EU Agreement on Fishing Opportunities Cuts Quotas for Most Stocks
The European Union has reached agreements on fishing quotas in both E.U. and non-E.U. waters – including waters in the Atlantic, North Sea
20 Aralık 2025 - 15:25 - Güncelleme: 20 Aralık 2025 - 15:30
Mediterranean, and Black Sea – with most stocks seeing a reduction in total allowable catch (TAC).
The E.U. said its fishing opportunities deals follow two days of negotiations with other member states that also fish or manage the same resources, including the U.K., other non-E.U. countries, and regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs). The E.U. also engages in trilateral consultations with the U.K. and Norway – which already reached an agreement to cut quotas in the North Sea and keep the cod fishery open in 2026. That agreement also included the first-ever shared management plan for North Sea herring.
“We have reached a compromise with broad support among the member states, providing fishers with certainty about their fishing opportunities for 2026,” Danish Minsiter for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries Jacob Jensen said in a release. “The compromise strikes a balance between the scientific advice and protecting vulnerable fish stocks, while also ensuring the best possible conditions for a sustainable fisheries sector in the future.”
Since the withdrawal of the U.K. from the E.U., stocks jointly managed by the country and bloc are “shared resources” under international law, and operate under a fisheries agreement that is set to be reviewed in 2026. Negotiations on those stocks had already successfully concluded prior to the European Commission’s meeting on the topic, and the political agreement has integrated those decisions into the main regulations for the Atlantic and North Sea, the commission said.
Overall, catch limits were largely reduced for many species, according to the European Commission’s table of TAC for 2026. The only species that saw gains was Norway Lobster, which overall saw an increase in TAC despite reductions in a few management areas, and megrims, which will see a 12 percent TAC increase in the Bay of Biscay South, Portuguese waters, the Azores, and waters around Madeira and the Canary islands.
The anchovy stock also saw mixed results. The TAC for anchovy in Management Area 8 – Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast – was increased from 30,663 MT in 2025 to 33,000 MT in 2026, an 8 percent increase. The TAC for Anchovy in Management Area 93 (Portuguese waters – south) and Union waters of CECAF 34.1.1 was also increased, reaching 11,639 MT, up 60 percent from the 7,266 MT TAC in 2025. Combined, the two increases amount to 6,710 MT.
However Management Area 9W (Portuguese waters – west) and 10 (Azores and Northeast Atlantic) was given 0 TAC, a reduction from the 22,871 TAC it had in 2025 and more than offsetting the increases.
Several other stocks in the Atlantic and North Sea also saw decreases. Anglerfish dropped 1 percent to 5,381 MT; whiting dropped 27 percent to 990 MT; common sole in management areas 3a (Skagerrak, Kettegat) and Union waters of Subdivisions 22-32 (eastern and western Baltic sea) dropped to 115 MT which can only be taken in as bycatch and 1 percent to 2,482 MT in area 8ab (Bay of Biscay - North and Central); sole dropped 28 percent to 492 MT; horse Mmackerel in Portuguese waters dropped 5 percent to 56,520 MT; and hake remained completely flat at 17,445 MT.
In the Mediterranean and Black Sea, the European Commission decided to nix a proposal that industry groups said would have devastated coastal communities and jeopardized the industry. Regulators were debating whether to cut fishing days for trawlers in France and Spain by 65 percent, and for Italy by 64 percent – a move European Social Partners in Fisheries, which includes the European Transport Workers Federation, European Farmers, and fishing trade body Europêche, said would have flown in the face of the continuous improvements those stocks have seen amid conservation measures.
The industry groups said an FAO report which found overfishing in the Mediterranean and Black seas has dropped to low levels showed the industry’s efforts have been paying off.
The E.U. said its fishing opportunities deals follow two days of negotiations with other member states that also fish or manage the same resources, including the U.K., other non-E.U. countries, and regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs). The E.U. also engages in trilateral consultations with the U.K. and Norway – which already reached an agreement to cut quotas in the North Sea and keep the cod fishery open in 2026. That agreement also included the first-ever shared management plan for North Sea herring.
