EU and UK reach agreement on shared fish quotas

Agreement has been reached between the EU and UK on quotas for shared stocks next year.

The deal covers all whitefish stocks including Haddock, Cod, Whiting, Monkfish, Prawns, Sole and Plaice as well as other stocks including Horse Mackerel and Herring.

Minister Charlie McConalogue says the negotiations with the UK on the fishing quotas began in early November and have proven very difficult.

He says he is satisfied that the overall agreement is balanced, but acknowleges like all agreements, it involved compromises.

Release in full –

McConalogue welcomes EU-UK agreement on fish quotas for 2022

 

“Agreement on Fish Quotas gives certainty to Irish fishers for the coming year”

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., today welcomed the agreement between the EU and the UK on Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for shared stocks in 2022.  This agreement covers all our whitefish stocks including Haddock, Cod, Whiting, Monkfish, Prawns, Sole and Plaice and other stocks including Horse Mackerel and Herring.  

The Minister said: “Negotiations with the UK on the fishing quotas began in early November and have proven very difficult, particularly in relation to stocks in the Celtic Sea. The negotiations commenced on the basis of the scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) but there were significant differences between the parties on how the scientific advice should be applied in mixed fisheries. Throughout this process, I worked closely with Commissioner Sinkevičius to protect Ireland’s key interests in these negotiations.  I thank the Commissioner and his negotiating team for their hard work over the last number of weeks.”

The Minister added that: “I had sought that the quotas should be set following the scientific advice and had pressed this point in relation to certain key stocks where the UK took a different position. However, taking account of the need for fishers to have certainty for the coming year, and in the context of what were very difficult and prolonged negotiations and widely diverging views on some stocks, I am satisfied that the Commissioner delivered a balanced overall agreement. Like all agreements, it involved compromises. This agreement will support the sustainable management of our shared stocks and enable fishermen to plan their activities for the year ahead. The agreement sets sustainable quotas for the stocks of interest to Ireland and by-catch only quotas for vulnerable stocks in mixed fisheries.” 

The Minister added: “Having this agreement in place before the end of the year will provide much needed stability and certainty for the fishing industry.  My priority now is to ensure that the Hague Preferences, which increase Ireland’s quotas for our traditional stocks such as Cod, Whiting, Sole and Plaice, when the TAC is set at a low level, are applied to the relevant stocks in the final EU Regulation that gives effect to this agreement. The EU/UK Agreement determines the overall level of the EU share for the coming year and there is then a further internal EU step required to determine the detailed national quotas for each stock. That work is under way but will take more time.”

The Presidency of the EU Council has clarified that the formal regulation on fishing opportunities for 2022 – including the amendment containing the final quotas – will be finalised by the Council’s legal and linguistic experts, following which it will be formally adopted by the Council and published in the Official Journal. The provisions will apply retroactively as of 1st  January 2022.

ENDS

 

Note for Editors:

 

Preliminary Analysis of 2022 TACs for EU stocks shared with UK

 

Note: The quotas below have not been formally adopted by the Commission yet and are based on Department’s analysis  only of IE’s quota for 2022 for stocks shared with the UK.

Hague Preferences have been included for the relevant stocks – Hague Preferences must be agreed and adopted by Council.

The table below only includes the stocks shared with the UK only.

 

    2021 2022
SPECIES AREA Overall TAC IE Quota Overall TAC IE Quota
           
Tusk (Western) 5,6,7 4,294 238 4,294 238
Greater silver smelt 3 and 4 809 5 809 5
Greater silver smelt 5, 6 and 7 3,729 262 11,626 821
Boarfish (all waters) 19,152 13,234 22,791 15,749
Herring 5b and 6b; 6aN (1) 3,480 478 3,480 470
Herring 7bc ; 6aS (1) 1,360 1,236 1,360 1,236
Herring 7a (1) 7,341 808 8,455 719
Herring 7g, 7h, 7j and 7k (1) 869 750 869 750
Cod 6b 5b 12 and 14 74 16 74 14
Cod 6a 5b 1,279 243 1,279 220
Cod 7a 206 104 206 104
Cod 7b-c,e-k, 8, 9 & 10; & 34.1.1 805 422 644 338
Megrims 6;  5b; 12 and 14 5,225 600 5,581 627
Megrims 7 18,365 2,844 18,916 2,827
Monkfish 6;  5b; 12 and 14 6,377 562 5,102 439
Monkfish 7 38,123 2,775 41,173 2,977
Haddock 6b; 12 and 14 8,375 570 5,825 386
Haddock 5b and 6a 4,767 648 5,006 682
Haddock 7b-k, 8, 9 and 10;  34.1.1 15,000 2,959 15,000 2,920
Haddock 7a 3,371 1,322 3,038 1,171
Whiting 6;  5b;  12 and 14 937 299 1,800 561
Whiting 7a 721 280 721 274
Whiting 7b – 7k 10,259 3,916 10,273 3,972
Hake 6 and 7; 5b; 12 and 14 55,335 2,989 44,268 2,383
Blue Ling 5b, 6, 7 11,522 32 10,859 30
Blue Ling 2 and 4 27 2 27 2
Ling 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 18,356 1,301 15,052 1,059
Norway lobster 6; 5b 14,592 202 11,862 160
Norway lobster 7 18,026 6,102 17,038 5,682
Norway lobster FU16 3,290 1,194 2,804 1,016
Plaice 6, 5b ; 12 and 14 658 248 658 248
Plaice 7a 2,846 1,069 2,747 1,031
Plaice 7f and 7g 1,911 240 1,735 237
Plaice 7h, 7j and 7k 67 28 114 47
Pollack 6; 5b; 12 and 14 184 26 156 22
Pollack 7 9,426 680 8,012 572
Saithe 6; 5b; 12 and 14 6,175 369 4,664 353
Saithe 7, 8, 9 and 10;  34.1.1 3,176 1,493 2,541 1,404
Skates/Rays 6a, 6b, 7a-c 7e-k 9,675 1,210 9,482 1,177
Small-eyed Ray 7f and 7g 123 12 123 12
Undulate Ray 7d and 7e 234 25 234 25
Greenland Halibut 6;4;2a;5b 2,571 29 2,571 29
Common sole 6; 5b ; 12 and 14 57 46 57 46
Common sole 7a 768 104 787 105
Common sole 7f and 7g 1,413 42 1,337 39
Common sole 7h, 7j, and 7k 280 126 213 95
Horse mackerel 4b, 4c, 7d 14,014 330 8,969 202
Horse mackerel 2a, 4a, 6, 7a-c, 7e-k, 8a,b,d,e ,5b, 12, 14 70,254 17,561 61,416 15,737
Spurdog+ 1,5,6,7,8,12,14 270 48 270 47

+ only as part of an approved by-catch avoidance scheme.

 

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