Coastal states agree mackerel quota for next year

Coastal states have agreed to follow scientific advice on the total mackerel quota for next year, Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) reported, citing Norway’s Ministry of Trade and Fisheries. The agreement was reached on Thursday after negotiations in London this week.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommended a quota of 352,938 tonnes. Russia did not take part in the agreement.

Last year, six countries failed to reach an agreement. ICES had recommended 174,357 tonnes, but the Faroe Islands, Norway, the United Kingdom and Iceland agreed to a quota of nearly 300,000 tonnes. The EU, Greenland and Russia were not part of that deal. An estimated 400,000 tonnes will be caught this year.

Under the agreement for 2026, the Faroe Islands were allocated 12 per cent of the maximum allowable catch.