Agreement reached on NE Atlantic mackerel catch for 2023

The UK, EU, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway have agreed that 782,066 tonnes of mackerel should be caught in the north-east Atlantic in 2023. This corresponds with the advice of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and means a decrease from the quota for 2022, which was 794,920 tonnes.

The delegations noted that they had conducted several rounds of negotiations in 2022 to agree a new suite of management measures for the stock in 2023 and beyond, including a “comprehensive, inclusive and long-term quota-sharing arrangement and a new long term management strategy.”

They agreed that concluding such arrangements was of the utmost importance, and that they should continue to work together intensively on these matters with the aim of reaching an agreement as soon as practicable.

They agreed that they would continue to meet several times in February and March 2023 to take forward their consultations, which would take place in London and Nuuk (Greenland). They further agreed on a hard deadline of 31 March 2023 for final agreement. The delegations also agreed that the UK would continue to lead these consultations until 31 March.

A statement said: “The delegations agreed, that in anticipation of agreeing a new suite of management measures, they would each initially set quotas for 2023 at levels which would contribute to a conducive environment for the conclusion of their consultations. Delegations shall inform each other of the quotas set ahead of resuming these consultations.”