Six-party London consultations on 2027 Atlantic mackerel quota, ICES recommends cap of 352,938 tonnes

London — Government delegations from the six coastal states — the UK, EU, Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland — held multilateral consultations from 20 to 22 October 2026 at the headquarters of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), with the aim of negotiating and determining the political allocation of fishing opportunities for Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in the 2027 fishing season. Participation in the negotiations was limited to these six parties, which hold direct fishing interests and operate fleets in the North-East Atlantic.

The technical framework for the negotiations comes from the formal advice issued by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). According to industry sources, ICES does not take part in the London meeting as a negotiating party; its role is strictly limited to that of an independent scientific advisory body responsible for assessing stock status and proposing biological catch limits. For 2027, ICES recommends a total allowable catch (TAC) cap of 352,938 tonnes. That figure represents a recovery from recent historical lows but remains below the actual catch expected for 2026.

ICES technical assessment sheets for Subareas 1 to 8, Subarea 14 and Divisions 9.a, 12.a and 12.b show a spawning-stock biomass (SSB) of 3.2 million tonnes in 2026, projected to rise to 3.34 million tonnes by 2028 with the support of recruitment. Following adjustments to the assessment model, the current stock estimate is 4.5% above the biological limit reference point (B_lim), and the stock-collapse scenario raised in the preliminary 2025 assessment has been ruled out.

The core dispute in the consultations is how to reconcile demands for access to fishing grounds with historical catch shares. The earlier four-party framework comprising the UK, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland excluded the EU pelagic fleet, causing the parties' unilaterally set quotas to add up to a systematic overshoot of the scientific conservation limit. Advisory bodies including the Pelagic Advisory Council have called on the six coastal states to abandon unilateral quota allocation and reach a comprehensive multi-year sharing mechanism that strictly complies with ICES biological reference points.

The technical and political consultations at NEAFC headquarters in London are scheduled to formally conclude on 22 October 2026; as of now, the six parties have not announced a binding allocation agreement.