Council Regulation (EU) 2025/2454 of 1 December 2025 fixing the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea for 2026 and amending Regulation (EU) 2025/202 as regards certain fishing opportunities in other waters

This Regulation fixes the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks in the Baltic Sea for 2026.

1 This Regulation applies to Union fishing vessels operating in the Baltic Sea.

2 This Regulation also applies to recreational fisheries in the Baltic Sea, where they are expressly referred to in the relevant provisions.

For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 apply. In addition, the following definitions apply: (1) ‘subdivision’ means an International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) subdivision of the Baltic Sea as defined in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 218/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council ; (2) ‘total allowable catch (TAC)’ means: (a) in fisheries subject to the exemption from the landing obligation referred to in Article 15(4) to (7) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, the quantity of fish that may be landed from each stock each year; (b) in all other fisheries, the quantity of fish that may be caught from each stock each year; (3) ‘quota’ means a proportion of the TAC allocated to the Union, a Member State or a third country; (4) ‘recreational fisheries’ means non-commercial fishing activities exploiting marine biological resources for recreation, tourism or sport; (5) ‘analytical assessment’ means a quantitative evaluation of trends in a given stock, based on data about the stock’s biology and exploitation, including based on proxies, which scientific review has indicated to be of sufficient quality to provide scientific advice; (6) ‘analytical TAC’ means a TAC for which an analytical assessment is available; (7) ‘precautionary TAC’ means a TAC for which an analytical assessment is not available and for which either an assessment based on the precautionary approach is available or no assessment is available.

The TACs, quotas and, where appropriate, measures functionally linked thereto, are set out in the Annex.

1 The allocation of fishing opportunities among Member States set out in this Regulation shall be without prejudice to: (a) exchanges made under Article 16(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013; (b) deductions and reallocations made under Article 37 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009; (c) additional landings allowed under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 and under Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013; (d) quantities withheld in compliance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 and transferred under Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013; (e) deductions made under Articles 105, 106 and 107 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.

2 Stocks subject to precautionary TACs or analytical TACs for the purposes of the year-to-year management of TACs and quotas provided for in Regulation (EC) No 847/96 are identified in the Annex to this Regulation.

3 Except where otherwise specified in the Annex to this Regulation, Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall apply to stocks subject to a precautionary TAC, and Article 3(2) and (3) and Article 4 of that Regulation shall apply to stocks subject to an analytical TAC.

4 Articles 3 and 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply where a Member State uses the year-to-year flexibility under Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

The stocks of non-target species within safe biological limits referred to in Article 15(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 to which the derogation from the obligation to count catches against the relevant quotas applies are identified in the relevant TAC tables in the Annex to this Regulation.

1 It shall be prohibited to fish with any type of fishing gear in subdivisions 25 and 26 from 1 May to 31 August.

2 The prohibition laid down in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the following cases: (a) fishing operations conducted for the exclusive purpose of scientific investigations, provided that those investigations are carried out in compliance with the conditions set out in Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council ; (b) Union fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length overall that fish with gillnets, entangling nets or trammel nets, with bottom set lines, longlines, drifting lines, handlines and jigging equipment or similar passive gear, in areas where the water depth is less than 20 metres according to the coordinates on the official sea chart issued by the competent national authorities; (c) without prejudice to the closure periods set out in Article 8(1)(a) and Article 9(1), Union fishing vessels that fish in subdivision 25 for pelagic stocks for direct human consumption, using gear with a mesh size of 45 mm or less, in areas where the water depth is less than 50 metres according to the coordinates on the official sea chart issued by the competent national authorities, and whose landings are sorted.

3 It shall be prohibited to fish with any type of fishing gear in subdivisions 22 and 23 from 15 January to 31 March, and in subdivision 24 from 15 May to 15 August.

4 The prohibition laid down in paragraph 3 shall not apply to the following cases: (a) fishing operations conducted for the exclusive purpose of scientific investigations, provided that those investigations are carried out in compliance with the conditions set out in Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241; (b) Union fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length overall that fish with gillnets, entangling nets or trammel nets, with bottom set lines, longlines, drifting lines, handlines and jigging equipment or similar passive gear, in areas where the water depth is less than 20 metres according to the coordinates on the official sea chart issued by the competent national authorities; (c) Union fishing vessels that fish in subdivision 24 for pelagic stocks for direct human consumption, using gear with a mesh size of 45 mm or less, in areas where the water depth is less than 40 metres according to the coordinates on the official sea chart issued by the competent national authorities, and whose landings are sorted; (d) Union fishing vessels that fish with dredges for bivalve molluscs in subdivision 22, in areas where the water depth is less than 20 metres according to the coordinates on the official sea chart issued by the competent national authorities.

