COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2026
Date: 2025-06-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: catch of fish, catch quota, common fisheries policy, exploitation of resources, fishery management, fishing area, fishing fleet, fishing rights, sea fishing, sustainable fisheries

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 6.6.2025  COM(2025) 296 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2026 {SWD(2025) 149 final}  
 
 
1. Introduction 
A competitive and economically viable fishing sector relies on healthy fish stocks and a healthy ocean. 
European fisheries continue the trend from previous years of gradually improving their sustainability 
with more fish stocks fished at sustainable levels in 2024 than 2003. However, efforts must also be 
made  to  tackle  pressures  other  than  fisheries  that  are  increasingly  affecting  fish  stocks.  Examples 
include abundance of zooplankton1 and eutrophication2 in the Baltic Sea or climate change impact in 
the Baltic Sea, Bay of Biscay and Mediterranean Sea3. Both the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and 
Waters’4, and the Nature Restoration Regulation5 have a target of year 2030 for restoring nature and 
ecosystems. 

In the context of existing challenges for the fisheries sector as well as enormous potential for sustainable 
fisheries,  the  Commission  has  started  a  comprehensive  evaluation  of  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy 
(CFP) Regulation6. The evaluation is expected to be completed in early 2026. It will be the basis for 
establishing a  2040  vision  for the fisheries  and  aquaculture sectors,  while  taking  into  account  other 
policy framework initiatives, such as the European Ocean Pact and the Energy Transition Roadmap for 
EU fisheries and aquaculture. The ongoing comprehensive evaluation of the CFP Regulation will look, 
among other things, at issues stemming from the implementation of the multiannual plans, referred to 
in this Communication. 

This  Communication  provides  information  on  two  key  elements  of  the  CFP:  progress  on  achieving 
maximum  sustainable  yield  (MSY)  and  the  state  of  the  EU  fishing  fleet.  Additionally,  the 
Communication  provides  information  on  the  implementation  of  the  landing  obligation;  the  socio-
economic  performance  of  European  fisheries;  and  the  continuous  path  to  ensuring  their 
competitiveness, resilience and sustainability. 

2. Progress in achieving maximum sustainable yield 
For generations, fisheries have provided a source of livelihood for many coastal communities in Europe 
and are an important part of their cultural identity. Thanks to the continued efforts made by fishers and 
national  administrations  and  the  commitment  from  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the 
Commission,  EU  fisheries  continue  their  progress  toward  more  sustainability.  Far  fewer  stocks  are 
overfished in the EU today than 20 years ago. To continue this progress and provide the best available 
scientific  advice  to  decision-makers,  further  development  is  needed  in  science,  research  and 
technology7. It is also for the fishing industry to look beyond managing fisheries with fish quotas or 

1   OSPAR: Changes in Phytoplankton Biomass and Zooplankton Abundance  
2   OSPAR: Concentrations of Dissolved Oxygen Near the Seafloor in the Greater North Sea, Celtic Seas and 

Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast 

3   COM(2024)91 final, Managing climate risks – protecting people and prosperity. 
4   EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters 
5   Regulation  (EU)  2024/1991  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  24  June  2024  on  nature 
(OJ  L,  2024/1991,  29.7.2024,  ELI: 

(EU)  2022/869 

restoration  and  amending  Regulation 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1991/oj)  
The EU #NatureRestoration Law 

6   Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the 
Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and 
repealing  Council  Regulations  (EC)  No  2371/2002  and  (EC)  No  639/2004  and  Council  Decision 
2004/585/EC (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1380/oj). 

7   Recital 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 
2013 on  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy,  amending  Council Regulations  (EC)  No  1954/2003  and  (EC)  No 
1224/2009  and  repealing  Council  Regulations  (EC)  No  2371/2002  and  (EC)  No  639/2004  and  Council 
Decision 2004/585/EC 

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effort  limitations  and  come  up  with  additional  measures  to  address  existing  socio-economic 
fluctuations, and ecosystem impacts such as eutrophication and rising sea temperatures. 

