Norway, the UK, the Faroe Islands and Iceland have reached agreement on mackerel plan
Norway, the UK, the Faroe Islands and Iceland have reached agreement on mackerel, presented as a long-term management plan. Based on the current deal struck in 2024 between Norway, the UK and the Faroes from 2024, some shares have been adjusted to bring Iceland on side.
The overall quota under the agreement is set at 299,010 tonnes for 2026 – a significant reduction compared to the 2025 figures.
ICES advises that when the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach is applied, catches in 2026 should be no more than 174 357 tonnes
This new agreement allows levels of reciprocal access, with Norway retaining access to a substantial share of its mackerel in UK waters, while Iceland and the Faroe Islands will be able to catch part of their mackerel allocations inside the Norwegian EEZ.
‘I am very pleased that we have entered into a new long-term agreement on the management and allocation of mackerel. The agreement will help to limit fishing for mackerel and thereby reduce fishing pressure. It is particularly positive that Iceland is now joining an expanded mackerel agreement,’ said Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss.
‘The goal is still an agreement that also includes the EU and Greenland. This agreement keeps the door open for that. We therefore hope to continue the consultations with the EU and Greenland already early in 2026 with the aim of reaching a comprehensive resolution.’
‘The agreement between the Faroe Islands, Britain, Iceland and Norway is highly meaningful for the mackerel stock and the future of Faroese mackerel fisheries,’ said Faroese Minister of Fisheries, Industry and Trade Eirikur í Jákupsstovu.
‘It is important that other Coastal States join this agreement, and I hope that the other states will become part of this agreement.’
This agreement between the four nations is initially valid until 2028.
Source credit: Fiskerforum
