The annual meeting of the Baltic Fisheries Assessment Working Group (WGBFAS) of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) took place from 22-29 April 2025. This year’s meeting was hosted by the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute (NMFRI). The meeting was attended by staff from the NMFRI’s Department of Fisheries Resources: Professor Jan Horbowy, Dr. Szymon Smoliński, Professor of NMFRI, Julita Gutkowska, M.Sc. and Remigiusz Szymański, M.Sc.
The main tasks of the working group are to assess the stocks of Baltic cod, herring, sprat and flatfish and to forecast the biomass and catches of the above-mentioned Baltic fish species. Experts from the Baltic countries, representing scientific institutes, analysed the latest biological and catch data and discussed the impact of environmental factors on the condition of fish stocks.
The working procedure followed the same pattern as in previous years. The individual institutes prepared resource assessments even before the working group started its deliberations. During the meeting, the previously made assessments were presented and, if necessary, revised. Subsequently, catch forecasts were made and, a first version of ICES’ expert report on the state of the stocks and the TAC (Total Allowable Catches) was prepared. The final result of the WGBFAS work is a report assessing the state of exploited fish stocks in the Baltic Sea and forecasting their catches.
Photo 1: WGBFAS working group meeting at NMFRI headquarters
The WGBFAS meeting is crucial to ensure sustainable management of fish stocks in the Baltic Sea region and exemplifies the close collaboration of scientists for the protection of the marine environment.
For more information on ICES activities, working groups and a report on this year’s WGBFAS work, please visit: https://www.ices.dk
Photo 2: Participants in the WGBFAS working group meeting
Julita Gutkowska