Each  year,  the  Scientific,  Technical  and  Economic  Committee  for  Fisheries  (STECF)  updates  the 
information available on fish stocks compared to the CFP objectives. 

In 2023, the ecoregions of the Baltic Sea, the Celtic Sea and the Greater North Sea continued the 
trend of reducing the average fishing pressure to what is sustainable (from 29%, 51% and 65% above 
the target for fishing mortality consistent with achieving maximum sustainable yield (FMSY) respectively 
8  target  in  2023).  However,  in  particular  for  widely 
in  2003,  to  54%,  48%  and  23%  below  FMSY
distributed stocks9 the average fishing pressure had slightly increased from 2022 to 2023. For the Bay 
of Biscay, fishers have made significant efforts to manage fish stocks sustainably. Their efforts lead to 
fisheries managed in line with MSY for several years as shown by the 2022 STECF report10. However, 
despite these efforts, the fishing opportunities have had to be reduced substantially in recent years and 
remain at lower levels. Ecosystem development and rising water temperatures seem to play a role. 

The Mediterranean and Black Seas are home to multispecies fisheries with many stocks shared with 
non-EU countries. The fishing mortality rate has approached the sustainable level for some stocks, with 
seven having reached FMSY in 2022. However, many stocks are still fished above sustainable levels. 
Action must continue to reduce fishing mortality and reach the MSY objective, in particular through 
the Western Mediterranean multiannual management plan11 (‘West Med MAP’) and the 2030 strategy 
of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).  

2.1.  Fishing opportunities in 2025 

Fishing opportunities are an important instrument in sustainable fisheries management. In the Atlantic 
Ocean, Baltic Sea and Skagerrak/Kattegat, fishing opportunities are mainly set as catch limits, also 
known  as  total  allowable  catches  (TACs).  In  the  Western  Mediterranean,  due  to  mixed  fisheries 
management, fishing opportunities are set mainly in terms of fishing effort.  

The stocks in the Baltic Sea continue to be under pressure from sources other than fisheries, which have 
led  to  ecosystem  failure  and  a  degraded  biodiversity12.  Failure  to  implement  fully  EU  legislation 
continues to be a relevant factor and the effect of pollution on fisheries is widespread in the ecoregion13. 
Pressures  from  agriculture,  the  timber  industry  and  other  land-based  activities  will  continue  to 
negatively affect the ecosystem in the Baltic Sea. In addition to these external pressures, shortcomings 
in implementing EU rules on catch reporting may also play a significant role in the decline of Baltic 
Sea fish stocks. Action needs to be stepped up to improve the implementation of EU legislation. While 

8   For a detailed analysis of FMSY and the biomass state of fish stocks in all sea basins, see Section 1 of the 

accompanying staff working document.   

9   Northeast  Atlantic  mackerel,  blue  withing,  Norwegian  spring  spawning  herring,  western  horse  mackerel, 
North Sea horse mackerel, Northeast Atlantic boarfish, Northeast Atlantic red gurnard and striped red mullet 
(in the Bay of Biscay, Southern Celtic Seas and Atlantic Iberian waters). 

10   Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Monitoring of the performance of 

the Common Fisheries Policy (STECF-Adhoc-22-01)  

11   Regulation (EU) 2019/1022 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 establishing a 
multiannual plan for the fisheries exploiting demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean Sea and amending 
Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 (OJ L 172, 26.6.2019, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1022/oj). 
12   HELCOM  Quality  status  report  2023  (HOLAS  3):  https://helcom.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/State-of-
the-Baltic-Sea-2023.pdf; ICES Ecosystem Overviews, Baltic Sea ecoregion, 26 November 2024: https://ices-
library.figshare.com/articles/report/Baltic_Sea_Ecoregion_Ecosystem_Overview/27256635?file=50813523 
13   In  particular  the  Nitrates  Directive,  the  Urban  Waste  Water  Treatment  Directive,  the  Marine  Strategy 
Framework  Directive,  the  Water  Framework  Directive,  the  Habitats  and  Birds  Directives,  the  Waste 
Framework Directive, the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, the Single Use Plastic Directive, the Common 
Fisheries Policy Regulation, the integrated maritime policy and the common agricultural policy. 

