Norway, UK, and Faroe Islands sign a mackerel deal

Norway, the United Kingdom, and the Faroe Islands have agreed on a three-year deal to manage, distribute, and access fish mackerel in each other's waters.

The aim is to reduce the overall fishing pressure on the stock, confirmed the Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Næss.

"I hope this agreement can inspire the other parties to join a comprehensive coastal state agreement at a later stage," she expressed. EU, Iceland, and Greenland will be able to join it.

This agreement considers the size of national quotas, zone access, and scientific cooperation. Therefore, the total Norwegian quota for 2024 will thus be around 230,000 tons.

Additionally, Norway can fish parts of its quota in the UK's economic zone, for example, the waters around Shetland.

"This gives Norwegian vessels greater flexibility and predictability in their fishing. The agreement is therefore also important for the land-based industry in terms of production planning," Næss explained.

In mid-May, Norway, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands signed a new agreement so that every autonomous ship will be able to operate safely within each country's national requirements and frameworks.