Sustainable fisheries: EU and UK agree on fishing opportunities for 2023

Today, the EU has concluded an agreement with the United Kingdom on the fishing opportunities for 2023 for fish stocks shared bilaterally with the UK in the Northeast Atlantic.

The agreement will contribute to the sustainable management of jointly managed fish stocks present in both parties' waters, as well as provide stability and predictability for fleets and operators. It applies to more than 74 stocks and secures fishing opportunities of over 350,000 tonnes for the EU fleet, estimated to be worth around €1 billion based on historic landing prices, adjusted for inflation.

The deal closes the third annual consultations on fishing opportunities between the EU and the UK under the terms of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). It covers all shared and jointly managed fisheries resources in EU and UK waters, establishing total allowable catch limits (TACs) for 2023 for the shared stocks, as well as reciprocal access to fishing for albacore tuna.

The agreement is based on the best available scientific advice regarding the state of fish stocks, as provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). It takes into account important sustainability and management principles, such as maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and the precautionary approach, which are central to the EU's common fisheries policy (CFP) and to the fisheries chapter of the TCA.

In addition, the parties committed to several concrete work streams to improve the sustainable management of shared fish stocks over the course of next year within the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Fisheries, including a review of technical measures to protect vulnerable stocks across sea basins.

Next steps

The agreed catch limits will be incorporated by the Council into the fishing opportunities Regulation for 2023, which has been politically agreed during the recent Council of EU fisheries Ministers.

The Parties will hold in-year consultations during 2023 for three other jointly managed stocks, for which the scientific advice does not align with the calendar year: sprat (North Sea and the English Channel) and sandeel (North Sea, all banks).

Background

Following the departure of the UK from the EU, most stocks in the EU waters of the north-east Atlantic are now shared with non-EU countries, in particular the UK.

The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement  sets out jointly managed EU-UK stocks, for which the parties hold annual consultations each year to determine catch limits. The parties' respective shares of these stocks are set out in the TCA, which also provides for reciprocal access for the fleets of both parties to the waters of the other. The TCA also provides for mutual access to fish non-quota stocks at historic fishing levels.

The agreement reached with the UK follows the recent agreement with the coastal states in the north-east Atlantic concerning catch limits for mackerel, blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring for 2023, as well as the trilateral agreement between the EU, UK and Norway concerning six key fish stocks shared by the three parties in the North Sea. Bilateral consultations with Norway are currently ongoing.

For More Information

Written Record of fisheries consultations between the United Kingdom and the European Union for 2023