5 Masters of Union fishing vessels referred to in paragraph 2, point (b) or (c), and paragraph 4, point (b), (c) or (d), shall ensure that their fishing activities can be monitored at any time by the competent authorities of the relevant Member State.

1 It shall be prohibited to fish for pelagic species using pelagic trawl in coastal areas up to four nautical miles measured from the baselines, where the water depth is less than 20 metres according to the coordinates on the official sea chart issued by the competent national authority during the following periods and in respect to the following subdivisions: (a) from 16 March to 15 June in subdivisions 25 and 26; (b) from 1 April to 30 June in subdivisions 27 and 28.2; (c) from 1 May to 31 July in subdivisions 29 to 32.

2 The prohibition laid down in paragraph 1 shall not apply to fishing operations conducted for the exclusive purpose of scientific investigations, provided that those investigations are carried out in compliance with the conditions set out in Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241.

1 It shall be prohibited from 1 May to 31 July for Union fishing vessels to fish for pelagic stocks with active gear in areas beyond 12 nautical miles measured from the baselines in subdivisions 25, 26, 27, 28.2, 29 and west of 24o 00′ E in subdivision 32.

2 The prohibition laid down in paragraph 1 shall not apply to the following cases: (a) fishing operations conducted for the exclusive purpose of scientific investigations, provided that those investigations are carried out in compliance with the conditions set out in Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241; (b) Union fishing vessels of less than 12 metres in length overall that fish with gillnets, entangling nets or trammel nets, with bottom set lines, longlines, drifting lines, handlines and jigging equipment or similar passive gear.

1 Recreational fisheries of cod shall be prohibited in subdivisions 22 to 32. Any specimen of cod caught accidentally shall be immediately released back into the sea.

2 Notwithstanding paragraph 1, incidental by-catches of cod in recreational fisheries for other species in subdivisions 27 to 32 may be retained.

1 Recreational fisheries of salmon shall be prohibited in subdivisions 22 to 31. Any specimen of salmon caught accidentally shall be immediately released back into the sea.

2 By way of derogation from paragraph 1, recreational fisheries of salmon shall be allowed under the following cumulative conditions: (a) no other salmon than one specimen of adipose fin-clipped salmon may be caught and retained per recreational fisher per day; (b) after catching and retaining the first adipose fin-clipped salmon, the recreational fisher shall stop the fishing of salmon for the remainder of the day; (c) all specimens of any fish species retained shall be landed whole.

3 Also by way of derogation from paragraph 1, recreational fisheries of salmon north of latitude 59o 30′ N shall be allowed from 1 May to 31 August in areas within four nautical miles measured from the baselines.

4 This Article is without prejudice to more stringent national measures adopted in accordance with Articles 19 and 20 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

1 Union fishing vessels shall not fish for sea trout beyond four nautical miles measured from the baselines in subdivisions 22 to 32. When fishing for salmon beyond four nautical miles measured from the baselines in subdivision 32, by-catches of sea trout shall not exceed 3 % of the total catch of salmon and sea trout on board at any moment or landed after each fishing trip.

2 Fishing with longlines for sea trout or salmon beyond four nautical miles measured from the baselines in subdivisions 22 to 31 shall be prohibited.

3 This Article is without prejudice to more stringent national measures adopted in accordance with Articles 19 and 20 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

When Member States send data on quantities of stocks caught or landed to the Commission under Articles 33 and 34 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, they shall use the stock codes set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Regulation (EU) 2025/202 is amended as follows: (1) in Annex IA, Part B, Table 122 is replaced by the following: ‘Table 122 Species:Norway pout and associated by-catchesZone:3a; United Kingdom and Union waters of 4; United Kingdom waters of 2aTrisopterus esmarkii(NOP/2A3A4.)Year20252026 Analytical TAC Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply Denmark299,722299,722Germany0,0570,057Netherlands0,2210,221Union300300United Kingdom100100TAC400400 ; (2) in Annex ID, Table 9 is replaced by the following: ‘Table 9 Species:Mediterranean AlbacoreZone:Mediterranean SeaThunnus alalunga(ALB/MED)Greece385,31 Analytical TAC Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply Spain99,47France14,45Croatia6,74Italy1128,26Cyprus416,07Malta39,68Union2089,98TAC2500,00

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall apply from 1 January to 31 December 2026. By way of derogation from the second paragraph: (a) Article 14, point (1), shall apply from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026; (b) Article 14, point (2), shall apply from 1 January 2025.