Baltic Fisheries Assessment Working Group (WGBFAS)

The main ToR of WGBFAS is to assess the status and produce a draft advice on fishing opportunities for 2026 for the following stocks:

• Sole in Division 3.a, SDs 20–24 (Skagerrak and Kattegat, western Baltic Sea; catch advice)
• Cod in the western Baltic Sea SD 22-24 (catch advice)
• Herring in SDs 25–27, 28.2, 29 and 32 (central Baltic Sea; catch advice)
• Herring in SD 28.1 (Gulf of Riga; catch advice)
• Herring in SDs 30-31 (Gulf of Bothnia; catch advice)
• Sprat in SDs 22–32 (Baltic Sea; catch advice)
• Plaice in SDs 21–32 (Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea; catch advice)
• Dab in the Baltic Sea SDs22-32 (stock status advice for 2026 and 2027)
• Brill in the Baltic Sea SDs 22–32 (stock status advice for 2026 and 2027)

The working group fulfilled the ToRs in assessing the stock status and produced draft advice, including, where relevant, forecasts for fishing opportunities for all stocks. The WG was not requested to produce advice for Kattegat cod (SD21), Eastern Baltic cod (SD24-32), turbot (22-32) and flounder stocks (flounder in SD 22+23, flounder in SD 24+25, flounder in SDs 28 +28, flounder in SDs 27, 29-32) . For these stocks, however, data were compiled and updated, and update assessments were conducted. In the introductory chapter of this report the WG, in agreement with the other ToRs, reviews the progress on benchmark processes, identifies the data needed for next year’s data call, and summarizes general and stock-specific research needs. The introduction further summarizes the work of other WGs relevant to WGBFAS, and the assessment methods used. Finally, the introduction presents a brief overview of each stock. The analytical models used for the stock assessments were SAM, Stock Synthesis (SS) and SPiCT. For most flatfish (data limited stocks), CPUE trends from bottom-trawl surveys were used in the assessment.