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the Baltic Sea multiannual plan14 provides many tools to help fish stocks recover, it is important for 
Member States to fully implement the relevant EU legislation  and improve implementation of other 
regional sea conventions such as the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission Action Plan15 
in order to tackle this ecosystem failure. The commitments made in the  Our Baltic 2020 Ministerial 
Declaration16 continue to be of importance. 

For 2025 the number of TACs at MSY level remained at six, as in the previous year. However, for 
several stocks, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) advised zero catches. 
As a number of these stocks are unavoidable by-catches in other fisheries, and to avoid a total closure 
of all Baltic Sea fisheries, by-catch allowances have been set. Measures from previous years have been 
kept, with spawning closures and limitations on recreational fishing also put in place for several TACs.  

In the North-East Atlantic for the stocks managed solely by the EU, the TACs have been set in line 
with  the  policy  objectives  of  the  CFP.  The  only  exception  is  cases  relating  to  the  provision  in  the 
multiannual plans, which requires fishing opportunities to be in any event fixed in such a way as to 
17. The 
ensure that there is less than a 5 % probability of the spawning stock biomass falling below Blim
Commission had proposed a targeted amendment to Regulations (EU) 2016/1139, (EU) 2018/973 and 
(EU) 2019/472 establishing multiannual plans for certain stocks fished in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea 
and  the  Western  Waters,  and  for  fisheries  exploiting  those  stocks  (‘the  MAPs’)  to  address  an 
inconsistency which arises under certain circumstances relating to the status of a given fish stock and 
the short-term forecast for its biomass development18. While the Council has expressed support for this 
proposal, the European Parliament decided not to continue working on it and asked the Commission to 
withdraw it.  

As  a  result,  the  Commission  announced  its  intention  to  withdraw  the  proposal  in  its  2025  work 
programme. 

After a five-year transition period, the objective to reach and maintain MSY by 1 January 2025 for 
demersal stocks in the Western Mediterranean applies. With the MSY objective and based on best 
available  scientific  advice,  there  were  further  reductions  in  effort  for  trawlers  and  longliners,  plus 
lowered catch limits for deep-water shrimps and hake caught by netters. To promote sustainable good 
practices  and  help  hake  stock  recovery,  the  compensation  mechanism  established  in  the  Western 
Mediterranean  since  2022  was  expanded  in  2025  to  encourage  further  voluntary  measures  such  as 
increased selectivity and closure areas.19 If implemented fully, the expanded compensation mechanism 
is  expected to  accelerate  fish  stock recovery  and allow  the  sector to  recover fishing  days.  With  EU 
funding to support the transition to more sustainable practices, the socio-economic projections of fishing 
opportunities for 2025 point to similar profitability and economic performance as in previous years.   

Through  the  fishing  opportunities  for  2025,  the  EU  has  continued  to  implement  related  measures 
stemming  from  the  General  Fisheries  Commission  for  the  Mediterranean  (GFCM)  multiannual 

14   Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6  July 2016 establishing a 
multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those 
stocks,  amending  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  2187/2005  and  repealing  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1098/2007 

15   HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan 
16   Ministerial Declaration - 'Our Baltic' Conference 2020 
17   For a detailed analysis of FMSY and the biomass state of fish stocks in all sea basins, see Section 1 of the 

accompanying staff working document.   
Article  4(6)  of  Regulations  (EU)  2016/1139  and  (EU)  2018/973  and  Article  4(7)  of  Regulation  (EU) 
2019/472. 

