Marine

UK-Faroe bilateral talks for fishing opportunities in 2022 have concluded

February 9, 2022 by Marine Scotland Communications No Comments | Category Fisheries

The UK/Faroe bilateral for 2022 fishing opportunities has now concluded, with agreement on exchanges of fishing opportunities worth an estimated £5 million with Scotland receiving the highest return ever on record for Faroese stocks.

The Faroe Islands are one of Scotland’s closest Coastal State neighbours. As such, we have a number of shared fishing interests, and the UK and Faroe Islands are close negotiating partners, including in Coastal States consultations and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs).

The Parties signed a Framework Agreement on Fisheries in October 2020, and the bilateral agreement for 2022 marks the start of a new bilateral fisheries arrangement between the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom.

The Parties agreed to quota exchanges worth an estimated value of more than £5 million to each Party (based on 2019 prices). This will see Scotland receiving the highest return ever on record for Faroese stocks, and is based on a fair and balanced exchange. These exchanges will enable UK vessels to fish cod, haddock, saithe and other species in Faroese waters in 2022. Faroese vessels will be granted access to fish stocks including western horse mackerel, Greenland halibut, ling and tusk in area 4, and western blue ling, in UK waters.

The exchange also includes 400 tonnes of haddock in UK waters of area 4, to be fished by Faroese longline vessels. Should there be high utilisation of this quota (at least 90%), the Parties agreed to reconvene to discuss an additional transfer of up to 1,600 tonnes of haddock, in exchange for further transfers of stocks in Faroese waters to the UK.

The Agreed Record also sets out technical elements such as control and enforcement, and arrangements for the UK/Faroe Special Area (‘Grey Zone’).

Copies of the agreed record of these consultations will be made available online in due course.

Tags: Coastal state neighbours, Costal states, Costal states consultations, fisheries, fishing, UK-Faroe bilateral

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