“We have reached a compromise with broad support among the member states, providing fishers with certainty about their fishing opportunities for 2026,” Danish Minsiter for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries Jacob Jensen said in a release. “The compromise strikes a balance between the scientific advice and protecting vulnerable fish stocks, while also ensuring the best possible conditions for a sustainable fisheries sector in the future.”
Since the withdrawal of the U.K. from the E.U., stocks jointly managed by the country and bloc are “shared resources” under international law, and operate under a fisheries agreement that is set to be reviewed in 2026. Negotiations on those stocks had already successfully concluded prior to the European Commission’s meeting on the topic, and the political agreement has integrated those decisions into the main regulations for the Atlantic and North Sea, the commission said.
Overall, catch limits were largely reduced for many species, according to the European Commission’s table of TAC for 2026. The only species that saw gains was Norway Lobster, which overall saw an increase in TAC despite reductions in a few management areas, and megrims, which will see a 12 percent TAC increase in the Bay of Biscay South, Portuguese waters, the Azores, and waters around Madeira and the Canary islands.
The anchovy stock also saw mixed results. The TAC for anchovy in Management Area 8 – Bay of Biscay and Iberian Coast – was increased from 30,663 MT in 2025 to 33,000 MT in 2026, an 8 percent increase. The TAC for Anchovy in Management Area 93 (Portuguese waters – south) and Union waters of CECAF 34.1.1 was also increased, reaching 11,639 MT, up 60 percent from the 7,266 MT TAC in 2025. Combined, the two increases amount to 6,710 MT.
However Management Area 9W (Portuguese waters – west) and 10 (Azores and Northeast Atlantic) was given 0 TAC, a reduction from the 22,871 TAC it had in 2025 and more than offsetting the increases.
Several other stocks in the Atlantic and North Sea also saw decreases. Anglerfish dropped 1 percent to 5,381 MT; whiting dropped 27 percent to 990 MT; common sole in management areas 3a (Skagerrak, Kettegat) and Union waters of Subdivisions 22-32 (eastern and western Baltic sea) dropped to 115 MT which can only be taken in as bycatch and 1 percent to 2,482 MT in area 8ab (Bay of Biscay - North and Central); sole dropped 28 percent to 492 MT; horse Mmackerel in Portuguese waters dropped 5 percent to 56,520 MT; and hake remained completely flat at 17,445 MT.
In the Mediterranean and Black Sea, the European Commission decided to nix a proposal that industry groups said would have devastated coastal communities and jeopardized the industry. Regulators were debating whether to cut fishing days for trawlers in France and Spain by 65 percent, and for Italy by 64 percent – a move European Social Partners in Fisheries, which includes the European Transport Workers Federation, European Farmers, and fishing trade body Europêche, said would have flown in the face of the continuous improvements those stocks have seen amid conservation measures.
The industry groups said an FAO report which found overfishing in the Mediterranean and Black seas has dropped to low levels showed the industry’s efforts have been paying off.
The European Commission instead decided to maintain the 2025 level of fishing effort for trawlers in Spanish, French, and Italian waters. It also said it will continue to use a compensation mechanism established in 2022 to allocate additional days to trawler operators that use more selective gear or that are covered by a national conservation measure – though it said it will slightly adjust how it is applied.
“The measures agreed by the council will help to reduce fishing mortality, while also minimizing the socioeconomic impact on the sector,” the European Commission said.
The commission also agreed to maintain catch limits for blue, red, and giant red shrimp in Spanish, French, and Italian waters.
“The measures agreed by the council will help to reduce fishing mortality, while also minimizing the socioeconomic impact on the sector,” the European Commission said.
The commission also agreed to maintain catch limits for blue, red, and giant red shrimp in Spanish, French, and Italian waters.
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