Advisory Councils Urge EU Action on Predator Management

Advisory councils urge EU action on predator management, calling for coordinated science, monitoring and policy on seals and cormorants. Photo: Piotr Traczuk

Conflicts Intensifying Across North and Baltic Seas

Conflicts between fisheries and predators such as cormorants and seals are intensifying across the North Sea and Baltic Sea, according to new joint advice from the North Sea Advisory Council and the Baltic Sea Advisory Council.

The councils say depleted fish stocks, ecosystem change and fragmented governance are driving growing pressure on fisheries, while local impacts on vulnerable stocks and fishing livelihoods are becoming more pronounced.
The advice was approved by consensus by the two advisory councils on 30 April 2026 and is intended to inform EU institutions and Member States as discussions continue on predator management and ecosystem-based fisheries policy.

Why the Councils Issued Joint Advice

The councils point to increasing predation by grey seals and cormorants in the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and Baltic Sea, with particular concern over impacts on juvenile cod and other demersal species. These pressures, they warn, may undermine recruitment and long-term stock productivity.

Despite this, predator-related natural mortality is not currently incorporated into stock assessments or scientific advice for a number of demersal stocks, limiting understanding of the full drivers affecting stock status. The advice builds on stakeholder and scientific work carried out through dedicated workshops and joint discussions held since 2023.

Science Priorities for Predator Management

The advisory councils state that healthy and resilient fish stocks are the foundation for resolving predator-related conflicts and argue that ecosystem recovery must be prioritised through ecosystem-based management.

They call for transparent, long-term monitoring of predator populations and fish stocks, with open access to publicly funded data. Data collection, they say, should be explicitly designed to inform management decisions, particularly in high-conflict areas where fish stocks are declining.

The advice urges stronger integration of predator-induced mortality into natural mortality estimates used in stock assessments, including greater use of multi-species models. Category 3 assessments, such as Eastern Baltic cod, should be updated to better reflect predator–prey interactions and parasite dynamics. Social and economic sciences, the councils add, must also be integrated to assess broader ecosystem and community impacts.

Policy Coherence and EU Directives

On policy, the councils stress the need for greater coherence and harmonisation between EU directives governing predator protection and fisheries management. Clearer guidance is needed, they say, to reduce national disparities in how the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Water Framework Directive are interpreted and applied.

They suggest that evaluation of the Birds and Habitats Directives should be considered to reflect current ecological conditions and scientific knowledge, allowing for a standardised but adaptable approach to predator management and a level playing field across the EU.

The advice also calls for stronger cross-directorate and cross-border cooperation within the EU so that policy integration reflects science, ecological realities and stakeholder concerns. Existing funding mechanisms, including EMFAF, should be further mobilised to support non-lethal predator management, gear innovation and ecosystem restoration, while recognising that non-lethal approaches should not automatically exclude other measures.

Management Approaches and Coordination

NSAC and BSAC call for a shared EU-wide goal focused on achieving healthy fish populations capable of supporting both wildlife and fisheries. They support regionally adaptive and ecosystem-based management approaches, combined with stronger coordination between Member States to prevent ecological imbalance caused by uneven application of rules.

The advice recommends that alternative conflict mitigation strategies should be assessed before considering lethal control, but also calls for clearer and more harmonised conditions for lethal control across Member States. Science-based adaptive management, using tools such as satellite tracking, modelling and annual monitoring, should underpin decision-making.

The councils also support expanded and streamlined compensation schemes for documented gear damage and losses caused by protected species, and argue that management bodies should take a more proactive role in guiding research priorities.

Cormorants: Status and Management Options

Cormorant predation is described as one of the most widespread human–wildlife conflicts affecting both commercial and recreational fisheries. The councils note that cormorants are protected under the Birds Directive, but populations and impacts vary regionally.

They call for improved and up-to-date population monitoring across Europe, continued support for research into diet and predation impacts, and updates to assessment models using more dynamic diet data. The advice raises the possibility of reviewing cormorant classification in areas where conservation status is secure, alongside improved EU-level coordination and clearer guidance on derogations.

Seals: Recovery and Fisheries Interactions

The advice highlights that grey seal populations have increased significantly in both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea following historical declines. While recognising seals as integral to marine ecosystems, the councils say their impacts on fish stocks, parasites and fishing gear require reassessment and coordinated management.

They support innovation in fishing gear to reduce seal interactions, expansion of compensation schemes for gear damage and catch losses, and continued work to integrate seal-induced mortality into ecosystem-based models. Reviewing and updating seal management frameworks to reflect current ecological data and regional differences is also recommended.

Conclusion and Next Steps

NSAC and BSAC conclude that seals and cormorants are integral parts of marine ecosystems but can exert measurable local impacts on certain fish stocks and directly compete with fisheries for shared resources. Fisheries, in turn, affect these predators through bycatch, regulated culling in some Member States and food web impacts.

The councils argue that restoring sustainable fish stocks, reducing bycatch, addressing pollution and promoting habitat restoration should be prioritised, while also recognising the socio-economic costs faced by fisheries. Integrating predator-induced mortality and multi-species interactions into fisheries management, they say, is essential to delivering the ecosystem-based approach envisaged under the Common Fisheries Policy.

Read the "NSAC/BSAC Advice on management of predators (cormorants and seals)" in full by clicking here

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