Luis Planas and Timmy Dooley, the Spanish and Irish ministers responsible for fisheries, have confirmed their shared stance on mackerel.
The European Union has not reached agreement with the the coastal states – Norway, United Kingdom, Faroe Islands, Iceland – which last year signed an agreement of their own on management of mackerel that falls significantly short of ICES recommendations, while allocating themselves 80% of the mackerel TAC, and leaving just 20% for the EU, Greenland and Russia.
According to a statement by the Spanish Ministry of Fisheries, management of mackerel pivots on agreement between the coastal states and the European Union, and this relationship has been strained in recent years as some coastal states have chosen to unilaterally incrase their quotas.
The overall TAC is divided between the North Sea/Baltic, the North-East Atlantic, and the Cantabrian Sea and the Iberian Peninsula. The EU Council of Ministers agreed to reduce mackerel catches by the 70% advised by ICES, while Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, and the United Kingdom struck an agreement of their own that reduces the TAC by 48%.
Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has allocated a total of 9475 tonnes of Spain’s mackerel quota for 2026 among the Spanish fleet. This is 5907 tonnes allocated by the EU Council of Ministers, augmented by flexibility and exchanges with other Member States.
Mackerel is a key target species for the Spanish fleet, and 95% of its fishing is concentrated during March and April.
