Russia, seals, and cormorants caught in EU Baltic blame game over depleted fish stocks

EU ministers from the Baltic coastal countries will meet in Luxembourg on Sunday to negotiate fishing quotas for 2026, with many blaming Russian vessels and fish-eating predators for the sea’s poor state.

Known as the planet’s youngest sea, the Baltic is today one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world.

The sea is marred by a wide range of pressures, from climate change and fishing to contamination from pharmaceuticals and submerged munitions.

Together, those pressures have brought many fish stocks to the brink of collapse.

“It’s a bit embarrassing that a sea almost entirely managed by EU countries doesn’t produce fish,” said Kenn Skau Fischer, chief of the Danish fishers organisation DFPO.

The Commission has proposed cuts to most fishing quotas, including for cod and herring, often taking a more cautious approach than scientific advice.

With Sweden almost alone in backing the move, talks are set to be tense.

“The Swedish position is very restrictive compared to most other Baltic states, it will be a difficult negotiation,” an EU diplomat told Euractiv.

Another diplomat said that Germany is somewhat aligned with Stockholm.

Meanwhile, Finland – like Sweden, one of the region’s main fishing nations – has warned that the cuts would cause unjustified economic damage.

Ministers will continue the negotiations at Monday’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) meeting. If an agreement cannot be reached, they will reconvene on Tuesday.

Blaming Moscow

Latvia has been particularly vocal in opposing the Commission’s proposal and its “exaggerated caution”.

Instead, Riga is pointing the finger at Russia, accusing Moscow of boosting its cod catches – a stock for which the Commission has proposed deep cuts.

“We are not prepared to allow this,” warned Latvian agriculture and fisheries minister Armands Krauze ahead of the meeting.

Adding to tensions, Lithuania led a coalition at last Tuesday’s Environment Council warning that Russia’s shadow fleet is endangering the Baltic ecosystem.

The EU’s continued imports of Russian fish have prompted several countries – including Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania – to call for higher tariffs. Still, Brussels is holding off for now.

“The Commission has said that there is not enough support among member states … so we are not there yet,” said an EU diplomat.

The EU executive has publicly shrugged off the request by saying that existing dependencies on Russian fish products, like Alaska pollock or cod, have not increased.

“In light of the stable import flows, the Commission is currently not considering additional tariffs on imports of Russian seafood products, but it continues to monitor the situation,” reads an answer to a question by Swedish Green MEP Isabella Lövin.

Seals and cormorants

Beyond Russia, other actors in the Baltic are in the spotlight: fish-eating cormorants and seals.

European fishers are warning that the EU’s efforts to safeguard both species have gone too far and that the predators are depleting stocks, especially cormorants.

“The damage is estimated to be in the double-digit billions for Germany alone, and across Europe it is likely to be in the triple-digit billions,” reads a letter, seen by Euractiv, sent by the EU lobby Europêche to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this month.

Sweden and six other countries recently urged the Commission to end the special protection status for cormorants.

To the delight of environmental groups, EU environment chief Jessika Roswall wasn’t swayed.

Last year, Sweden also asked the Commission to facilitate seal hunting, backed by Estonia, Finland and Latvia.