EU pelagic industry position paper on fishing opportunities and Coastal States negotiations for pelagic stocks for 2026

Pelagic Fisheries

You can find the position paper here: EAPO-NPWG position paper fishing opportunities 2026

MAIN POINTS

• A dire year ahead for EU pelagic fishers: mackerel, blue whiting and North Sea herring fishing opportunities all falling significantly due to external or natural factors.
• No sharing arrangements, no fish – this is now close to reality for mackerel fishers. Highest priority should be given to reaching agreement on comprehensive sharing arrangements for mackerel, blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring, based on genuine historic track records and interest. Targeted EU market actions against excessive, unjustified unilateral quotas to avoid the collapse of the main EU pelagic fishery are overdue and critical.
• Support for an emergency sharing arrangement for mackerel, which should then be derived from the previous sharing arrangement and additionally include provisions to limit catches in international waters and to ensure these are accounted for.
• Support for the TACs advised by ICES for mackerel (-70%, 174 357 tonnes), Atlanto-Scandian herring (+33%, 533 914 tonnes), western horse mackerel (-1.8%, 74 214 tonnes) and greater silversmelt (-2.8%, 18 441 tonnes).
• If the mackerel TAC is set in line with the ICES advice, EU catches in 2026 will still be scientifically responsible, as will selling, buying and eating that catch; this should be actively communicated by the EU, its Member States and stakeholders.
• ICES assessment for blue whiting (-41%, 851 344 tonnes) shows an impactful imperfection; call for blue whiting TAC decrease to be capped at 20%, in the context of the long-term management strategy.
• ICES assessment for boarfish (-22%, 29 720 tonnes) is driven by a single data point and does not reflect the reality on the fishing grounds; call for a review of the survey data and the possibility of an in-year revision to the advice.
• For North Sea horse mackerel (zero-catch advice by ICES), follow the advice, but also establish a rebuilding plan and, crucially, set a monitoring TAC to ensure continuation of data coming in for future stock assessment, including from the industry, through the most suitable fishing techniques.
• For North Sea herring, managers are urged to establish a long-term management strategy that limits interannual variability of the TAC and limits sustainability risks to the stock. Industry position on TAC to be taken after upcoming publication of further ICES advice on long-term management scenarios.

General

The EU pelagic industry is facing a perfect storm in 2026, with huge TAC cuts on the horizon for many important stocks. A cocktail of unfortunate natural factors, imperfect scientific assessments and irresponsible behaviour by other Coastal States will bring fishers and other parts of the fish value chain into great trouble. While the industry considers it essential to base stock management decisions on the best available science, we also explicitly ask decision-makers to fulfil their duties to take into account socio-economic impact.

The document can also be consulted on the EAPO website under ‘publications’.

Date Posted: 3rd October 2025