A dispute over how best to manage pelagic stocks in Northeast Atlantic fisheries has raged for over a decade, but the European nations involved in the debate don't appear any closer to a solution.
Disagreements surrounding Northeast Atlantic mackerel started around 2010, and since then, no mackerel agreement has encompassed all coastal nations engaged in the region’s mackerel fisheries. The E.U., Norway, and the Faroe Islands had a deal for mackerel quota from 2014 to 2020, but the U.K. left the E.U., the deal fell through, and Brexit has continued to complicate negotiations since.
In the absence of an agreement, there have been frequent allegations of overfishing, not only regarding mackerel but also for the Northeast Atlantic’s two other major pelagic species: herring and whiting. Even though the coastal states generally agree on the scientific advice on the fish stocks, data has repeatedly shown that they end up fishing much more of their share of quota than the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommends.
The issue is while as a collective the countries agree on what the quotas should be, they later disagree on how to divide that quota. From 2010 to 2022, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the E.U., and the U.K. combined fished between 66 and 86 percent more than recommended between 2010 and 2022, as reported by The Guardian, WDR, and Süddeutche Zeitung.
The stocks have so far remained relatively resilient, but scientists worry about the fisheries' future if the countries continue infighting and fishing above scientific advice.
After a panel at the Our Ocean Decade Event in Athens, Greece, which took place in April, Charlina Vitcheva, the director of the E.U.’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG Mare), said quota increases implemented by Norway and the Faroe Islands represented a step away from the sustainable management of the stock.
“It's a shame,” Vitcheva said. “These two countries are trying to capitalize now by unilaterally increasing their quota.”
Iceland, the U.K., and the E.U. have been more prudent in its management strategies, but the Faroe Islands and Norway have acted irresponsibly and are directly to blame for the fish stock's loss of its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Blue Label for sustainable fisheries, Vitcheva said.
"They are damaging everyone with their actions," she said.
Upon request for further comment, a spokesperson for the European Commission said Norway and the Faroe Islands have actively rejected calls for collaboration that heeds scientific advice.
“While the Commission called on both Norway and the Faroe Islands to return to the 2014 sharing arrangement, this was rejected by both parties,” the spokesperson said. “In the meantime, the E.U. has set consistent and predictable quota shares in line with its quota under the previous sharing arrangement.”
The situation also worries MSC Northern Europe Regional Director Erin Priddle.
She said all coastal states must take responsibility for reducing the catch in their combined fisheries in order to maintain MSC certification.
"From an MSC perspective, no particular country is to blame," she said. "At the end of the day, it's the responsibility of these wealthy data-rich nations to be able to make a political negotiation that ensures that these stocks have quota allocations that are in line with scientific advice.”
The Northeast Atlantic mackerel, Atlanto-Scandian herring, and Blue Whiting fisheries all lost MSC certification due to the species' quotas exceeding advice from ICES.
Another organization lobbying for a new agreement is the North Atlantic Pelagic Association (NAPA), an NGO sporting such partners as supermarket chains Tesco and Aldi, as well as salmon-farming firm Mowi. Together, these big buyers of pelagic fish have promised to reconsider buying them if relevant countries keep fishing unsustainably.
"NAPA has always seen this as a collective responsibility. It's the responsibility of all parties to agree on quotas in line with scientific advice. So far, that hasn't happened," NAPA Project Leader Neil Auchterlonie said.
Fisheries organizations have also expressed concern about the status of the mackerel stock, with the Irish Fish Producers Organization also placing blame on Iceland for the current problems facing the region.
At the 2024 Seafood Expo Global, which took place 23 to 25 April in Barcelona, Spain, Faroe Islands Fisheries Minister Dennis Holm said he is apprehensive about the lack of agreement on the distribution of herring. He said the Faroe Islands would be willing to reduce its quota if it obtained access to areas further from its exclusive economic zone where the fish is often in better shape.
"To reach an agreement, all the parties have to show responsibility," he said. "We want an agreement with a fair share of the quota and access to fish in neighboring countries.”
