Eastern Baltic Sea Cod
Fishery Improvement Project
Last Update: May 2013
Species: Baltic cod (Gadus morhua)
FIP Scope/Scale: stock level
Fishery Location: Russia, European Union
For map see the following:
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Stock
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Stock link
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Atlantic cod – Baltic Sea Eastern
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Stock
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Jurisdiction
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Fishery Link
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Atlantic cod Baltic Sea Eastern
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Denmark
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Sweden
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Germany
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FIP Contact: If you would like more information about the FIP or wish to support the FIP, please contact SFP.
FIP Participants:
Espersen
Espersen
Sustainability Information:
See Summary tab in the above links
Date Publicly Announced: 2002
FIP Stage: 6. Fisheries are MSC certified.
Four units of Eastern Baltic Sea cod have been MSC certified: Denmark Eastern Baltic cod certified as sustainable in April 2011, Sweden Eastern Baltic cod certified as sustainable in June 2011, Germany Eastern Baltic cod certified in August 2011, and Küstenfischer Nord eG Heilgenhafen Eastern Baltic cod certified as sustainable in October 2011.
Current Improvement Recommendations:
- Improve catches and bycatch (including seabirds) reporting
- Monitor discard prohibitions
- Support the development of multi-species management plans
Background:
In 2002, when SFP started working on the improvement of Eastern Baltic Sea cod, the fishery faced great challenges, including:
- Adult spawning stock size was estimated to be at the lowest level on record. Estimated abundance of spawners was approximately 25 percent of the minimum target level advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
- ICES scientists suggested that the stock decline was mainly due to overfishing and recommended a moratorium. The European Union (EU) proposed a gradual reduction in harvests. However, ICES estimate that catches exceeded reported landings by 35 to 45 percent. If correct, this suggested that the EU’s proposed harvest reductions were unlikely to be implemented, and thus ineffective to improve stock status.
- The ICES estimate of unreported catches was disputed by many in the industry, and the methods used in deriving the estimate (among other important indicators used in management) had not been disclosed.
- For many years, regulation had been ineffective. The Baltic Sea was under the jurisdiction of both European Union member and non-member states, and fish stocks were shared between bordering countries. An agreement to set Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and allocate a quota system was rejected in1982. Open access to the fishery lasted until 1988. Until 2004, negotiations on the fishery and its problems occurred multilaterally among the nations within the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission (IBSFC). When Poland and the Baltic states joined the EU in that year, negotiations became bilateral between the EU and Russia.
- There have also been significant concerns with habitat and ecosystem sustainability. The Baltic fish community is dominated by cod, herring, and sprat. Their trophic relationships are important factors driving the overall state of fish stocks.
Baltic Sea cod Market
Over the past 20 years, landings of cod have declined by approximately 75 percent. The fishery is important to all the nations bordering on the Baltic Sea and has supported extensive fishing fleets and shore-based services and processing. Therefore, the fishery has cultural and economic significance.
The beginning of the FIP
Elements of the European supply chain sourcing Baltic Sea cod were increasingly concerned at the status and trajectory of the cod stocks and predicted adverse consequences for shore-based economies (e.g., regional/coastal community processing) and employment. Initially lacking an understanding of fisheries management issues, the supply chain took the decision to engage in the fishery and support improvement efforts.
From the start, the role of the supply chain in improvement efforts for Baltic Sea cod has been absolutely critical. FIPs are always more likely to succeed where a core group of engaged purchasers/suppliers exist and can form a structured coalition to “pump-prime the process.”
In organizing this FIP, SFP worked separately with producers and suppliers since their interests often diverged. While they converged on the objective of sustainable management, they diverged on the definition of the situation in the fishery and the destination for the improvement efforts.
In this regard, the road forward has been a challenge, with difficulties encountered along the way including the 2006 TAC being set at a level more than three times that advised by ICES. In addition, in 2005, the amount of illegally caught cod reached close to 15,000 metric tons (mt), which was 38 percent above the official landings. Nevertheless, a number of important steps were taken during the first years of this FIP to change fishing practices and regulatory policies, most of them resulting from pressure applied by major suppliers – Espersen in particular.
FIP Objectives:
The objectives of the improvements of this fishery are to:
- Increase stock size of Eastern Baltic Sea cod
- Set TACs in line with agreed management plan
- Improve the status of the fishery to a level that meets market sustainability requirements
- Achieve MSC certification
Progress Update:
2009
The EU quota was set below the 48,600-mt limit determined by the management plan, although the sum of the EU and Russian quotas (49,380 mt) was still slightly above the limit.
2010
From 2010 the sum of the EU and Russian quotas was below the ICES advised TAC limit.
Unallocated landings, although significant in the past, are presently estimated to be low due to better fisheries control enforcement. The entry into force of the EU regulation to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) in 2010 is likely to further improve catch reporting.
2011
April – June
DFPO Denmark Eastern Baltic cod and Fiskbranschens Sweden Eastern Baltic cod fisheries were MSC certified.
July – September
Germany Eastern Baltic cod fishery was MSC certified.
October – December
Küstenfischer Nord eG Heilgenhafen Eastern Baltic cod fishery was MSC certified.
2012
MSC conditions on fisheries removals on target and closed for all certified fisheries (March, June, and July).
2013
January – March
MSC conditions for DFPO Denmark Eastern Baltic cod on discarded longline bycatch and demersal trawl habitat impact on target.
Resources: www.ices.dk