18   Commission proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations 
(EU) 2016/1139, (EU) 2018/973 and (EU) 2019/472 as regards the targets for fixing fishing opportunities 
(COM(2023) 771 final).  

19   Twelve sustainability measures for fishers to add fishing days under the compensation mechanism 

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plans, as well as of the newly agreed GFCM decisions for small pelagic and demersal stocks in the 
Adriatic and for turbot and sprat in the Black Sea. 

The European eel stock remains in a critical state with ICES advising to stop all fishing and other 
mortalities. As a result, the minimum six-month closure period for any commercial eel fisheries in all 
waters in the Mediterranean, and in marine and adjacent waters in the Atlantic continued in 2025, with 
certain exemptions already agreed in 2023 and 2024. Additionally, the prohibition of recreational eel 
fisheries  was  continued  in 2025.  However, most  Member  States  have  not updated their  national  eel 
management plans, which leads to a situation where pressures on eels such as loss of habitat, are not 
being  properly  tackled. Without  specific  action  by  Member  States  the  eel  stock  will  not  be  able  to 
recover. 

2.2.  Agreements with Norway, United Kingdom (UK) and other 

coastal States  

Most EU stocks are now shared with coastal States in the North-East Atlantic. For the more than 85 
TACs shared with the UK, the EU and the UK reached agreement for 2025 based on best available 
scientific advice, within the deadline as outlined by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement20. 
Most stocks were set in line with MSY where advice was available. ICES gave zero-catch advice for 
nine stocks for 2025. For all these stocks, the EU and UK agreed to set low bycatch TACs for 2025 to 
prevent choking situations in mixed fisheries. For one stock, the EU and the UK agreed to set a scientific 
monitoring TAC for 2025, following advice from ICES. 

Improving management of stocks shared by the EU and UK under the framework of the Specialised 
Committee  for  Fisheries  was  instrumental  in  improving  sustainability  and  achieving  a  prompt  and 
satisfactory agreement.  

Most stocks shared between the EU, Norway and the UK in the North Sea indicate a positive trend. 
For 2025, the EU, the UK and Norway agreed to set TACs for these stocks in line with MSY advice. 
TACs  for  the  stocks  managed  bilaterally  with  Norway  were  set  in  line  with  the  best  available 
scientific advice.  

For mackerel, blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring (ASH), which are widely distributed across 
the North-East Atlantic, the coastal States and fishing parties (EU, UK, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, 
Greenland and in the case of ASH, also the Russian Federation) agreed to set overall TACs for 2025 at 
MSY level. However, in the absence of sharing arrangements and due to unilateral actions by some 
coastal  States,  including  excessive  interannual  transfers,  the  sum  of  the  unilateral  quotas  of  coastal 
States  and  fishing  parties  still  exceeds  the  overall  TACs  agreed.  This  continues  to  undermine  the 
sustainability of these stocks, hinders progress made in reaching agreements with coastal  States, and 
more  generally  has  strained  the  cooperation  in  these  fora.  The  EU  continues  to  actively  engage  in 
discussions with other coastal States and fishing parties with the aim of concluding new comprehensive 
sharing arrangements for the sustainable management of these stocks. 

3. Balance between the fishing capacity of the Member 

States’ fleets and their fishing opportunities 

Member States must keep fleets under the national ceilings set for vessel capacity (in terms of gross 
tonnage (GT) and engine power (kW)). Member States that have fleet segments with a demonstrated 

20   The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement - European Commission 

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imbalance21 must present action plans that set adjustment targets and tools to achieve balance with a 
clear timeframe for implementation. Any capacity withdrawn with public aid may not be replaced22. 

Different  parameters  are  used  to  assess  whether  a  fleet  is  in  balance.  For  instance,  unprofitable  or 
underused fleet segments may indicate that the fleet segments are recurrently or permanently tied up 
and inactive. Similarly, if many vessels spend less time fishing than they could, then the fleet segment 
may be too large for the available resources on which the vessels rely.  

