Written by Anne Altmayer.
The Baltic has several unique features, comprising a mixture of saline and fresh water and a shallow depth, enabling a broad variety of habitats. Its fish species are rather limited in number, with the bulk of fish stocks spread among cod, herring and sprat.
The sea’s characteristics make it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and many habitats and species of the Baltic Sea are not in good condition. The environmental deterioration is caused by several factors, including excessive nutrient input, pollution, climate change, invasive species and over-exploitation.
The worrying situation of the Baltic Sea habitats is leading to a dramatic decline in some commercial fish stocks, with fisheries losing economic and cultural importance.
A range of promising measures for specific fish species have been taken at EU level, the results of which could however be jeopardised if habitats cannot be restored.
Parliament has previously expressed concern about the state of the Baltic Sea over many years, and has played an important role in adopting measures to alleviate the situation.
Read the complete briefing on ‘Baltic Sea fishing area: Current challenges‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
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