 41,635 tonnes (+10)

Eastern Baltic cod: 430 tonnes, by-catch only (-28)

Cod in the western Baltic Sea: 266 tonnes, only as by-catch (-21)

Plaice: 11,313 tonnes (unchanged)

Herring: 139,500 tonnes (-31)

Salmon in the Baltic Sea proper: 34,787 (-36)

Salmon in the Gulf of Finland: 8,117 (-20)

Source: EU Council of Ministers.