The size of the Member State fishing fleets continues to decrease. The number of vessels, their GT and 
engine power reduced by approximately 3%, 5% and 3% respectively in 2024. As a result, by 1 January 
2025, the EU fishing fleet23 comprised 69 570 vessels of 1 245 871 GT and 5 062 245 kW. 

However,  several  fleet  segments  are  still  out  of  balance24.  According  to  Article  22  of  the  CFP 
Regulation, Member States ’shall put in place measures to adjust fishing capacity of their fleet to their 
fishing opportunities over time, taking into account trends and based on best scientific advice, with the 
objective of achieving a stable and enduring balance between them.’. Some Member States have not 
presented  action  plans  for  bringing  these  fleet  segments  into  balance.  While  trends  for  fishing 
opportunities  may  vary  from  year  to  year,  having  fleet  segments  with  continuous  non-sustainable 
indicators without action plans in place indicates a reluctance to ensure a reliable business model for 
the resilience and long-term sustainability of the fisheries sector. In addition, STECF has highlighted 
that some of the action plans provided do not have sufficient information to properly assess the possible 
impact on fleet balance.  

Furthermore,  some  fleet  segments  continue  to  lack  biological  data  to  enable  a  comprehensive 
assessment of fleet balance. The Commission calls on Member States to increase their data collection 
efforts. Only with sufficient data is it possible to properly assess the balance of the EU fishing fleet to 
ensure its competitiveness, resilience and economic viability.  

In 2024 the Commission launched a study on the evolution, challenges and future of the EU’s fishing 
fleet. The objective of the study is to identify current and future challenges, explain how they impact 
the  fleet’s  sustainability  and  provide  insights  on  how  to  address  them. The  study  is  expected  to  be 
concluded in the second half of 2025 and will feed into the evaluation of the CFP Regulation.  

4. Socio-economic outlook 
After fuel prices peaked in 2022, they have gradually fallen to EUR 0.6-0.7 per litre in the first quarter 
of 2025. At current prices, the EU fishing fleet can expect to produce a gross value added of around 
EUR 2.5 billion, cover its operational costs, and maintain jobs and salaries for around 120 000 fishers.  

Although overall, most national fleets are expected to be profitable in 2025, a socio-economic analysis 
indicates that several fleet segments in major fisheries will still face challenging conditions, particularly 
those which are out of balance, depend on overfished stocks and/or use energy-intensive fishing 

21   COM  (2014)  545:  COMMUNICATION  FROM  THE  COMMISSION  TO  THE  EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Guidelines for the analysis of the balance between fishing capacity 
and fishing opportunities according to Art 22 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament 
and the Council on the Common Fisheries Policy 
Article 22 of the CFP Regulation - Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 
1954/2003  and  (EC)  No 1224/2009  and  repealing  Council  Regulations  (EC)  No  2371/2002  and  (EC)  No 
639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC. 

23   Including the fleet fishing in outermost regions. 
24   ‘Red’ indicators show fleet segments that are out of balance with the fishing opportunities. A ‘green’ indicator 
shows  a  fleet  segment  in  balance  with  the  fishing  opportunities.  More  details  may  be  found  in  the 
accompanying SWD. 

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gear. By contrast, fleet segments that are in balance, depend on stocks fished sustainably, and have 
increased their  energy efficiency tend to  perform better  and  generate  higher  salaries for their 
crews. This illustrates the major socio-economic gains in stock conservation and energy efficiency by 
EU  fishing  fleets. Whilst fuel  prices have  fallen, energy  remains  one of the major  costs  for the  EU 
fishing fleets. On this front,  the Commission will present a roadmap of the energy transition in 
fisheries (and aquaculture) in early 2026. 

