Committee publication · Correspondence · 16 December 2025
Correspondence from Dame Angela Eagle, Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Defra, regarding the conclusion of annual negotiations for 2026 fishing opportunities, dated 10 December 2025
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Fisheries and the marine environment
Summary
Dame Angela Eagle reports outcomes from the UK's 2026 annual fishing negotiations with the EU, Norway, and other coastal States. The UK secured agreement on over 80 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) providing 520,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities worth £830 million. The letter details bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral agreements, noting challenging scientific advice with many stocks declining, and describes technical measures adopted to support long-term sustainability.
Key findings
- UK secured over 80 TACs providing 520,000 tonnes of fishing opportunities for 2026, worth approximately £830 million based on historic landing prices
- UK-EU bilateral negotiations yielded 150,000 tonnes (worth £430 million) across 70+ TACs; TACs for 18 stocks set above ICES headline advice, including bycatch-only TACs for severely depleted stocks
- UK-EU-Norway trilateral agreement secured access to six jointly managed North Sea stocks worth over £380 million; new management approach for Northern Shelf cod includes seasonal closures and real-time closure regimes
- North Sea herring: parties agreed new long-term management strategy (LTMS) after years of discussion, expected to improve sustainability from January 2026
- ICCAT: UK secured bluefin tuna quota increase from 63 to 230.65 tonnes per year for 2026–2028; UK proposals adopted on white shark and basking shark retention prohibition and strengthened port state measures against illegal fishing
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dame Angela Eagle, Alistair Carmichael, European Union, Norway, Faroe Islands, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
Notable line
“The scientific advice for 2026 creates a challenging sustainability picture, with many stocks receiving declining advice (compared with 2025) or advice for zero catches …”
Key Quotes
“The UK has reached agreement with the EU, Norway and other coastal States on catch opportunities for shared stocks for”
“The scientific advice for 2026 creates a challenging sustainability picture, with many stocks receiving declining advice (compared with 2025) or advice for zero catches, particularly in demersal mixed fisheries.”
“We have set TAC positions above ICES headline advice for 18 stocks as part of our final negotiated position this year.”
“For Northern Shelf cod, the parties agreed that a multi-year approach was required to reduce fishing pressure, increase biomass and recover the sub-stocks to MSY levels as soon as possible.”
“The UK secured an increase from 63 tonnes to 230.65 tonnes of bluefin tuna per year for 2026 to”
“We secured adoption of a UK proposal to prohibit retention of white shark and basking shark, affording greater protection to these iconic species.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