Research and analysis

Economic outcomes of negotiations for UK fishing opportunities 2024

Published 10 April 2024

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1. Executive summary

The UK participates in fisheries negotiations each year to agree total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for fish stocks shared with other coastal states.

In December 2023, negotiations concluded setting fishing opportunities for the 2024 fishing year across 3 negotiating forums. This report summarises the outcomes of these negotiations. They are:

  • UK-EU bilateral negotiations
  • UK-EU-Norway trilateral negotiations
  • coastal state negotiations

These negotiations provided the UK with approximately 751,000 tonnes in quota, estimated to be worth around £973 million. These figures are net of quota transfers agreed with Norway and the Faroe Islands. This represents a 60,000 increase in tonnage and a £53 million increase in value of fishing opportunities from 2023.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) also pursues policy outcomes such as the sustainability of fisheries. An assessment of the sustainability of these outcomes is provided in the independent report Assessing the sustainability of negotiated fisheries catch limits for the UK for 2024, published alongside this document.

UK quota from other sources, including quota exchange agreements with Norway and the Faroe Islands, is assessed in the section ‘Other UK quota’ to provide a full overview of the fishing opportunities available to the UK fleet. A full TAC list and data table is in Annex 2.

2. Methodology and caveats

UK quota is the UK’s share of each total allowable catch (TAC). The UK quota presented in this report is in line with the Secretary of State’s determination of fishing opportunities for British fishing boats[footnote 1]. This means that the figures:

  • cover both allocated and unallocated quota
  • are pre-TAC deductions made for discard exemptions[footnote 2]
  • account for the quota transfers agreed with third countries, such as Norway
  • do not account for any adjustments such as banking or borrowing, or in-year quota exchanges[footnote 3]

This report only covers fish stocks subject to quota management and therefore does not include non-quota stocks. Nor does it deal with access arrangements.

This report summarises the fishing opportunities available to the UK fleet as a result of agreements made in annual negotiations. It does not attempt to predict how much of each of the quotas will be utilised, as fishing quota uptake often varies each year and depends on a wide range of factors that are difficult to accurately forecast, such as weather and fishing capacity. However, an estimate using UK average historic uptake is provided in the summary section for context.

Estimated value is included to provide context to the quota tonnages. The average UK landing price for each quota in 2022 is used to estimate the potential value of the available fishing opportunities. Where UK stock-specific values are not available, UK average species level values have been used[footnote 4]. In cases where 2022 prices were unavailable, 2021 prices have been used as an alternative. Prices are nominal and in pound sterling at the first point of sale. Consistent prices are applied across all of the years to allow for a direct year-on-year comparison of negotiated outcomes, avoiding accounting for price fluctuations due to other factors external to the negotiations. This means that, for example, 100 tonnes of mackerel quota for the UK in 2020 is assumed to have the same potential economic value as 100 tonnes in 2021. This analysis is limited to estimating the potential value of the agreed quota and does not assess any wider economic benefits.

Comparisons are drawn against the outcomes of negotiations for 2020 fishing opportunities. In 2020, as an EU member state, the UK’s quota shares were mainly based on the EU’s relative stability sharing mechanism[footnote 5]. The UK also participated in the EU’s quota transfer deals with countries such as Norway, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. From 2021 the UK’s quota shares have been based on the new quota sharing arrangement agreed in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement[footnote 6], and the UK was independent from the EU’s quota transfer deals.

Estimates of the quota that the UK might have expected to receive in each year since 2021 had the UK remained as an EU member state are also provided. These are based on the shares of the TAC that the UK received in 2020, which take into account invocations of the Hague Preference[footnote 7], and the EU’s quota transfer deals in that year.

The ‘Quota allocations’ section provides an assessment of the final quota allocated in 2023, following deductions made for discard exemptions. This assessment is not yet available for 2024 as quota allocations have not yet been finalised. Fishing quota allocations are routinely finalised in the spring.

This report is categorised in terms of the negotiation forum where each TAC is set. This means that there are some minor differences between this and the categorisation in the Secretary of State’s determination. For example, Atlanto-Scandian herring is included under ‘stocks which are present in the waters of only one of the United Kingdom and the European Union’ in the determination. However, because in practice this TAC is set at coastal states negotiations, it is included in the coastal states total here. There is also a minor difference between the stock lists used here and in sustainability reporting because the latter combines the 2 TACs agreed for mackerel, and the 2 TACs agreed for North Sea herring.