The state of the stocks and the profitability of the fisheries sector is equally important for the value 
chains  through  the  coastal  communities  and  beyond.  Fisheries  are  the  economic  basis  sustaining 
employment in auction halls, processing facilities, shipyards, transport, tourism and retail. According 
to the latest figures from the EU Blue Economy Observatory, an additional one million euro of output 
produced by the EU fishing fleet creates 30 jobs upstream and downstream in the value chain. Besides, 
fishers play a vital role in ensuring a healthy supply of food to the people of Europe and beyond. As 
well, fisheries are an essential economic sector in many coastal communities, especially where other 
opportunities may be more limited. 

However, a resilient and prosperous coastal community cannot rely on fishing activities alone. Fishers, 
and coastal communities more generally, are facing increased pressures and uncertainty, including from 
climate change, which negatively affects marine ecosystems and displaces fish stocks. To withstand and 
adapt to the increasing pressures, coastal communities and fishers need to step up preparedness25 and 
diversify activities where needed. Member State programmes under the European Maritime, Fisheries 
and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) already offer opportunities for diversification and development of blue 
economy activities. In addition, the Commission will step up its effort to support coastal communities 
in strengthening their resilience and developing new opportunities26.   

4.1.  Social dimension 

The ‘Fishers of the Future’27 foresight study, completed in December 2024, examined the future role of 
fishers in society up to 2050. Looking at fishers’ hopes, fears, expectations and needs is crucial to better 
design policies that support sustainable, thriving, and inclusive fisheries for the long-term.  

The foresight study is part of the growing work on the social dimension of EU fisheries policy. In 2024 
the Commission launched a baseline study on the training and skills of fishers in the EU. This baseline 
study  will  feed  into  an  impact  assessment,  planned  to  be  launched  in  2025,  on  the  possible 
implementation  of  the  International  Convention  on  Standards  of  Training,  Certification  and 
Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F)28, as a way of tackling the issue of the fishing 
sector ranking amongst the most dangerous  professions29. It is important to ensure that fishing is an 
attractive  profession  for  young  people  and  better  safety  conditions  can  play  a  part  in  this. Without 
generational renewal, fishing will not continue to supply healthy food to markets across Europe and 
help to maintain coastal communities.  

5. Landing obligation 
The  landing  obligation  is  a  measure  ensuring  the  sustainable  exploitation  of  marine  resources  by 
inducing more selective fishing, so that unwanted catches are not caught. The landing obligation aims 

25   EU Preparedness Union Strategy to prevent and react to emerging threats and crises 
26   Mission  letter  from  President  Ursula  von  der  Leyen  to  Commissioner-designate  for  Fisheries  and  Oceans 

Costas Kadis 

27   Fishers of the future - A study that examines the future role of fishers in society up to 2050 
28   International  Convention  on  Standards  of  Training,  Certification  and  Watchkeeping  for  Fishing  Vessel 

Personnel (STCW-F), 1995 

29   Eurostat: Accidents at work statistics 

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at ensuring accurate recording of catches, including discards, which is essential for stock assessments 
and for proper fisheries management. As researchers use the data recorded in logbooks and collected 
under the data collection framework30 to support scientific advice, it is essential to have accurate data. 
At the same time, it is essential that all catches are accurately recorded and appropriately deducted from 
established quotas to ensure sustainable fisheries management.  As such, the full implementation and 
enforcement by the Member States of the landing obligation remain a priority. 

In  December  2023  the  Commission  launched  a  study  on  the  landing  obligation.  This  includes  an 
evaluation  of  evidence  using  the  Better  Regulation  criteria:  effectiveness,  efficiency,  relevance, 
coherence, and European Union added value. The study will be published in June 2025. It will then also 
feed into the ongoing comprehensive evaluation of the CFP Regulation31. 

