UK reaches agreement on North Sea fishing opportunities for 2025

The UK Government has announced the outcome of its fishing negotiations with the EU and Norway today, securing fishing opportunities to North Sea stocks including cod, haddock and herring for the UK fleet.  

A trilateral deal with the EU and Norway has secured UK fisheries over 290,000 tonnes of North Sea stocks, worth up to £310 million based on historic landing prices. The deal agreed catch limits on six fish stocks including cod, haddock and herring in the North Sea and other waters around the UK.   

Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner said: 

This government will always stand up for the British fishing industry, which is the lifeblood of so many communities around our coastline. 

That's why I'm pleased to have secured a deal providing the UK fleet quota for stocks including cod and haddock worth up to £310 million, while maintaining sustainable levels of stocks for the long-term health of our industry.

The opportunities secured by the UK will support a sustainable and economically successful fishing sector, which in turn will back coastal communities by providing local jobs and boost economic growth. 

The agreement also highlights all parties' continued commitment to ensure the long-term sustainability of shared stocks. 

Sustainability is at the heart of the UK's approach to negotiations, pushing for decisions based on the best available science to protect key stocks and support the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry.  

Advice from scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is the starting point for the UK's approach and, where possible, catch limits have been set at or below these advised levels.  Economic and social considerations are appropriately balanced alongside this scientific advice. 

The outcome of annual fisheries negotiations will be published in the Secretary of State determination of fishing opportunities for British boats by the end of the year.   

NOTES TO EDITORS

Stock breakdown

This deal agreed catch limits on six fish stocks including cod, haddock, herring, plaice, saithe and whiting in the North Sea and surrounding waters. 

Cod – Parties agreed to set a TAC for Northern Shelf cod of 25,028 tonnes, a -20% reduction on 2024 levels. This TAC is to be split between the four cod TAC management areas and the UK receives the following quotas: 

• North Sea cod: 9,419 tonnes
• West of Scotland cod: 905 tonnes
• Eastern Channel cod: 107 tonnes

Haddock - Parties agreed to set a TAC for haddock of 112,435 tonnes, a -5% reduction on 2024 levels. This TAC is to be split between the three haddock TAC management areas and the UK receives the following quotas:  

• North Sea haddock: 62,128 tonnes
• West of Scotland haddock: 8,610 tonnes

Herring - Parties agreed to set a TAC for the herring A fleet of 388,542 tonnes, a -24% reduction on 2024 levels. Levels for the other fleets were agreed at: B fleet - 7,716 tonnes, C fleet - 22,793 tonnes, and D fleet - 6,659 tonnes. The UK receives the following quotas: 

• North Sea herring: 75,345 tonnes
• Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel herring: 5,278 tonnes
• North Sea herring (bycatch): 140 tonnes

Plaice - Parties agreed to set a TAC for plaice of 176,593 tonnes, a 14% increase on 2024 levels. This TAC is to be split between the two plaice TAC management areas and the UK receives the following quotas:       

• North Sea plaice: 41,228 tonnes

Saithe - Parties agreed to set a TAC for plaice of 79,071 tonnes, a 7% increase on 2024 levels. This TAC is to be split between the two saithe TAC management areas and the UK receives the following quotas:       

• North Sea saithe: 8,940 tonnes
• West of Scotland saithe: 3,791 tonnes

Whiting - Parties agreed to set a TAC for whiting of 139,425 tonnes, a 46% increase on 2024 levels. This TAC is to be split between the two whiting TAC management areas and the UK receives the following quotas:       

• North Sea whiting: 74,030 tonnes
• Whiting 7d: 3,106tonnes

Outcome of UK/EU/Norway trilateral negotiations:  

The Agreed Records for the UK, EU and Norway trilateral negotiations can be found on gov.uk.

Further negotiations on bilateral agreements with the EU, Norway and the Faroe Islands are continuing. 

Values based on full uptake of fishing opportunities and provisional 2023 landing prices. All figures are rounded and may change slightly once a full analysis has been completed.