The claim speaks of 'the cod stock' in the singular, but the Baltic Sea has two distinct cod stocks — eastern and western — both of which are severely depleted. This simplification does not alter the accuracy of the core claim.
The speaker did not cite a specific time period. Scientific literature identifies the western Baltic cod collapse as occurring in 2016/17, while the eastern stock's severe decline has been recognised more recently with ICES zero-catch advice applying from 2025 onward.
The HELCOM Red List II species information sheet (published December 2025) and the ICES 2025 advice release were published after the session date of 2026-05-18; however, the data they contain describes stock status prior to the session date and would have been available as draft or preliminary advice before the session.
PrimaryICES — Cod in subdivisions 24–32, eastern Baltic stock adviceICES advises that when the precautionary approach is applied, there should be zero catch in 2025 and 2026. To be consistent with ICES advice, catches of eastern Baltic cod should be zero tonnes.
PrimaryHELCOM Red List II of the Baltic Sea (2025)Gadus morhua has been moved up from Vulnerable to Endangered category and needs a revision of the nationally taken measures and measures to be taken for the species.