Polish Marine Waters are part of two HELCOM-designated Marine Reporting Units for the assessment of marine bird populations. The status of populations of breeding birds in both of these units has been assessed to be subGES. Poland shares one ot the Marine Reporting Units with Germany, Denmark and Sweden (Bornholm Basin) and the other (Gota Basin) with Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. Of the 30 breeding bird species taken into account in the assessment, only 14 are regular breeders in Poland. In the vast majority of cases, this is due to natural causes, such as the lack of suitable breeding habitats. Of the 14 species regularly breeding in Poland, 5 were assessed to be subGES in the whole of the Bornholm Basin and 2 were assessed to be subGES in the Gota Basin. Of these 14 species, only 6 were monitored in Polish Marine Waters in the assessment period and therefore contributed to the overall assessments for the two basins. Most of the remaining 8 species breed in Poland in very low numbers due to natural causes. It is clear from the above that Poland is not the only state responsible for the subGES status of breeding marine bird populations in Bornholm and Gota Basins. The other states responsible include EU Members States Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, as well as one non-EU state, i.e. Russia. Any efforts by Poland to improve the status of 9 bird species that do not regularly breed in Poland would be unreasonable if the aim was to contribute meaningfully to achieving GES in the HELCOM-designated Reporting Units. This effort must be made by countries within the natural breeding range of these species.

Of the 30 species included in the Breeding Marine Birds index, 16 do not breed regularly in Poland. With the single exception of the Southern Dunlin, which has become extinct in Poland, probably due to adverse habitat changes, the reasons for the lack of regular breeding are natural, i.e. the Polish coast is outside of the natural breeding range of these species. Consequently, natural conditions prevent Poland from contributing to the improvement of the status of 15 of 30 bird species making up the Breeding Marine Birds index.

In its updated PoM, Poland has adopted a number of measures aimed at improving the status of several marine bird species on the Polish coast (see MeasureAdHoc). Although in some cases, the likelihood is that the response of the target populations will be quite swift, leading to a reversal of the negative local trends, it may well be that 5 years (until 2027) will prove not to be enough for a clear change to take place in all cases.