The Baltic Sea is home to both marine and freshwater-origin fish, adapted to its brackish water. Cod, sprat and several flatfish are characteristic of its saltier southern and central areas, while freshwater fish are more common near the coast and in the innermost waters. Which fish live in a particular place depends on salinity, habitat, depth, temperature and season.
Which fish live in the Baltic Sea?
HELCOM’s fish-community overview describes roughly 100 fish species in the Baltic Sea. Its examples include marine fish, freshwater fish, glacial relicts, alien species, occasional marine visitors and species that migrate between the sea and freshwater. This is a broad overview, not a complete species checklist.
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Marine fish of the saltier Baltic
Marine fish are especially characteristic of the Baltic Proper and the more saline southern Baltic. HELCOM names cod (Gadus morhua), sprat, flounder (Platichthys flesus), plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), dab (Limanda limanda), turbot (Psetta maxima) and brill (Scophthalmus rhombus) as examples. Their presence and abundance vary across the sea; this list does not mean every species is common in every Baltic location.
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Freshwater-origin species are more characteristic of coastal waters and the Baltic’s innermost areas, where conditions are less saline. HELCOM estimates that 30–40 freshwater species occur in these areas. The particular species found depend on local water conditions and habitat.
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Glacial relicts and visitors
Some Baltic fish are glacial relicts: species whose regional populations are remnants of colder conditions. HELCOM notes they are most abundant in cold-water layers in deep areas. Occasional marine visitors also enter the Baltic, so a species recorded there need not be a regular or widespread resident.
Why fish differ from one part of the Baltic to another
The Baltic’s brackish water—less salty than typical ocean water—helps explain why marine and freshwater-origin fish occur in the same sea. Salinity is a major influence on where species thrive: marine fish tend to favor saltier waters, while freshwater fish are more common toward coasts and inner waters. Distribution is not determined by salinity alone.
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- Location and salinity: The saltier southern Baltic and Baltic Proper favor more marine species; coastal and inner waters are more characteristic of freshwater-origin fish.
- Habitat and depth: Fish use different Baltic habitat types, and some rely on particular habitats at different stages or seasons.
- Temperature and oxygen: These conditions can influence which areas are suitable, including the cold deep-water layers used by glacial relicts.
- Nutrients and other conditions: Nutrient availability and local environmental conditions also shape fish communities.
- Season and movement: A fish may shift habitats or move between waters during its life cycle.
Fish that migrate between the sea and fresh water
Some fish move between brackish or marine water and freshwater to spawn. HELCOM gives salmon and sea trout as examples. Their migrations mean that a fish associated with the Baltic may also depend on freshwater habitats during part of its life cycle.
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How many fish species live in the Baltic Sea?
There is no single exact total established by the cited HELCOM pages, because they use different counts and scopes. HELCOM’s fish-community overview gives approximately 100 fish species, including about 70 marine species that dominate the Baltic Proper and 30–40 freshwater species in coastal and innermost areas. A separate HELCOM Red List II page says around 230 fish species occur in the Baltic Sea, citing a 2012 checklist; it also refers to a checklist of 242 fish and lamprey species. These figures are not directly reconciled on the pages, so they should not be treated as interchangeable counts of the same set.
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What HELCOM’s threatened-fish figures mean
In its 2024 Red List II summary, HELCOM reports that 116 fish species were evaluated and 21 were assessed as threatened—Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable—within that regional assessment. The summary also reports 41 species across categories from Regionally Extinct through Data Deficient. A separate figure says 123 fish and lamprey species entered the assessment process from a checklist of 242; not all were ultimately evaluated. These assessment totals therefore do not describe every fish species that may occur in the Baltic, and a regional extinction category does not mean a species is extinct globally. HELCOM’s 2024 Red List II fish summary gives the assessment scope and categories.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What affects Baltic fish populations?
HELCOM identifies fishing, eutrophication, oxygen depletion, hazardous substances, cold winters and changing salinity as influences on Baltic fish populations. Their effects differ among species and areas; the list should not be read as saying that each pressure affects every fish population in the same way.
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Sources
- HELCOM: Fish — fish communities, regional patterns, migrations and influences on populations.
- HELCOM: Marine fish — named marine examples and their distribution.
- HELCOM: Red List of fish — 2024 assessment figures and categories.
- HELCOM Red List of fish 2024 (PDF) — assessment report.
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