About: fishing quotas

Norway’s block on EU fishing vessels keeps Danish boats in port

Norway is withholding permits for British and most EU fishing vessels to catch fish in its North Sea waters while post-Brexit talks between Norway, the EU and Britain are ongoing, leaving many Danish fishing vessels moored idly in ports.

Belgium dusts off 1666 charter for post-Brexit fishing rights

Belgium may resort to a 17th century charter granted by a British king to retain fishing rights in Britain's coastal waters if London and the European Union fail to agree a trade deal by the end of this year.

When will Denmark stop overfishing and start enforcing the rules?

Denmark has become the worst perpetrator of Baltic overfishing over the last years, putting in serious danger entire species, such as the Baltic’s iconic cod, warns Rebecca Hubbard.

Ireland emerges as big winner of fisheries Council

Fisheries ministers pulled an all-nighter to reach an agreement on fishing limits for 2018, giving Ireland more a €20m windfall. The Council says progress has been made to achieve sustainable management of fish stocks but NGOs say the new limits are above scientific advice. And the industry was caught gate-crashing, again.

Council and Parliament agree on ‘flexible’ fishing limits for North Sea

EU member states and Norway reached a preliminary agreement with the European Parliament late on Thursday night (7 December) on fishing limits in the North Sea ahead of next week's Fisheries Council.

Disgraceful behaviour by the EU at high-level tuna meeting in Marrakesh

While claiming to fight for the oceans and put sustainability first, the European Commission is pushing for the largest total allowable catches of bluefin tuna ever seen, without a solid scientific basis, write Linnéa Engström, Ricardo Serrão Santos and Norica Nicolai.

EU fishermen weigh in on Brexit tug-of-war

On Monday (23 October) 60 coastal communities from nine EU countries called on EU negotiators to secure EU fishermen’s interests in Brexit talks, as the UK seeks to take fisheries out of the final deal.

All fish sold in the EU must be of high standard

The European Commission needs to work out more effective rules to ensure that only fish meeting high social and environmental standards can enter the EU market, as well as a better implementation of the EU control regime in general, argue Linnéa Engström and Javier Garat.

Fishing for trouble: How Europe is losing money by overfishing

Replenishing Europe’s fishing stocks could create thousands of jobs and boost the EU's GDP by €4.9 billion per year, a new study says, but environmental activists warn that governments lack the political will to implement EU guidelines on sustainable fishing.

EU fishing boats can operate in UK waters after Brexit, says Gove

The UK's environment minister has told the Danish fishing industry that boats from EU countries will still be able to operate in British waters after Brexit, as the UK does not have enough capacity to catch and process all its fish alone. EURACTIV's partner The Guardian reports.

New fishing deals with Mauritania and Liberia approved

The European Parliament has approved a new fisheries agreement with Mauritania and Liberia. Spain is set to be a big beneficiary of the plan. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Galician fishermen share concerns with MEPs

MEPs that travelled to the north-western Spanish region of Galicia have presented their findings and concerns about the area’s all-important fishing industry to the fisheries committee of the European Parliament. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Baltic fisheries plan promises ‘sustainable fish stocks’

European Union institutions came to an agreement Wednesday (16 March) to implement a multi-year fisheries plan for the Baltic Sea: the first of its kind since the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was reformed. However, the plan’s actual promotion of sustainability has been questioned.

Spanish fishermen go on pilgrimage to protest law change

Thousands of people braved the Spanish rain to protest in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela over the regional government's alleged betrayal of its all-important fishing industry.

Spain in favour of redistributing unused fishing quotas

Spain's Minister for Agriculture, Isabel García Tejerina, called for unused fishing quotas to be "redistributed" to other countries, during a Council of Ministers meeting on Monday (15 February).

Spain to try their luck and push for increased fish quotas

Spain intends to ask for fishing quotas to be increased for 2016, as it believes that fish stocks are stable enough to support it. EURACTIV's partner EFE reports.

EU moves step closer to ban on deep-sea trawler fishing

After years of setbacks, trawler fishing at depths of over 800 metres may finally be banned by the EU. Our partner Journal de l'Environnement reports. 

The fight against illegal fishing: The EU’s role in a global challenge

The EU not only has a great responsibility to demonstrate legal and sustainable seafood supply chains to its consumers. It must ensure that its access to abundant seafood does not rob more vulnerable communities, of their own, writes Eszter Hidas.

Iceland officially drops EU membership bid

Iceland yesterday (12 March) announced it was dropping its bid to join the European Union, in line with pledges made by its Eurosceptic government after its election two years ago.

EU’s Baltic fishing plan is a first step, but with serious flaws

The EU's new multi-year plan for managing Baltic commercial fish stocks is an important step towards more sustainable fisheries, but with flaws that need urgent attention, write researchers at the Baltic Eye think tank, at Stockholm University's Baltic Sea Centre.

Commission proposes full driftnet fishing ban

The European Commission has proposed a full ban on driftnets over concerns of damage to wildlife and their habitats.

Iceland walks out on EU membership talks

Iceland said yesterday (22 August) that a recent election which brought eurosceptic parties to power had been interpreted by constitutional advisors as a signal to stop EU accession talks.

Herring loss sparks EU-Faroe Island trade spat

The Faroe Islands government has reacted furiously to an EU decision to ban its fish exports to the Union. While the EU accuses the Faroes of overfishing, the small archipelago, which has Danish sovereignty, is threatening to jeopardise multilateral negotiations on herring quota allocations.

EU’s measures over Faroe Islands fishing are counterproductive

The EU will decide whether to adopt coercive economic measures against the Faroe Islands, over a dispute on the quota allocation of herring. Not only does the proposed EU action contravene the UN's Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it is also based on inaccurate allegations and is counterproductive to a reaching a negotiated solution, writes Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen.