A meeting of Coastal States – Norway, Iceland, the European Union, the Faroe Islands and the UK, with Greenland observing, have agreed that the 2026 blue whiting TAC should be in line with the ICES advice.
This is for a quota reduced by a massive 41% compared to this year’s quota, so just 851,344 tonnes.
‘The blue whiting stock is important for Norway, and we will continue to work for a comprehensive distribution agreement that includes all coastal states and active fishing parties,’ commented Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and the Oceans Marianne Sivertsen Næss.
Coastal States – Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Russia and the UK, with the EU and Greenland observing – have also agreed that the 2026 quota for Atlanto-Scandian herring should not exceed 533,914 tonnes.
While Coastal States in both instances reiterated their commitment to work towards quota sharing arrangements for both stocks, a recent meeting of the Coastal States in London failed to reach agreement on how to share out the much-reduced mackerel TAC advised by ICES. So there’s no reason to be too hopeful that agreement will be reached on blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring, with Coastal States likely to continue setting unilateral quotas for these fisheries.
