New fishing quotas in the Baltic Sea mean that fishermen will have smaller cod and larger herring quotas in 2015, while the number of fishing days remains the same.

More precisely, Danish fishermen will have less cod to fish in the western and eastern Baltic Sea, more herring to fish in the western and central Baltic Sea, while the quota for plaice remains unchanged.

“After intense negotiations, we have landed a deal that the Danish fishermen can be happy with,” Dan Jørgensen, the food and agriculture minister, said in a press release.

“The cod quotas are reduced by less than anticipated and there will be more herring for the Danish fishermen, who also keep their days at sea numbers compared to this year.”

READ MORE: Fishermen's enemy on the rise

Fishermen left gutted
Jørgensen said the agreement will make it possible to continue sustainable fishing in the Baltic Sea while generating growth and jobs in the ocean-based industries in Denmark.

Additionally, due to the Russian import ban on certain fishing products, it has been decided to increase the possibility of transferring under-utilised quotas on a number of stocks from 2014 to 2015 from 10 to 25 percent.

The Danish fishing industry association, Danmarks Fiskeriforening, called the agreement "disappointing", noting that it further impaired Danish fishermen's possibilities to improve their already tough financial environment.

Fact Box

– It will still be possible to write off side-catches of herring in the sprat fishing industry of up to 9 percent in the Baltic Sea

– The cod quotas are reduced by 6 percent in the western Baltic Sea and by 22 percent for total allowable catches in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea

– The salmon quotas are reduced by 10 percent, the sprat quotas are reduced by 11 percent and the plaice quotas remain unchanged

– The herring quotas are increased by 45 percent in the eastern Baltic Sea and by 12 percent in the western Baltic Sea