Investigacions sobre el CDC

The European Commission (EC) prepares proposals for measures and instruments for resource conservation including fishing quotas and fishing effort limitations after a certain consultative process. TACs (Total Allowable Catches) and quotas are annually defined for commercially important fish stocks in the Baltic (cod, herring, sprat, salmon and plaice).

There are currently 5 species/stocks under TAC management in the Baltic Sea: (1) Cod; (2) Herring; (3) Sprat; (4) Atlantic salmon and (5) Plaice.

Cod is the only fish species for which a multi-annual plan exists (Council Regulation (EC) No 1098/2007) (Table 4.1). The plan defines targets for stock recovery (in terms of cod mortality for Eastern and Western cod stocks) and also maximum fishing effort and licensing system for vessels fishing cod in the Baltic. Compared to 2011, available cod quota increased in 2012 while effort limitation remained stable (163 fishing days for Western cod (ICES subdivisions 22-24) and 160 fishing days for Eastern cod (ICES subdivision 25-28)).

The European eel Recovery plan also affects several Baltic States. Within this plan, MS through national eel management plans need take measures that allow 40% of adult eels to escape from inland waters to the sea, where they can spawn.

EU regulations also comprise specific fishery technical regulatory measures, such as mesh sizes, minimum landing sizes, by-catch limitations as well as periods and areas closed for fishing. Ban on driftnet fisheries was set after a three year transitional period in 2008. The Baltic Sea coastal and inland fisheries are mainly regulated by each MS in the region through their national legislation.

Table 4.1 - TAC in the Baltic Sea in 2012

ICES subdivision 22-24

TAC and % change to 2011

ICES subdivision 25-32 TAC and % change to 2011

Overall TAC and % change to 2011

Cod 21300 13% 67850 15% 89150 15%

Plaice 2889 -5%

Herring 20900 32% 214993 -13% 235893 -11%

Sprat 225237 -22%

EU REGIONAL ANALYSIS

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Baltic Sea fishing fleet, effort and landings

According to the DCF data submitted by region, the Member State fleets operating in the Baltic Sea collectively numbered 5,297 vessels in 2012. The Finnish fleet comprised the largest fleet in number (1,952 vessels) and engine power (115 thousand kW) while the Swedish Baltic fleet was the largest in gross tonnage (18.6 thousand GT) (Figure 4.2).

The latest official DCF data suggests that the EU Baltic Sea fleet spent almost 400 thousand days at sea in 2012, 98.6% of which were actual fishing days. The weight and value of landings generated by the fleet amounted to approximately 545 thousand tonnes and €243 million, respectively.

Finland, Germany and Poland together accounted for around 72% of the total days at sea (mostly generated by small scale fisheries). In terms of landed weight, Finland (133 thousand tonnes), Poland (120 thousand tonnes), Sweden (89 thousand tonnes) and Denmark (62 thousand tonnes) were again the leading MS fleets. Poland (€55 million), Sweden (€51 million) and Denmark (€43 million), collectively accounted for around 61% of the total value of landings in the Baltic Sea in 2012, followed by Finland, Latvia and Germany (again, bear in mind the exclusion of German pelagic landings) (Figure 4.2).

The small-scale fleet accounted for 81% of the days at sea in the Baltic Sea while large-scale vessels generated by far the highest landed weight, with 92% of the total. The difference between the two fishing activities was slightly less for landed value, with LSF accounting for 79% of the total and SSF vessels 21%, reflecting the lower value of pelagic species that are mainly targeted by the LSF (Figure 4.2). While SSF covered 85% of the number of vessels, employment in this group amounted to 1,521 FTE in 2012, representing around 40% of the total FTEs in the Baltic Sea fisheries, indicating the part-time nature of this fleet segment.

In fact, the SSF showed a high variety of targeted species and species/stocks under quota management in the Baltic Sea (cod, herring and salmon). Other targeted species include perch, eel (also under the management plan), pike-perch, flounder and whitefish.

Data source: Member State data submissions under the DCF 2014 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2014)).

Figure 4.2 - EU Baltic Sea fleet capacity, effort and landings by MS and fishing activity: 2012.

For confidentiality reasons, the figure for landed weight excludes the German pelagic trawl segment, which would have increased the total catch weight of the German fleet by around 38%. In addition, German demersal trawl segments sometimes target pelagic species while pelagic trawls may also target demersal

2014 Annual Economic Report on the EU Fishing Fleet

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species. This is also the case for Swedish vessels, fishing both pelagic and demersal. Results should therefore be interpreted taking this into account.

In 2012, due to quota reduction, herring (234 thousand tonnes) overtook sprat (204 thousand tonnes) in terms of total weight landed, followed by cod (63.5 thousand tonnes) and then flounder (14.6 thousand tonnes) (Figure 4.3). Cod generated the highest value of landings in 2012 (€77 million), followed by herring (€68 million), and then sprat (€50 million).

Data source: Member State data submissions under the DCF 2014 Fleet Economic (MARE/A3/AC(2014)).

Figure 4.3 - List of the top 10 species in terms of weight landed for MS fleets operating in the Baltic Sea, 2012

Sprat landings in weight and value in the Baltic Sea decreased 14% from 2011 to 2012. Baltic sprat quota (subdivisions 22‐32) decreased again by 22% between 2011 and 2012, causing the decrease in landed weight. Although the total landed weight of Baltic herring decreased 6% between 2011 and 2012, value increased 14% over the same period. Cod landings remained relatively stable in both weight and value between 2011 and 2012. The multi-annual plan for cod in the Baltic impacts all fleets that have quota for cod and which interact with the cod fisheries. With an increase in TAC, the limited number of licenses and days at sea restrictions are becoming more constraining for fleets and may have an impact on the economic performance.