The size of the stock of European sprat in the Skagerrak and Kattegat is unknown, but seems to be growing. The catches are often higher than the determined catch limits.
Sprat swims high in the water column, so fishing has no bottom impact. There is however a lot of bycatch of young herring. Young herring is hard to differentiate from sprat and is also often found in the same school. This bycatch is often landed and calculated with the herring bycatch quota that is applied to the sprat fishery.
The European Commission determines every year, based on scientific advice, a catch limit (TAC) for sprat. This is however often exceeded in the Skagerrak and Kattegat.