The UK has secured nearly £1bn in fishing opportunities following agreements with Norway, the EU and other coastal states.
Defra announced that deals had secured access to more than 80 stocks and brought next year’s fishing opportunities to over 520,000 tonnes, worth an estimated £840m.
The headline deals include a bilateral agreement between the UK and EU for 150,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities worth a reported £430m, including continued access to fish non-quota stocks in EU waters worth around £25m in 2024.
There has also been a trilateral UK-EU-Norway deal for 290,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities, worth up to £380m, in the North Sea, as previously reported by The Grocer and an agreement for blue whiting and Norwegian spring-spawning herring in the North East Atlantic in 2026 worth in the region of £20m.
The government also secured a 267% increase in bluefin tuna stocks, from 63 tonnes to 231 tonnes of bluefin tuna per year for 2026 to 2028, worth around £5m.
According to Defra, negotiations took place under a cloud of concern for fish stocks, threatened by overfishing and climate change, with those for cod, whiting, haddock, sole, and plaice under significant pressure.
“This year, more than others, it has been vitally important to respond to concerning scientific evidence about fish stock levels,” said fisheries minister Angela Eagle.
Defra said that sustainability had been at the heart of the UK’s negotiations and had considered stakeholders most affected by their outcomes.
“By working closely with the EU, Norway and other countries, the UK has secured over 520,000 tonnes of valuable fishing opportunities for British fisheries next year while taking action to safeguard stocks for future generations,” the minister said. “This is a balanced and sustainable approach which will help recover important stocks to healthy and productive levels whilst also giving fishing communities the opportunities they need to thrive.”
Read more: North Sea whitefish quotas slashed with cod down nearly 50%
As previously reported, the North Sea cod quota was slashed by 44%, although the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea had recommended cutting it altogether, resulting in backlash from both industry and environmental groups.
The outcome of annual fisheries negotiations will be published by the end of the year, in the secretary of state’s determination of fishing opportunities for British boats, according to Defra, although negotiations are ongoing in several areas.
These include bilateral fisheries negotiations between the UK and Faroe Islands, talks over mackerel in the North East Atlantic, and the highly anticipated Barents Sea quotas.
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