The state of fisheries in the European Union

Despite the European Union’s attempts to end overfishing in the early years of this decade, the reality is different: about 70% of commercial species caught in Northern Europe are still in a state of overfishing, decline, or collapse. This failure is due to a fisheries management system that, while formally inspired by sustainability, is plagued by bureaucratic distortions, overly optimistic estimates, and lobbying pressure.

The system of fishing quotas (Total Allowable Catches — TACs), set annually by the European Commission in collaboration with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), is often manipulated along the decision-making chain. ICES estimates, based on a theoretical full recovery of fish stocks, are regularly overestimated. As a result, the final quotas approved by the EU “Agriculture and Fisheries” Council are often disconnected from the actual regenerative capacity of marine ecosystems.

The herring case: a collapse foretold

A striking example of this crisis is the western Baltic herring (Clupea harengus): once among the world’s most abundant populations, Norwegian herring suffered a dramatic 68% decline in adult biomass between 2019 and 2023, due to excessive and poorly calibrated harvesting.

A study by the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen showed that selective fishing of adults between 2017 and 2022 exceeded recommended quotas by 40%. This undermined the cultural transmission of migratory routes and spawning grounds, essential for the species’ survival.

Overfished and underfished species in the Baltic Sea

In the western Baltic Sea, the three most commercially targeted species are cod, herring, and plaice. While the first two are in a permanent state of stress, plaice and other flatfish — such as flounder and dab — are stable or increasing. In 2022, only a tenth of the amount of these fish that could have been caught sustainably was actually harvested.

Towards an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management

To overcome the limitations of the current system, the EU is promoting the adoption of the Ecosystem-Based Approach to Fisheries Management (EBFM), a model that considers not only individual species, but the entire marine ecosystem, including ecological, social, and economic interactions.

According to the European Parliament’s briefing (EPRS, 2025), EBFM is already foreseen in EU law, but its implementation is still limited. The main challenges include knowledge gaps, decision-making complexity, and the absence of an integrated institutional framework. Tools already in use include Multiannual Plans (MAPs) and the Technical Measures Regulation (TMR).

Conclusion

Overfishing in Europe is the result of a system that has prioritized short-term economic interests while ignoring the complexity of marine ecosystems. The case of herring shows how urgent a paradigm shift is. Only through an ecosystem-based approach, grounded in solid scientific data and transparent governance, will it be possible to ensure the sustainability of fisheries and the health of Europe’s oceans.