This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 6 2025.
Arūnas Jagminas serves as Vice-Minister in the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture. He previously served as a member of the Municipal Council of Šilutė, an area close to the Curonian lagoon. As Vice-Minister, he has a vast portfolio of which the development of Lithuanian fisheries and aquaculture is a part. This includes achieving the objectives spelt out in Lithuania’s programme for the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.
As a newly appointed member of management in the ministry what are your top three strategic priorities for Lithuania’s fisheries and aquaculture, and how will you measure success against them?
The top priorities include sustainable fish resource management, a viable and efficient fishing fleet, economic resilience of coastal communities, and growth of aquaculture production. Success will be measured by well-managed fish stocks, stable sectoral income and employment, and expanding aquaculture output, supported through targeted EMFAF investments in innovation, sustainability, and competitiveness.
How is the fisheries administration responding to the decline in most of Lithuania’s 2025 Baltic Sea TACs compared with 2024? What support measures are being implemented for affected fishers, processors, and coastal communities?
The declining trend in Baltic Sea fishing opportunities has continued for the past five years, creating serious challenges for Lithuania’s fishing sector. To assess the impacts, Klaipėda University carried out a socio-economic survey, which confirmed that further quota reductions would leave the sector with almost no room to operate. The 2025 quota levels represented a critical threshold. However, following intense negotiations with the EU Baltic Sea member states and the European Commission, a political agreement was reached on the 2026 fishing opportunities, bringing significant improvements—the sprat quota increased by 45% and the central Baltic herring quota by 15%. As this was my first year serving as Vice-Minister, I personally witnessed how complex and demanding these processes are, balancing scientific advice, political priorities, and the livelihood of our fishing communities. I firmly believe that this increase in key fishing opportunities for Lithuania will provide much-needed relief for our Baltic Sea fishing sector, offering a more optimistic outlook.
Adding greater value to the catch as well as diversifying income sources are among the ways of securing livelihoods in coastal communities that depend on fisheries. How are these developments being encouraged? What investments, trade initiatives, or product-innovation programmes do you foresee to strengthen Lithuania’s seafood value chain, including for aquaculture species?
The EMFAF supports initiatives that promote fish processing, marketing, and short supply chains, helping fishers and aquaculture producers gain more from their products. FLAGs are key implementers, fostering innovation, diversification, and stronger community cooperation. Through FLAGs, investments have been directed towards improving infrastructure and competitiveness—for example, the ongoing development of Šventoji port, which is vital for supporting small-scale fisheries and strengthening Lithuania’s maritime identity. This important project has also been highlighted in a dedicated article in your journal.
As only small-scale fish processing falls under the EMFAF and the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, our investments are focused on modernising facilities, improving product quality, and supporting innovation in local value-added products, including those from aquaculture. EMFAF support helps processors adopt new technologies, better hygiene standards, and environmentally friendly practices. Larger processing and trade initiatives fall under the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, with whom we cooperate to strengthen export potential.
Generational renewal in the fishing sector is an issue in many EU countries as young people opt for livelihoods other than fishing. What efforts are being made in Lithuania to attract and retain young people in the sector?
Generational renewal is indeed a challenge in Lithuania’s fishing sector, as in many other EU countries. The current EMFAF programme does not include specific measures directly targeting young fishers, though we recognise the need for such support. Hopefully, in the next programming period, this issue will be addressed together with broader initiatives on generational renewal commonly with agriculture sector. Speaking of the marine fishery, if there is no fish in the sea, no incentives would encourage young people to enter the profession. That is why we are focusing so much on fish stock management and prioritising a scientifically based approach.
What initiatives are being taken in Lithuania regarding decarbonisation of the fishing fleet and what has been the response from the fishing industry? Which are the technologies (green fuels, electrification) that show the
most promise?
Firstly, Lithuania is using the EMFAF permanent cessation of fishing activities measure to help balance fleet capacity and fishing effort and ensuring a more sustainable sector structure. However, funding for decarbonisation under the EMFAF is very limited due to very restrictive conditions, which holds back broader progress in this area. The EMFAF support for the replacement or modernisation of fishing vessel engines has so far been unpopular among Lithuanian fishers, but we hope that in the new funding period, with improved conditions, it will become more attractive and effective.
Lithuania’s EMFAF programme seeks a 20% aquaculture production increase, however, production has been largely stable in the five years to 2024. What are the factors hindering the growth of production and how can they
be mitigated?
First of all, the question is not entirely correct—over the past five to seven years, Lithuania has actually seen strong growth in aquaculture production. For example, production increased by around 30% between 2018 and 2022 The more recent stabilisation of production was largely due to external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which disrupted supply chains, increased feed and energy prices, and slowed new investments. Even so, maintaining stable production levels under such challenging conditions demonstrates the sector’s resilience. We continue to work closely with the aquaculture sector and expect further growth in the coming years, supported by EMFAF measures that provide input for modernisation, innovation, and improved competitiveness.
The programme also suggests at least 25% renewable energy in aquaculture. Is this target on track to being met? What incentives are on offer to encourage fish farmers to switch to renewable energy?
Many aquaculture enterprises have actively taken advantage of the available support to invest in renewable energy solutions — such as solar panels and others. These investments have helped reduce production costs, lower carbon emissions, and improve the overall sustainability of the sector. As a result, the 25% renewable energy goal in aquaculture is within reach.
Carp remains the main farmed species, with growing roles for African catfish, rainbow trout, sturgeon, and eel. Is the ministry involved in promotion campaigns to increase the awareness and consumption of farmed fish? How is the success of such initiatives measured?
Yes, the Ministry actively participates in promotion campaigns for local, sustainably farmed aquaculture species, not focusing solely on carp but promoting the entire range of Lithuanian farmed fish, including African catfish, rainbow trout, sturgeon, and eel. These include articles in local magazines and short films introducing Lithuanian fish farmers and their products. We also have a programme running for more than five years, called “Farmed in the EU” (Išauginta ES), where schoolchildren visit aquaculture farms to learn about fish species and sustainable production. In addition, Lithuania contributes to a broader EU communication campaign, highlighted in the last annual speech by Commissioner Costas Kadis as one of the EU’s most successful promotional initiatives. These actions have produced tangible results — fish consumption in Lithuania has been growing steadily, increasing by around 15% over the past few years, which is one of the key indicators of success.
Electronic monitoring and better data utilisation are frequently cited as among the ways towards more sustainable fisheries. Will Lithuania expand REM (on-board cameras), and traceability tools across fishing segments, and how can fishers be incentivised to participate in such programmes?
We are among the first EU countries to transpose the new EU Fisheries Control Regulation into national law—by amending the Law on Fisheries of the Republic of Lithuania and the Code of Administrative Offences. When I took office as Vice-Minister, I became actively involved in the negotiation process of these legislative documents, so it is very positive that we managed to finalise and adopt them in such a short time. These amendments were signed by the President in June. The main amendments introduced stricter control provisions, updated definitions of infringements, introduced certain simplifications for fishing operators, and revised penalties and liability rules to ensure full compliance with EU control standards. Lithuania actively promotes the use of electronic monitoring and digital tools in fisheries.
We have also made notable progress in digitalisation, including the mobile app “e-Laimikis” for recreational fishers and pilot REM projects with Baltic fishing companies, meaning that many of these initiatives are already being implemented well before they become obligatory.
