UK reaches agreement on key fish stocks for 2023
The UK has reached agreements with the EU and Norway, and wider coastal states, to secure valuable fishing opportunities for the UK fishing industry.
The UK has secured fishing catch limits worth £202 million to the UK fishing industry, a £33 million increase from last year, after reaching an agreement with Norway and the EU, Defra has announced today (Friday 9 December).
Negotiating as an independent coastal State, the UK agreed catch levels for 2023 for six important fish stocks in the North Sea including North Sea cod, haddock and herring.
This comes as the UK also concluded negotiations on catch limits with coastal States in the North East Atlantic on three more key stocks to the UK fishing fleet – blue whiting, mackerel and atlanto-Scandian herring. In total, UK quota in these stocks will be worth around £256m to the UK fishing industry next year.
Sustainability has been at the heart of the UK’s approach to these negotiations, pushing for decisions based on the best science available to ensure key fish stocks are protected and to support the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. All catch levels were set in line with, or lower than, the level advised by scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:
I’m pleased we have reached agreements with the EU and Norway, and wider coastal states, to secure important fish stocks worth over £450 million for the UK fishing fleet in 2023.
The deals will help support a sustainable, profitable fishing industry for years to come while continuing to protect our marine environment and vital fishing grounds.
The catch levels agreed for North Sea stocks for 2023 (compared to 2022) are:
- Cod +63%
- Haddock +30%
- Herring -7.3%
- Plaice +5.8%
- Saithe +18.7%
- Whiting +30%
Last month, the UK reached an agreement with Norway, with the UK fleet benefiting from fishing opportunities worth £5 million. Further talks with the EU are continuing over the total allowable catches and other stock management measures
Throughout the negotiations, the UK Government worked closely with the devolved administrations to ensure that fishing communities across the UK will benefit from the agreement.
An assessment on the number of individual Total Allowable Catches set consistent with ICES advice will be published on the conclusion of the UK’s annual fisheries negotiations.
Notes to editor:
- Together, the coastal States negotiations and negotiations with Norway and the EU are expected to make up 60% of the total financial value of quota stocks negotiated at the three main negotiating forums.
- This trilateral agreement marks the conclusion of another agreement in a series of annual fisheries negotiations for 2023. The UK’s bilateral negotiations with Norway concluded on 25 November, and bilateral consultations with the Faroe Islands are underway. Consultations with the EU concerning TACs and management measures for relevant stocks are ongoing.
- This year, the talks took place over three rounds in Oslo, Brussels and virtually. Throughout the consultations the UK pressed for evidenced-based and pragmatic decisions to provide fishing opportunities whilst promoting the sustainability of stocks for the marine environment and industry.
- Each year, the UK negotiations with coastal States in the North East Atlantic to agree catch limits for mackerel, blue whiting and atlanto-Scandian herring (ASH). We agreed the limit for 2023 on ASH in October and for mackerel and blue whiting on 6 November. The TAC for each stock is set in line with advice for ICES. Negotiations on sharing arrangements for these stocks is ongoing.