Northeast Atlantic Coastal States Set 2027 Total Quotas for Blue Whiting and Herring, Allocation Agreement Falls Through Again

Coastal states of the Northeast Atlantic met in London in October 2026 and agreed to set 2027 fishing quotas for blue whiting and herring in accordance with International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) scientific advice, but the parties still failed to reach agreement on how the quotas should be allocated among coastal states.

ICES published its advice on several Northeast Atlantic pelagic stocks in early October 2026. Among them, the advised catch for blue whiting in 2027 was 1,064,191 metric tons, up from the 851,344 metric tons advised for 2026; the advised volume for herring rose to 588,004 metric tons, a 10% increase over the previous year's advice. After meeting in London, Norway, the EU, the UK, the Faroe Islands and Iceland agreed to use these figures as the unilateral quotas for 2027.

Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy Marianne Sivertsen Næss said in a press release that the coastal states had now agreed on quotas in line with the management plan and scientific advice, providing a good basis for sustainable management and for further efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement on stock allocation. According to the Norwegian government, the coastal states also agreed to "continue work on a comprehensive coastal state agreement" on the allocation of these stocks; however, according to the agreed record of conclusions from the meeting, the parties have so far not reached agreement on the allocation method.

The record of conclusions from the meeting explicitly states that the delegations "also agreed that the setting of unilateral quotas for 2027 does not in any way mean that any party accepts the level of these quotas." The record said: "The delegations agreed that the parties will reconvene as soon as possible to address the allocation arrangements. All delegations stressed the importance of completing a comprehensive allocation arrangement as soon as possible."

An allocation agreement is precisely the issue that has remained unresolved in the region's fisheries for years. Coastal states have repeatedly agreed to follow ICES advice unilaterally, but have subsequently failed to reach comprehensive allocation arrangements. Although these countries have taken measures to restrict Russia's fishing of certain species in international waters, they have often emerged from lengthy meetings without agreement on the allocation of blue whiting, herring or mackerel.

The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) has now suspended its fishery improvement projects covering blue whiting and herring, concluding that the overfishing problem is not a fisheries problem but a political one. NAPA project lead Rob Blyth-Skyrme said in a press release that NAPA, made up of more than 50 global leaders from retail, aquafeed, foodservice and seafood processing, is calling more urgently than ever for a long-term, science-based management agreement.

Some factions among the coastal states have reached allocation agreements in the past. In 2024, for example, the UK, Norway and the Faroe Islands agreed on a package of fisheries arrangements, but excluded the EU. Blyth-Skyrme said the agreement clearly showed that compromise is possible, but a trilateral agreement that does not include all countries fishing these species is not enough. He said all parties involved in the negotiations on these pelagic stocks must see it through and seek a comprehensive multilateral agreement that can significantly reduce fishing pressure.