6. Orientations for 2026 fishing opportunities 

6.1.  Key stages to setting the next fishing opportunities 

The Commission proposals will be based on the best available scientific advice from ICES and STECF, 
subject  to  its  availability  and  timing.  The  proposals  will  also  draw  on  decisions  taken  during 
consultations  with  Norway,  UK  and  other  coastal  States32,  decisions  taken  by  regional  fisheries 
management organisations (RFMOs) and a socio-economic analysis. 

The Commission invites Member States and stakeholders to assess the advice from ICES and STECF 
as  soon  as  it  is  publicly  available.  Stakeholders  can  provide  feedback  or  recommendations  through 
advisory councils, national authorities and individually to the Commission.  

Moreover,  the  Commission  is  working  to  achieve  progress  on  sharing  arrangements  for  widely 
distributed stocks with non-EU countries that lack such arrangements, to ensure shared stocks are fished 
in a sustainable manner.  

6.2.  Fishing opportunities for the different sea basins 

For stocks managed only by the EU in the Baltic Sea, Skagerrak/Kattegat and Atlantic Ocean, the 
Commission will propose TACs and quotas in line with the MSY and precautionary advice. Provided 
that the conditions set out in the multiannual plans are met, the Commission may propose using the 
upper range  of  MSY for  healthy  stocks. Where  the  size  of  fish  stocks  has  decreased  below  healthy 
limits, the Commission will propose to rebuild these stocks and include remedial measures, in line with 
each  multiannual  plan.  It  will  focus  action  on  getting  full  MSY  advice  for  target  stocks  under 
multiannual plans for which precautionary advice is currently issued. 

The Commission will also deduct the de minimis or high survivability exemptions from the Fisheries 
Dependent Information or from the ICES advice where appropriate. The Commission will continue by-
catch reduction measures adopted alongside TACs for unavoidable by-catch only, to alleviate potential 
choke situations. The Commission will propose more multiannual TACs for certain EU-only stocks, 

30   Regulation  (EU)  2017/1004  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  17  May  2017  on  the 
establishment of a Union framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector 
and support for scientific advice regarding the common fisheries policy and repealing Council Regulation 
(EC) No 199/2008 (OJ L 157, 20.6.2017, p. 1). 

31   Evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation 
32    The Commission will conduct several consultations with the UK, Norway and other coastal States starting in 
October  2025.  The  aim  is  to  conclude  them  in  time  to  include  their  outcomes  in  the  deliberations  of  the 
Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December 2025. 

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where such scientific advice is available and will collaborate closely with Member States, stakeholders 
and ICES to this end. This will increase efficiency and predictability for the EU fishing industry. 

For shared stocks managed with the UK, Norway and other coastal States, the objective remains to 
set fishing opportunities in line with MSY levels and negotiate conservation measures, where relevant, 
with  the  UK,  Norway,  and  other  coastal  States. The  EU  will  continue  to  cooperate  with  the  UK  in 
implementing the joint commitments made under the Specialised Committee on Fisheries of the Trade 
and Cooperation Agreement. Likewise, the Commission will work with both the UK and Norway to 
follow through on trilateral commitments, as well as with Norway on bilateral commitments aimed at 
achieving sustainable fisheries and sound management of shared stocks. The EU remains committed to 
finding sustainable, balanced, and comprehensive sharing arrangements for widely distributed stocks 
that are jointly managed with other coastal States. 

For  the  Mediterranean  and  Black  seas,  it  is  essential  that  Member  States  continue  to  pursue  the 
objectives of the West Med MAP and of the GFCM MAPs. To this end, Member States should further 
strengthen the implementation of accompanying measures under their national EMFAF programmes, 
with support from the Commission where needed.  

With the permanent phase of the West Med MAP in place, the Commission proposal will aim to achieve 
and  maintain  MSY  for  all  stocks. The  Commission  has  also  launched  work  with  relevant  scientific 
bodies to update the best available scientific advice for hake.  

