We’re looking for a Communications Intern to join our team!
Are you passionate about storytelling, digital media and environmental cooperation in the Baltic Sea region? We are currently looking for a creative and motivated intern to support communication activities at HELCOM.
👉 buff.ly/ynARVSV
🔊 We are hiring!
Applications are invited for the post of Executive Secretary at the Helsinki Commission Secretariat. The post, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, will become vacant on 1 February 2027.
Vacancy announcement 👉 buff.ly/CpiN6AL
We are looking for a GIS Data Trainee for the EU-funded PROTECT BALTIC project! 🌊
📊 Tasks include supporting various assessments and analyses through the production of spatial data layers, statistics calculations, performing GIS data analysis & data visualisations.
👉 buff.ly/MsA7lOO
Lost fishing gear doesn't just pollute, it keeps catching fish long after it's abandoned. 😔
Our latest HELCOM report explores how innovative gear design can prevent gear loss and reduce ghost fishing in the Baltic Sea. 👍️
Download here: buff.ly/qvP4NyR
🔈 HELCOM is one of the co-organisers of this session at #ECSA61. If the topic aligns with your work, we encourage you to submit an abstract (DL 6 March 2026).
More details 👇
🔊 We are hiring!
Applications are invited for the post of Executive Secretary at the Helsinki Commission Secretariat. The post, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, will become vacant on 1 February 2027.
Apply by 22 March 2026.
Vacancy announcement 👉 buff.ly/CpiN6AL
Lost fishing gear? Not if it's properly marked! 🏷️
Proper gear marking is a game-changer for reducing lost fishing gear and preventing marine litter. Developed under the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP Action RS9), this guide is based on FAO Voluntary Guidelines.
👉 buff.ly/h15wKgm
The Baltic Sea Boating Forum has been launched at the ongoing Helsinki International Boat Show! This new yearly platform is designed to foster communication among the boating sector, government officials, and key stakeholders. Come and say hello to us at the HELCOM stand by Purjehdussatama stage.
Recreational fishing is a beloved pastime for many around the Baltic Sea, but it comes with an environmental cost due to significant gear loss every year 🎣
This report explores the composition of lost angling gear and outlines measures to limit these losses.
Download here: buff.ly/86D3K3L
With millios of recreational fishers in the Baltic Sea region, lost fishing gear, especially gillnets, is a major contributor to marine litter. This report provides practical guidelines to help recreational fishers prevent gear loss and protect the Baltic Sea. 🚯
👉 buff.ly/v6pg1rO
Tomorrow, 13 Feb, the European Boating Industry (EBI) will launch the Baltic Sea Boating Forum at the Helsinki International Boat Show 🛥️ ⛵️ 🚤
Our Exec Secretary Rüdiger Strempel will deliver a keynote speech & take part in a panel discussion on environmentally responsible boating.
buff.ly/UwGvGzD
Our new report documents best practices for collecting and recycling fishing gear waste.
This publication is part of our ALDFG guideline series, supporting regional targets for fishing gear collection in the Baltic Sea.
👉 buff.ly/RibBzR3
🔊 We are hiring!
Applications are invited for the post of Executive Secretary at the Helsinki Commission Secretariat. The post, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, will become vacant on 1 February 2027.
Apply by 22 March 2026.
Vacancy announcement 👉 buff.ly/CpiN6AL
🔊 🚧 👷 The HELCOM Map and Data Service (MADS), along with other HELCOM services using the ArcGIS environment, will be unavailable on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, from 10:00 to 17:00 EET due to an upgrade of the ESRI ArcGIS portal environment. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
🔊 We are hiring!
Applications are invited for the post of Executive Secretary at the Helsinki Commission Secretariat. The post, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, will become vacant on 1 February 2027.
Vacancy announcement 👉 buff.ly/CpiN6AL
📼 WEBINAR RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE!
Last week, we hosted a webinar on fishing gear marking together with our partners KIMO International and Havs- och vattenmyndigheten. Marked fishing gear is a crucial step in protecting marine ecosystems from lost fishing gear
🎥 buff.ly/UiPsx2f
#GhostFishing
New guidelines for transboundary MSP output data! 🌐
These new HELCOM-VASAB guidelines set clear data specifications for maritime spatial planning outputs, boosting interoperability, harmonization and cross-border cooperation across marine regions.
Download here ➡️ buff.ly/3vuXXwm
Eutrophication promotes algal blooms and alters the marine ecosystem. Changes are often noticed only through declining populations of affected species or the formation of vast hypoxic ‘dead zones.’ ⚠️
Read more in ‘Eutrophication: the Baltic Sea’s silent transformation’
buff.ly/PQZ2jNB
🐬 How can harbour porpoises still be at risk inside protected areas? Following our recent webinar, our new article explains the paradox — and the work underway to fix it. @ascobans.bsky.social @helcominfo.bsky.social
🔗 Read the full article: protectbaltic.eu/news/f/prote...
Who is your Baltic Sea hero? Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Baltic Sea Awards! @helcominfo.bsky.social
gansub.com/t/v/3_ODM0NT...
Shipping-related oil and HNS spills pose a severe threat to the m #BalticSea. In my latest piece, I briefly describe how @helcominfo.bsky.social contributes to prevention, response and long-term risk assessments, focusing in particular on the ongoing #BRISK II project.
merikotka.fi/en/brisk-ii-...
✍️ LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
WHAT: Webinar on marking of recreational fishing gear
WHEN: 20 Jan 2026, 9:00-12:30 CET
WHO: Government officials, representatives from fishing associations & relevant national, regional & international organisations working at policy/practical levels
🔗 buff.ly/44PLQhk
The Baltic Sea’s ecosystem faces severe threats from hazardous substances. While reductions in well-known pollutants have been achieved, a vast array of emerging substances pose a growing risk.
Read more in our brief for scientists ‘Emerging substances: Our next challenge ahead’.
👉 buff.ly/146Yc20
🔊 We are hiring!
Applications are invited for the post of Executive Secretary at the Helsinki Commission Secretariat. The post, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, will become vacant on 1 February 2027.
Vacancy announcement 👉 buff.ly/CpiN6AL
The Baltic Sea provides essential ecosystem services. 🎣 🏄♀️ However, unsustainable practices and habitat degradation are reducing service provision and causing ecological and economic losses.
Read more in our brief for scientists ‘Linking society and environment in the Baltic Sea’
👉 buff.ly/tuMLWbP
📑 Reducing nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea
This concise brochure brings together key messages from two recent HELCOM reports: Effectiveness of measures to reduce nutrient inputs & Assessment of achieving NICs in 2030 and the effectiveness of measures.
👉 buff.ly/LQUdiFM
Our Science in a Seashell -series briefs for scientists summarise the latest research findings on the state of the Baltic Sea, guiding future research efforts. Each brief draws on key findings from the third HELCOM Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3).
👉 buff.ly/LL5Twi9
✍️ REGISTER NOW!
WHAT: Webinar on marking of recreational fishing gear 🎣
WHEN: 20 Jan 2026, 9:00-12:30 CET
WHO: Government officials, representatives from fishing associations & relevant national, regional & international organisations working at policy/practical levels
🔗 buff.ly/44PLQhk
Happy new year! 🌊
HELCOM’s vision is a healthy Baltic Sea environment with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good ecological status and supporting a wide range of sustainable economic and social activities. In 2026, we'll keep working toward this vision.
Hazardous substances pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. A solid understanding of sources and their pathways to the sea will enable us to create targeted recommendations.
Read more in our brief for policymakers: buff.ly/fOskvCv
