Marine Scotland welcomes Coastal States agreement setting 2026 TACs, cutting cod, fixing herring strategy and shaping fishing industry returns. Photo: SPFA
Agreement Valued At £540m Masks Tight Controls
Marine Scotland has welcomed the conclusion of annual Coastal States negotiations, which have set 2026 fishing opportunities worth an estimated £540 million to Scotland, although key stocks face continued restraint and, in some cases, severe reductions.
Total Allowable Catches for 2026 have been set following negotiations involving the UK, EU, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. According to the outcome, TACs take account of scientific advice, socioeconomic considerations and, where applied, constraints designed to soften large year-on-year changes that could destabilise the fishing industry and markets.
The number of TACs for key Scottish stocks set at or below Maximum Sustainable Yield, or headline scientific advice, remains unchanged from 2025, signalling little overall easing of pressure on fleets despite the headline value of the package.
Northern Shelf Cod Faces Severe Reduction
One of the most significant outcomes concerns Northern Shelf cod, where trilateral negotiations between the UK, EU and Norway resulted in a package of restrictive measures aimed at stock recovery.
The TAC for 2026 was cut by 44% compared to 2025, reflecting the Fmsy catch scenario for the two northern substocks and headline advice for the southern substock. The parties agreed a series of management changes, including updates to Real Time Closures schemes, extended spawning closures and new limits on how much quota can be taken in EU and UK waters of the southern North Sea.
In longer-term terms, the three parties committed to developing a Long Term Management Strategy for Northern Shelf cod, with further measures to be reviewed through the trilateral cod management working group.
North Sea Herring Strategy Locked In
A Long Term Management Strategy was agreed for North Sea herring, alongside the introduction of a new single-fleet management model. Under the strategy, the TAC for 2026 has been set at 328,566 tonnes.
The UK will hold an initial share of 19.3% of the TAC and will receive an additional 0.2% transfer from Norway in exchange for increased Norwegian access to UK waters. This brings the UK’s net share to 19.5% of the total TAC.
For remaining trilateral whitefish stocks, TACs were set within headline scientific advice, with joint actions to be progressed during 2026.
UK-EU Deal Covers More Than 80 Stocks
Bilateral negotiations between the UK and the EU concluded with TACs agreed for more than 80 jointly managed stocks in the North Sea and west of Scotland.
The agreement covers key Scottish stocks including nephrops, monkfish, Rockall haddock and cod, as well as West of Scotland whiting, cod and haddock. In addition to catch limits, a suite of management measures and commitments will be progressed through the UK-EU Specialised Committee on Fisheries during 2026.
These include measures relating to spurdog, skate and rays, and ling, areas where management discussions have been ongoing and politically sensitive.
Pelagic Agreements With Coastal States
Separate agreements were reached in December on key pelagic stocks. The UK, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway agreed a new and enhanced arrangement on mackerel on 16 December, while separate agreements were concluded for blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring.
In both cases, TACs were set in line with headline scientific advice, continuing a cautious approach following years of international dispute over pelagic quota shares.
Access Deals With Norway And Faroe Islands
Bilateral negotiations between the UK and Norway concluded with agreement to continue quota exchanges and reciprocal access arrangements that have been in place since 2022.
These agreements allow Scottish vessels to fish stocks such as cod, haddock and Atlanto-Scandian herring in Norwegian waters, delivering an estimated £15 million in demersal opportunities and £7 million in pelagic opportunities to the UK.
A separate bilateral agreement with the Faroe Islands was concluded at the end of 2025. The structure mirrors previous years, with the UK providing the Faroe Islands with quota for Greenland halibut and NAFO 3L cod. Early agreement allows Scottish vessels access to Faroese grounds to fish cod, haddock and saithe, worth around £4 million to the UK.
NEAFC Measures And Next Steps
The annual meeting of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission took place in November, with measures adopted for stocks including Atlanto-Scandian herring and Rockall haddock, alongside a range of control and enforcement measures.
While concluded agreements are now published, allocations of quota to individual producer organisations and vessels will not be made until later in the year, leaving fishermen with headline figures but limited immediate clarity on how opportunities will translate at vessel level.