Shared  stocks  management  is  also  necessary  to  ensure  sustainability  in  international  waters  and  to 
secure a level playing field in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. To this end, the proposal for 2026 
fishing  opportunities  will  cover  measures  stemming  from  the  GFCM  that  are  already  in  force  and 
additional measures to be adopted by the GFCM at its 2025 annual session. For Black Sea species, the 
Commission will propose TACs and quotas for turbot in line with the GFCM multiannual plan, and for 
sprat. 

7. Conclusion 
EU  fisheries  continue  to  improve  their  sustainability. While  the  situation  in  the  Baltic  Sea  remains 
worrying,  as  commercially  important  stocks  remain  in  a  critical  condition,  the  situation  in  the 
Mediterranean and Black Seas has shown significant improvement. In 2023, for the first time, average 
fishing  mortality  was  below  the  target  reference  points. Although  the  EU  sea  basins  show  average 
fishing pressures below the target reference points, certain stocks remain above the target. Fisheries 
managers and stakeholders must continue their efforts to bring these stocks to the sustainable target 
levels. Vigilance must also be maintained to stop any negative trends before they cause both short-term 
and long-term consequences for EU fisheries.  

Member States must also step up their efforts to implement fully EU legislation33, including to tackle 
the  pressure  on  fish  stocks  stemming  from  activities  other  than  fisheries.  A  healthier  marine 
environment is a condition for a more resilient and more prosperous fishing sector. 

Member States should also advance on the implementation of their EMFAF national programmes with 
measures  that  will  support  the  green  and  digital  transition  of  the  fisheries  sector  and  enhance  its 
resilience.  

While factors other than fisheries continue to also have an impact on the state of marine ecosystems 
and fish stocks34, it is important for fishers to continue their efforts  for resilient and sustainable fish 

33 In particular: Marine strategy framework directive, Birds and Habitats directives, Water framework directive 

and Nature restoration regulation 

34 COM(2024) 91 final, Managing climate risks – protecting people and prosperity. 

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stocks.  Healthy  stocks  are  the  basis  for  maintaining  fisheries  as  a  livelihood  for  current  and  future 
generations and preserving the identity and heritage of our coastal communities in the EU.  

The Commission proposals for fishing opportunities for 2026 will continue to focus on enabling fish 
stocks to recover and maintain the progress made for stocks which have reached sustainable levels. The 
long-term aim is to ensure the future sustainability, competitiveness and resilience of EU fisheries. This 
continues to require the active engagement and support of all stakeholders  – we all have a common 
interest to protect, preserve and profit from our seas. 

The  Commission  invites  Member  States,  advisory  councils,  stakeholders  and  the  public  to  provide 
feedback on this Communication by 31 August 2025.  

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PLANNED WORK SCHEDULE35 

When 

What 

May - November 2025 

ICES scientific advice 

June - end August 2025 

Public consultation on the Communication 

End August 2025 

Commission adopts its proposal for fishing opportunities in the Baltic 
Sea 

Mid-September 2025 

Commission  adopts  its  proposal  for  fishing  opportunities  in  the 
Mediterranean and Black Seas 

October - December 
2025 

Annual consultations on fishing opportunities with parties in the North-
East Atlantic 

October 2025 

Council meeting on fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea 

Coastal State consultations on widely distributed stocks in the  North-
East Atlantic 

End October 2025 

Commission  adopts  its  proposal  for  fishing  opportunities  in  the 
Atlantic/North Sea  

4-8 November 2025 

GFCM annual session  

11-14 November 2025 

NEAFC annual meeting 

1 December 2025 

STECF stock assessment and management advice 

December 2025 

Council meeting on fishing opportunities in the Atlantic/North Sea 

Council  meeting  on  fishing  opportunities  in  the  Mediterranean  and 
Black Seas 

35 For RFMO-managed stocks in EU waters and certain non-EU waters, fishing opportunities are adopted after 

the annual meeting of the RFMOs by revising the Council regulation setting the fishing opportunities. 

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