The status of salmon stocks in the Baltic Sea varies. Many river stocks are under pressure, but in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, several populations are showing signs of recovery due to low fishing pressure and limited utilisation of catch quotas.
In fisheries using demersal longlines, bycatch of vulnerable (ETP) species is limited. Discards are moderate, but their extent is uncertain due to incomplete data. Eastern Baltic cod is also caught as bycatch; catches of juvenile salmon and other non-target species are low. The fishery causes no significant damage to the seabed, and there is insufficient information on the effects on the ecosystem.
Management is considered partially effective. ICES recommends management at the river-stock level, but the fishery is still largely managed at the level of one large stock and there is no European management plan. In addition, there is a lack of information on management in Russia, and it is still too early to assess the effects of the recent ban on targeted longline fishing.