Coastal nations gather in London for crucial fish stock negotiations

This week and next, coastal countries will engage in discussions concerning stocks of fish in the open sea.

Negotiations will focus on different species each day: tomorrow and Wednesday will cover blue whiting, Thursday and Friday will address North Sea herring, while discussions about mackerel are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of next week.

These talks are taking place in London.

The participating coastal nations include Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the Faroe Islands. Russia is also involved in the negotiations concerning herring.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommends reducing the total quota for mackerel to 577,000 tons next year, which marks a 22 percent decrease from this year’s recommended total quota.

ICES has also advised a reduction in the quota for blue whiting. The proposed quota stands at 1.4 million tons, reflecting a 5.4 percent decrease compared to this year’s recommendation.

Conversely, ICES suggests increasing the recommended quota for North Sea herring by 3.3 percent, raising it to 402,000 tons by 2025.