To develop and improve coordination and cooperation among Baltic Sea Member States and with stakeholders a fisheries forum within EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region is being developed. The forum is called BALTFISH. More specifically it aims at improving and strengthening coordination and cooperation of fisheries administrators among Baltic Sea member states, but also among the administrations and other key stakeholders relevant for the Baltic Sea fisheries. It is a forum with a regional perspective for exchanging ideas, views and information and a forum that can facilitate joint forces in various concrete projects aiming at achieving sustainable fisheries in the Baltic Sea. The idea is to facilitate ongoing processes by enhanced information and communication, but also to find synergies between ongoing work within these bodies and the member states. This could be one way of avoiding duplication of work as well as avert potential misunderstandings and misinterpretations. The core of BALTFISH is a high level group (HLG) consisting of the fisheries directors of the Baltic Sea member states as well as the director of Baltic Sea fisheries at the Commission. The high level group will meet on a regular basis to discuss issues of common interest. The high-level group may invite other stakeholders that are deemed relevant for the discussions in the group. This includes BSRAC, Helcom and ICES that are all key organisations in the management of fisheries in the Baltic Sea. A larger meeting is expected to be organised on a regional basis (e.g. once a year). Leader of this flagship project is the Swedish Ministry of Agriculture. However, the chairmanship of Baltfish will change each year. Achievements: The actions of BALTFISH include inter alia contribution to the development of a roadmap for eliminating cod discards in the Baltic Sea, contribution to the development of AQUABEST, a project on aquaculture, and agreeing on the content of other flagship projects regarding fisheries. The Forum has also among other issues discussed the discard ban, TACs and quotas, multiannual management plans and the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) of cod.