NEAFC meeting ends in deadlock as members reject EU proposals to set mackerel and blue whiting quotas by scientific advice, risking severe overfishing
The European Union has expressed deep concern following the 44th Annual Meeting of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) in London, which concluded from 11 to 14 November 2025 without agreement on crucial sustainability measures.
The meeting saw predominant resistance from contracting parties to proposals aimed at ending severe overfishing and tackling illegal fishing, leading the EU to regret the collective failure to manage stocks based on scientific advice.
Mackerel and Blue Whiting Stocks Remain at Risk
The most immediate threat concerns mackerel, the North-East Atlantic’s most important stock, which is already below the minimum sustainability level advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
Despite this alarming status, most NEAFC members opposed the EU’s proposal to set the total allowable catch (TAC) for mackerel in line with the ICES scientific advice. The EU warned that this opposition will lead to severe overfishing of the stock.
Furthermore, the annual meeting failed to achieve a sharing arrangement for blue whiting, a stock already deemed severely overfished.
This deadlock occurred despite the EU’s proposal to strictly adhere to the scientific advice for this vulnerable species. The absence of a collective commitment to set fishing limits based on science undermines the NEAFC’s core responsibility for the long-term conservation of fishery resources.
Fight Against Illegal Fishing Undermined by Transhipment Stance
The EU also faced significant resistance on measures to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing. The meeting ended without support to ban transhipment—the practice of transferring catch between vessels at sea. This activity is already forbidden in the national waters of most NEAFC members, including the EU and UK waters.
The EU warned that the failure to ban transhipment in the wider NEAFC area gravely undermines the fight against IUU fishing and the sustainability of North-East Atlantic fish stocks. Adding to this concern was a predominant resistance to deploying the necessary inspection means to effectively control transhipment practices, which risks further deteriorating the situation in the area.
NEAFC, which includes the European Union, Norway, Iceland, the Russian Federation, the UK, and Denmark (on behalf of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), is the regional body responsible for adopting management and control measures in the region.
The EU, which is one of the most prominent actors in Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) worldwide, will continue to reach out to partners to try and secure a common approach based on scientific evidence.
