Management of shared fish stocks: coastal state agreed records 2025
Agreed records of coastal state consultations on the management of shared stocks in the north-east Atlantic in 2025.
Agreed record of fisheries consultations between the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands for mackerel fishing in 2025
1. A Delegation from the United Kingdom, headed by Colin Faulkner, and a Delegation from the Faroe Islands, headed by Herluf Sigvaldsson, met in London on 17 December 2024, and subsequently, to consult on mutual fisheries relations for 2025. A list of participants is attached in Annex 1.
2. The Delegations recalled the Framework Agreement on Fisheries between the Government of the Faroe Islands and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed in Copenhagen on 29 October 2020 ("the Framework Agreement"). They recalled the principles which underpin their close cooperation as set out in Article 1 of that agreement.
3. The Delegations also recalled the Agreed Record of Fisheries Consultations between the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom on the management of mackerel in the North-East Atlantic which they had signed on 17 June 2024 (the “Agreed Record of 17 June 2024”) alongside the Agreed Record of Fisheries Consultations between the Faroe Islands, Norway and the United Kingdom on the management of mackerel in the North-East Atlantic. They welcomed the consequential and much-needed reduction in fishing pressure on the stock as compared to 2021, 2022 and 2023. They committed themselves to playing their part in 2025 in reaching a comprehensive quota-sharing arrangement for the stock.
4. The Delegations further recalled the Agreed Record of Fisheries Consultations between the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for 2024, which they had signed on 4 March 2024 alongside the Technical Annexes to the Agreed Record of Consultations on Fisheries between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands (the “2024 Technical Annexes”). They further noted that the Fisheries Consultations between them on quota exchanges for demersal stocks for 2025, and associated fisheries management issues, were on-going.
5. The Delegations noted the importance of facilitating both the smooth implementation of those agreements and mackerel fishing in the UK zone from as early as practicable in the 2025 calendar year. In that regard, the Delegations agreed to recommend to their respective authorities as the measures outlined in this Agreed Record.
5.1 First, the Delegations agreed to exchange quotas for two stocks, as set out in Table 1.
5.2 Second, the Delegations noted their strong cooperation in 2024 in implementing the relevant technical arrangements that apply to vessels fishing in the waters of the other Party, as set out in the Agreed Record of 17 June 2024 and the 2024 Technical Annexes. They further agreed that those measures have shown themselves to be effective during 2024 but noted that the provisions of those annexes would expire on 31 December 2024. Therefore, they agreed that the measures set out in the Agreed Record of 17 June 2024 and the 2024 Technical Annexes should continue to apply until the Agreed Record on quota exchanges for demersal stocks for 2025 and associated 2025 Technical Annexes are finalised and published separately. Additional monitoring measures relating to the implementation of the mackerel agreement are outlined in Annex 3. These measures replace the equivalent measures agreed in the Agreed Record of 17 June 2024 and the 2024 Technical Annexes, with all other measures remaining in place.
5.3 Third, they noted paragraph 8.1 of their Agreed Record of 17 June 2024 which stated that the Faroe Islands would supply the UK with monthly catch statistics of mackerel fishing by its vessels in the UK Exclusive Economic Zone. They agreed that in 2025 the Faroe Islands would supply the UK with mackerel catch statistics on a weekly basis and that both Parties’ respective experts should work together closely to monitor catches in the first quarter of 2025. The procedure for the submission of catch statistics is outlined in Annex 2.
5.4 Fourth, the Delegations agreed to establish a joint Compliance Forum within the framework of their bilateral arrangements on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance. The Compliance Forum would be tasked with strengthening those bilateral arrangements and with facilitating joint efforts on relevant issues, such as strategic and operational risk-management (risk-assessment, risk handling and evaluation) and information-sharing. The Delegations agreed that members of the forum should work together closely to ensure that the incidental by-catch of non-target species in UK waters was minimised to the greatest extent possible. The forum should intend to meet in person or virtually once in 2025 and consider if this meeting can be scheduled alongside other meetings to best utilise resources. The forum should provide to the Delegations an update on its work including any potential policy proposals on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance measures well in advance of their bilateral consultations for 2026.
5.5 Finally, they agreed that the Parties would engage in consultations early in 2025 with respect to exchanges of quotas for pelagic species to address the issue of Faroese by-catches of North Sea herring in UK waters in 2024.
30 December 2024
For the Delegation of the United Kingdom
Colin Faulkner
For the Delegation of the Faroe Islands
Herluf Sigvaldsson
Exchange of stocks for 2025
|
Species |
ICES Area |
UK stocks for transfer to Faroes (tonnes) |
Faroe stocks for transfer to UK (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
North-East Atlantic mackerel |
UK waters of ICES subareas 1–8 and 14, and Division 9.a. |
- |
190 |
|
North Sea Autumn Spawning Herring[1] |
4 |
375 |
- |
[1] No directed fisheries are permitted under this quota. Exclusively for bycatch purposes in the mackerel fishery in UK waters.
Annex 1 - list of participants
United Kingdom
Colin Faulkner (Head of Delegation)
Catherine Perez
Molly Weiland
Jacob Hawkins
Lauren Reid
Catherine Whitby
Kate Smithers
Richard Nash
Faroe Islands
Herluf Sigvaldsson (Head of Delegation)
Ingibjørg Petersen
Petur Meinhard Jacobsen
Jan Klein Olsen
Kate Sanderson
Stefan í Skorini
Annex 2 - Catch statistics submissions for mackerel
1.1 Specific arrangements for the reporting of weekly catch statistics from landing data corresponding to fishing activities by Faroese vessels targeting mackerel in UK waters are as follows.
1.2 Parties will use the live catch weights recorded by vessels for limit utilisation and catch statistic submissions. If any update is required after landing data is received to a previously submitted report, these changes will be sent when available.
1.3 The Faroese authorities will submit the weekly catch reports using the structure in Appendix 1. Submissions will be no later than the end of the following week to which the statistic relates.
1.4 The Delegations decided that the Faroe Islands will submit daily catch reports when 80% of the access entitlement for mackerel is reached.
1.5 The Faroese authorities will submit catch information to statistics@marinemanagement.org.uk copying UKCatchStatistics@defra.gov.uk and UKFMC@gov.scot.
1.6 The respective authorities will work closely together to agree a procedure for reviewing and exchanging catch reports using the structure in Appendix 1.
1.7 In the case that one Party suspects erroneous catch data, the relevant catch monitoring authority will inform the other Party’s catch monitoring authority. The authorities will cooperate on identifying the error and correct the relevant registers.
1.8 An end of year summary of data will be submitted by the Faroese to the UK to reduce the possibility of erroneous data by end of February 2026. This return will be based on landed catch live weight.
1.9 The Faroese will submit the year summary of final data using the structure in Appendix 1 by the end of January 2026.
Annex 3 - catch and activity reports
2.1 In accordance with paragraph 5.2 of this Agreed Record, the procedures in the 2024 Technical Annexes will continue to apply until the 2025 Technical Annexes are agreed, with the exception of Annex 4, paragraph 3.5 and Appendix 2, paragraph 4 on the Catch on Exit (COX) reporting. This text is replaced, in both instances, by the following:
The master shall send a Catch on Exit (COX) report at least four hours prior to the intention of leaving the waters of the other party. This report may be cancelled or corrected.
Appendix 1
The Microsoft Excel document format, with as many rows as is necessary, will be used for the catch statistics from landing data corresponding to fishing activities by Faroese vessels targeting mackerel in UK waters. The table can be viewed in the attached PDF.
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