Herring

The stock is at a critical level despite fishing pressure moving below sustainable limits. The population has been below safe biological limits since 2007. Therefore, it receives a critical fail for stock status and is a default red rating.

Stock assessments are carried out annually by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The most recent stock assessment was published in 2025 using data up to 2024. The next assessment is expected in 2026.

The stock assessment defines reference points for fishing pressure (F) and biomass (B). For fishing pressure, there is a target to keep F at or below Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). For biomass, there is no target. However, there is a trigger point (MSY BTrigger). Below this level, F should be reduced to allow the stock to increase. Because BMSY is not defined, the Good Fish Guide applies its own definition of 1.4 x MSY BTrigger.

The stock is at a critical level and fishing pressure remains above sustainable limits, while continuing against advice. The spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been below the biomass limit since 2007. Recruitment has been low since the mid-2000s although there have been increases seen in 2023 and 2025.

In 2024, the biomass was 54,338 tonnes and predicted to be 62,751 tonnes in 2025. This does show an increase compared to the previous 5-year average 2020-2024 (44,320 tonnes). However, the stock is still well below safe biological limits (Blim: 120,000 tonnes) and thus receives a critical fail.

Fishing mortality (F) has declined since 2021 from 0.22 to 0.070 in 2024 and is below the Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY) of 0.31.

ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches should be zero in 2026. This advice applies to the catch of Western Baltic Spring Spawning (WBSS) herring stock in subdivisions 20-24 and the eastern part of Subarea 4. All catch scenarios, including zero catch, result in SSB remaining below Blim in 2027.

ICES has provided estimates of the estimated catches of WBSS herring (Clupea harengus), under the assumption that only the fleets that target other species or stocks will be fishing in 2026. For herring (Clupea harengus) in subdivisions 20-24, 5,138 tonnes of spring spawners (Skagerrak, Kattegat, and western Baltic) are estimated to be caught, assuming the same catch as in the intermediate year 2024 for the human-consumption fleet in the North Sea (fleet A), which targets North Sea autumn-spawning herring.

Herring populations form a continuous chain extending from the North Sea to the northernmost parts of the Baltic Sea. The herring assessed in the western Baltic (3a.20-24) is a complex mixture of populations predominantly spawning in the spring, but with local components also spawning in autumn and winter. The population dynamics and the relative contribution of these components is presently unknown, but are likely to affect the precision of the assessment. Moreover, mixing between WBSS and central Baltic herring within subdivisions may contribute to uncertainty in the assessment. WBSS migrate to feeding areas in the Kattegat, Skagerrak and the eastern part the North Sea, where they mix with the North Sea herring.

This fishery has a default red rating due to biomass concerns.

There are no management measures in place for this fishery. The stock is significantly decreasing and at critically low levels. Catches continue against scientific advice.

The EU and UK both have fishery management measures, which can include catch limits, population targets, and gear restrictions. However, compliance in the EU and UK has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in implementing some regulations. The goal of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 was missed, with less than half of UK TACs in 2024 following ICES advice. In 2024, the EU and UK reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable fisheries by aligning management with scientific advice to gradually approach MSY. However, no new target date has been set for achieving MSY across all fisheries. The Landing Obligation (LO), an EU law retained by the UK post-Brexit, requires all quota fish to be landed, even if unwanted (over-quota or below minimum size). It aims to encourage more selective fishing methods, reduce bycatch, and improve catch reporting. However, compliance is poor, and accurate discard levels are hard to quantify with current monitoring programmes. The UK is in the process of replacing the LO with country-specific Catching Policies.

The Marine Conservation Society views Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras is one of the most cost-effective tools for providing reliable fisheries data and aiding informed management decisions. Fully monitored fisheries enhance collaboration, data accuracy, stock recovery, and reduce impacts on marine wildlife and habitats. However, the full potential of REM may only be achieved when it tracks fishing location and documents catch and bycatch, particularly where vulnerable species and habitats are at risk. As of January 2024, the EU is introducing a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) mandate for EU vessels, including CCTV cameras on vessels 18m or more that pose a potential risk of non-compliance, within the next 4 years. Across the UK, different approaches to REM are being taken and legislation is expected to be in place across all 4 countries within the next few years.

The Fisheries Act (2020) requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans) in the UK. 43 FMPs have been proposed and are at various stages of development and implementation, these should all be published by the end of 2028. FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. It is also essential the UK governments define and adopt a standardised approach or model across the four nations to a universally defined FMP design, to ensure the consistence, quality and coherence of all the proposal FMPs.

The Marine Conservation Society is keen to see publicly available Fishery Management Plans for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include:

• An overview of the fishery including current stock status, spatial coverage, current fishing methods and impacts
• Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidence
• Timeframes for stock recovery
• Improved data collection, transparency, and accountability, supported by technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM)
• Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery, including habitat impacts and minimising bycatch
• Stakeholder engagement

This fishery has a default red rating due to biomass concerns.

Western Baltic Spring Spawning (WBSS) herring are caught by gill or fixed net in the coastal waters of Skagerrak and Kattegat, in the western Baltic Sea.

Low herring biomass may alter the wider ecosystem as herring graze on plankton and act as prey for other organisms. If herring biomass is very low other species, such as sandeel, may replace its role or the system may shift in a more dramatic way. There is, however, no recent research on the multispecies interactions in the food web in which the WBSS interact.

To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, MCS would like to see remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras implemented, used and enforced. To reduce the impacts of fishing on the marine environment we would like to see a just transition to the complete removal of bottom towed gear from offshore Marine Protected Areas designated to protect the seabed. We also want to see reduction and mitigation of environmental impacts including emissions and blue carbon habitat damage.