Multispecies considerations for the central Baltic stocks: cod in Subdivisions 25–32, herring in Subdivisions 25–29 and 32, and sprat in Subdivisions 22–32

ICES intends to provide multispecies advice on fisheries for some ecosystems (see Section 1.2) and encourages managers to apply such an approach to the central Baltic Sea. The present section may serve as a starting point for a dialogue between ICES and managers to foster the development of a multispecies management system for the Baltic. This text uses implicit management objectives and risk tolerance that need to be validated by managers. If managers decide to adopt a multispecies management approach a transition period from the present management will be required. As this work is mostly illustrative, ICES focuses on the most obvious interactions between commercially exploited fish stocks in the area and does not attempt to provide a full foodweb model.