This has been a week dominated by fishing agreements, as Europe's fishing nations confirm the details of fishing opportunities and quotas for their fleets during 2024.
Norway and the Faroe Islands are the latest to hammer out a deal, announcing their fishing quotas for the year ahead are now finalised.
"Norwegian fishermen have long traditions of fishing in Faroese waters and the agreement with the Faroe Islands is important to us," said Fisheries and Oceans Minister Cecilie Myrseth, in a Norwegian language statement.
"It is good that we have put in place an agreement on quota exchange also for 2024, and that it is adapted to our fishing opportunities," she said.
However, aligning with the reduction in the cod and haddock quotas in the Barents Sea, the 2024 agreement brings about a cut in the quota levels compared to the current year.
The Faroe Islands' quotas for cod in the Norwegian zone have been reduced by 600 tonnes to stand at 4,345 tonnes, while the haddock quota also sees a decrease from 1,100 tonnes to 980 tonnes. Meanwhile, the Faroe Islands' quotas for pollock and by-catch remain steady at 500 and 400 tonnes, respectively.
In addition to these quotas, Faroese vessels now have the authority to fish up to 5,800 tonnes of cod, 550 tonnes of haddock, and 350 tonnes of other species as bycatch obtained through their exchange agreement with Russia.
Conversely, Norwegian vessels have been given the green light to fish up to 53,600 tonnes of the Norwegian mullet quota in Faroese waters during 2024.
Norwegian quotas for blue longfish are trimmed down from 3,000 tonnes to 2,600 tonnes, while the tusk quota also decreases from 1,500 tonnes to 1,300 tonnes. The bycatch quota for other species has also been reduced from 800 tonnes to 600 tonnes.
However, the mackerel quota of 6,600 tonnes remains unchanged from the current year. The quota can be actively fished both in Faroese waters, the Norwegian economic zone, and international waters, the Norwegian authorities confirmed.
