Marine

UK, Norway, Faroe Islands and Iceland reach mackerel arrangement

December 16, 2025 by Marine Directorate Communications No Comments | Category Collaborations, Fisheries, fisheries agreement, fisheries negotiations, Marine economy

On 16 December 2025, the UK, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway have agreed an arrangement that delivers a measurable reduction in fishing pressure on North-East Atlantic mackerel.

This is a significant step, demonstrating joint leadership and cooperation, aiming to ensure long-term conservation of North-East Atlantic mackerel, one of Scotland’s most important fish stocks.

Key elements of this new and enhanced arrangement include:

• providing a further positive step towards reaching a fully comprehensive six party quota-sharing arrangement;

• provide a further reduction in fishing pressure of -9.23% of the global TAC. This is on top of the -10.25% reduction already secured through our previous agreements with Norway and Faroe. This will limit fishing by all Coastal states to around 107.5% of the TAC versus almost 118% without this added cooperation, when compared to no agreements.

• promoting the efficient utilisation of the fishery and significantly reducing the need for parties to fish in international waters, linked to associated bilateral access arrangements;

• defining a process for addressing fishing party activity;

• limiting ‘banking and borrowing’ of quota;

• outlining a request to ICES to produce a long-term management strategy for the stock;

• clearly setting out the parties, to the agreement, intent to set their TACs for 2026 in line with an MSY catch scenario of 299,010 tonnes;

• providing stability for industry. In the absence of a comprehensive sharing arrangement for the stock being agreed, these arrangements will remain in place until at least 2028.

The overarching aim remains to achieve a fully comprehensive six party sharing arrangement. Parties have committed to work in good faith to secure a full six-party agreement that includes the EU and Greenland. This interim deal keeps that door open.

Scotland will continue to put our full energy behind the wider sharing consultations with the aim of seeking agreements based on robust evidence, ensure the sustainability of this stock and fisheries in the long term and are as comprehensive as possible.

Tags: Agreement, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Makerel, Marine, Norway, UK

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