Overview

• The European Commission unveiled steep, basin-specific quota cuts for 2026 after warning many Baltic stocks are close to collapse.
• Proposed changes include a 62% herring reduction in the Bothnian Bay and 17% in the Gulf of Riga.
• Bycatch allowances would be slashed, with western Baltic herring reduced by 50% and cod bycatch down 84% in the west and 63% in the east.
• The draft ends Germany’s small-boat exemption for western herring, leaving only bycatch and trimming permitted catch to about 394 tonnes.
• Berlin says it will push for a fair compromise in EU talks, which are set for an informal meeting from 7 September in Copenhagen and for consideration again at the end of October.