Danish Fishing Industry Backs Quota Approach Despite Cod Cuts

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Danish fishing industry backs EU 2026 quotas despite cod cuts, citing science-based management and healthy North Sea stocks

Fishing opportunities for 2026 in the North Sea and Skagerrak have been finalised, with Denmark’s fishing industry backing what it describes as a balanced EU approach, despite a sharp cut in cod quotas that will be felt across the sector.

According to Danmarks Fiskeriforening Producent Organisation (DFPO), scientific advice indicates that there will be significantly more cod in the North Sea by the start of 2027 than at the beginning of 2026, a development it attributes to recent quota decisions taken by the EU Council of Ministers.

Cod Quota Cut By 44 Per Cent

Danish fishermen will face a 44 per cent reduction in the cod quota in the North Sea and Skagerrak in 2026, a cut DFPO acknowledges will have economic consequences.

Svend-Erik Andersen, chairman of DFPO, said the reduction will be noticeable but stressed that access to other healthy stocks remains critical. “We are facing a 2026 where Danish fishermen must accept a reduction of as much as 44 per cent in the cod quota in the North Sea and Skagerrak, and that will of course be felt,” he said. “The most important thing, however, is that we can fish many of the other species that are doing very well.”

Bycatch Pressures Central To Cod Management

Cod is encountered as bycatch in almost all North Sea fisheries, making the setting of a cod quota essential to prevent choke risks that could halt fishing for other species.

DFPO said a functioning cod quota is necessary to allow continued fishing for haddock, hake, Nephrops and plaice, stocks which the organisation says are currently thriving.

“We work with nature, so it is entirely normal that stock development fluctuates,” Andersen said. “If you look closely at the scientific advice and add together the different cod stocks in the North Sea, there are many more mature fish now than there were in the 1980s, when the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy was introduced.”

Mixed Picture Across Other Stocks

Alongside the cod reduction, smaller quota cuts have been agreed for haddock and plaice in the North Sea and Skagerrak, both of which remain at historically high levels.

More concern has been expressed over saithe, where the quota is reduced by almost 25 per cent. At the same time, quotas for North Sea herring and mackerel are also being cut significantly.

Despite this, DFPO points out that most cod-related species are in good condition. Whiting, in particular, will see a 42 per cent increase in quota in 2026.

Management Defended As Evidence-Based

DFPO argues that the 2026 quota package demonstrates that fisheries management is working as intended.

“The quota setting for cod fisheries in 2026 shows that responsible management of fish stocks is functioning,” Andersen said. “We protect the stocks, harvest them responsibly and take account of the biological safe limits recommended by science.”

Call For More Balanced Fisheries Debate

The Danish organisation also warned against what it sees as a growing narrative that there are no fish left in the sea.

Andersen said Europe’s food supply should be higher on the political agenda and called for a more balanced debate around fishing. “It is a fact that there are still many fish in the North Sea and Skagerrak that we can and should harvest,” he said. “These are among the healthiest, most climate-friendly and least environmentally damaging foods we can eat. The idea that there are no fish left simply isn’t true.”

He added that fisheries management is more effective than its public reputation suggests, pointing to the Common Fisheries Policy and quota cooperation between the EU, Norway and the UK as evidence of responsible, coordinated stock management.

Industry Sees Benefits In Current Approach

DFPO maintains that the current approach benefits consumers, the marine environment and the fishing industry alike, even if short-term sacrifices are required.

According to Andersen, the combination of science-based advice and international cooperation shows that there is political will to manage fish stocks responsibly, despite continued pressure on individual fisheries.

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