Mixed-methods dataset on ecological, management, and socio-economic dimensions of Baltic Sea commercial fisheries (Poland and Germany)

Commercial fisheries in the Baltic Sea have undergone substantial ecological, regulatory, and socio-economic change over recent decades. While biological monitoring and stock assessments are well established, comparable and reusable datasets integrating fisheries management indicators with fishers’ socio-economic conditions, local ecological knowledge, and lived experiences remain limited. This Data Note presents an integrated mixed-methods dataset designed to support interdisciplinary research on fisheries governance, environmental change, and adaptive responses. Six interoperable datasets were compiled across three data phases: baseline ecological and governance context, present-day human dimensions, and qualitative contextualization. The collection includes a curated bibliographic dataset of 250 peer-reviewed publications on environmental stressors affecting major Baltic Sea fish stocks; standardized fisheries management indicators (total allowable catch, reported landings, and spawning stock biomass) for eight commercial stocks from 2015–2023; a socio-economic and governance perception survey of 129 commercial fishers in Polish coastal regions; a local ecological knowledge survey of 153 fishers operating in Polish and German waters; anonymized semi-structured interview transcripts from 28 commercial fishers; and a photographic survey of fishing ports, vessels, and working environments. All datasets are provided in open formats with accompanying documentation to facilitate reuse. Together, these datasets enable integrated examination of stock dynamics, management measures, fisher perceptions, and adaptive strategies. They support reuse in fisheries social science, marine policy evaluation, and social–ecological systems research and offer a transferable mixed-methods framework applicable to other regional seas and fisheries contexts experiencing environmental change and regulatory transformation. Dataset I: Curated bibliographic dataset of environmental stressors affecting Baltic Sea commercial fish stocks Dataset II: Commercial fish stock management indicators in the Baltic Sea (TAC, reported landings, and SSB, 2015–2023) Dataset III: Socio-economic and management perception survey Dataset IV: Local ecological knowledge (LEK) survey Dataset V: Semi-structured interview transcripts Dataset VI: Photographic survey of fishing ports and vessels