Spain and Ireland defend EU historical mackerel rights as dispute grows over TAC reductions and quota shares.
Spain and Ireland have reaffirmed a shared position defending the European Union’s historical share of Northeast Atlantic mackerel during a ministerial meeting held by videoconference on 05 March.
According to a statement from Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spanish Minister Luis Planas and Irish Minister of State for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Timmy Dooley agreed to continue pressing coastal states to respect what they describe as the EU’s historic rights in the allocation of mackerel.
The dispute centres on the annual total allowable catch (TAC) for mackerel in the Northeast Atlantic and the share allocated to the EU compared with other coastal states, including Norway, the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Russia.
Negotiations between these parties have yet to produce an agreement on the TAC for 2026, leaving management of one of the region’s most commercially valuable pelagic species in continuing uncertainty.
Coastal States Agreement Raises EU Concerns
The current tensions stem from an agreement reached by several coastal states in December which reduced the percentage of the overall mackerel quota historically allocated to the European Union.
Under that deal, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and the United Kingdom set a lower overall reduction in the TAC for the period 2026–2028 than the EU considers appropriate.
Scientific advice from International Council for the Exploration of the Sea recommended a 70 percent reduction in catches under the most precautionary scenario. The European Union applied that full reduction when setting its own fishing limits.
By contrast, the coastal states’ agreement adopted a 48 percent reduction, reflecting a less conservative interpretation of the scientific advice.
The allocation arrangement contained within the coastal states’ agreement has also triggered concern in Brussels and among EU member states. The deal assigns 80 percent of the available quota to the coastal states themselves, leaving only 20 percent for the European Union, Greenland and Russia.
Prior to the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU, the Union’s share of the stock had been close to 23 percent. Spanish officials argue that the revised distribution effectively breaks with the historic allocation principle that previously governed the fishery.
Highly Migratory Stock Complicates Management
Mackerel is a highly migratory species whose distribution spans the waters of multiple countries across the Northeast Atlantic. As a result, effective management depends on coordinated agreements between the European Union and the relevant coastal states.
These negotiations have long been complex, but they have become increasingly contentious in recent years as several coastal states have introduced unilateral increases to their national quotas.
The situation has complicated attempts to establish a unified TAC for the stock and has raised repeated concerns within the EU about long-term sustainability and equitable access.
Within the European Union itself, the overall quota agreed by coastal states is normally divided among member states according to the principle of relative stability, which allocates shares based on historical fishing activity.
Spain Moves Ahead With National Allocation
Despite the lack of an international agreement for 2026, Spain has proceeded with the internal allocation of its national mackerel quota to the fleet.
The Spanish Ministry confirmed that Spain’s fleet will have access to a total of 9,475 tonnes of mackerel for the year. This figure includes 5,907 tonnes allocated through the EU Council decision, supplemented by quota flexibility mechanisms and exchanges with other EU member states.
Mackerel remains a key species for Spain’s pelagic fleet, with around 95 percent of the catch typically taken during a short seasonal fishery concentrated between March and April.
The Spanish government emphasised that the outcome of the ongoing negotiations with coastal states will ultimately determine the stability of the fishery and the long-term balance of quota distribution across the region.
For now, Madrid and Dublin appear determined to present a unified position within the European Union as negotiations over the management of the stock continue.
