There has been a substantial drop in the distant waters quotas available to the UK, notably for factory trawler Kirkella, operated by the last of the Humberside fishing companies.
In 2023 the UK was allocated just 750 tonnes of cod in Norwegian waters and 5200 tonnes in the Svalbard zone – and the UK had no fishing opportunities in the NAFO or Greenland.
According to operating company UK Fisheries, in the last two years the outcomes of negotiations have been a disaster for the fleet.
This year the allocation has dropped to 700 tonnes of cod in Norwegian waters and 4144 tonnes around Svalbard – and no fishing opportunities in Greenland. The total amount of distant waters cod available to the UK fleet – less than 6000 tonnes, which includes an 1100 tonne NAFO allocation – is a far cry from the 19,500 tonnes this sector had available in 2018.
