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

<ns3:p>Background 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. Methods Six interoperable datasets were compiled across three data phases: Phase 1 (baseline ecological and governance context), Phase 2 (present-day human dimensions), and Phase 3 (qualitative contextualization). The collection includes: Dataset I, a curated bibliographic dataset of 250 peer-reviewed publications on environmental stressors affecting major Baltic Sea fish stocks; Dataset II, standardized fisheries management indicators (total allowable catch, reported landings, and spawning stock biomass) for eight commercial stocks from 2015–2023; Dataset III, a socio-economic and governance perception survey of 129 commercial fishers in Polish coastal regions; Dataset IV, a local ecological knowledge survey of 153 fishers operating in Polish and German waters; Dataset V, anonymized semi-structured interview transcripts from 28 commercial fishers; and Dataset VI, a photographic survey of fishing ports, vessels, and working environments. All datasets are provided in open formats with accompanying metadata, variable descriptions, and documentation to facilitate reuse. Conclusions 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 provide a transferable mixed-methods framework applicable to other regional seas and fisheries contexts experiencing environmental change and regulatory transformation.</ns3:p>