All figures are shown rounded. This means that there may be some instances where figures do not sum precisely to the overall totals shown.

3. Negotiated outcomes

3.1 Summary

The UK agrees TACs and other fisheries management measures across a number of negotiation forums. The UK-EU bilateral, UK-EU-Norway trilateral, and coastal state negotiations together involved 90 TACs, 2 more than in 2023.

These negotiations provided the UK with approximately 751,000 tonnes in quota, estimated to be worth around £973 million. These figures are net of quota transfers agreed with Norway and the Faroe Islands.

Across these 3 negotiations, there was an increase in UK quota available between 2023 and 2024, with a 60,000 increase in tonnage (+9%) and a £53 million increase in value (+6%).

Table 1: UK quota from UK-EU, trilateral, and coastal states negotiations

2023 2024 Percentage difference from 2023 to 2024
UK quota (tonnes) 691,000 751,000 +9%
UK quota value (£) 920 million 973 million +6%

For each individual UK quota, there are several reasons why the tonnage available may change between years, primarily:

  • a change agreed for the overall total allowable catch (TAC)
  • a change in the UK’s share of the TAC, for example, in accordance with the quota share uplifts agreed in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)
  • a quota transfer agreement with a third country, for example, Norway or the Faroe Islands

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the pattern of change in tonnes and value across each of the 3 main negotiation forums between 2023 and 2024. They show that the quota available from the UK-EU negotiations in 2024 was lower than 2023, whilst quota available from the coastal states negotiations was similar to 2023. There was a large increase in quota available from the UK-EU-Norway negotiations from 2023 to 2024. The coastal state negotiations provided the largest quota tonnage for the UK in both 2023 and 2024 (due to the high-tonnage pelagic TACs negotiated here, such as mackerel), whereas the UK-EU-Norway negotiations provided the highest estimated value.

A more detailed break-down of the data and explanation of these patterns for each negotiation forum is provided in the sections below.

Figure 1: Total UK quota (tonnes) across the three main negotiation forums in 2023 and 2024

Negotiation forums Quota 2023 Quota 2024
EU-UK 144 tonnes 134 tonnes
EU-UK-Norway 195 tonnes 286 tonnes
coastal states 351 tonnes 331 tonnes

Figure 2: Total UK quota (estimated value in £ million) across the 3 main negotiation forums in 2023 and 2024

Negotiation forums Value 2023 Value 2024
EU-UK £360m £345m
EU-UK-Norway £258m £360m
coastal states £302m £268m

3.2 Comparison against UK’s shares as an EU member state

Since leaving the EU, the UK now has a larger share of many of the TACs set at these negotiations. This means that TAC cuts are reduced, and TAC increases are heightened, as the UK receives a larger share of the total.

The quota shares that the UK received in 2020 are used to generate an estimate of how much quota the UK might have received from these 3 negotiations had it remained as an EU member state in each year[footnote 8].

Based on these previous shares, it is estimated that the UK might have received around 626,000 tonnes in 2024 (estimated to be worth around £841 million), in comparison to the 752,000 tonnes actually received. This uplift is estimated to be worth around £133 million.

This uplift is comprised of a number of different quotas, with some of the largest contributors being Western mackerel and North Sea herring. Read Annex 1 and analysis of fishing quota shares in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement from the Marine Management Organisation[footnote 9] for more information.

Figure 3 illustrates the proportion of the UK’s overall quota value from these 3 negotiations since 2021 that is estimated to be due to these uplifts.

It shows that since 2021, the UK quota share uplift has gradually increased.

Year Previous UK shares (£ million) Quota share uplift (£ million) Total (£ million)
2021 841 132 973
2022 774 146 920
2023 759 98 857
2024 789 97 888

3.3 Adjusting for historic uptake

The figures above represent the full quota available to the UK fleet from these negotiations. In a given year, it is difficult to accurately predict how much of each quota will be fished, as this is dependent on a wide range of factors such as weather, fishing capacity, and the availability of by-catch quota.

However, to provide context, the historic percentage uptake of each of the quotas between 2018 and 2022 is used to calculate an approximation[footnote 10]. This may not be accurate for a variety of reasons, for example, if the current size of the quota is smaller or larger than in the past. This also does not account for any banking, borrowing, or swapping of quota. In reality, the true landing figures could be higher or lower.

In 2024, based on historic uptake percentages, we might expect around 641,000 tonnes of the 752,000 tonnes of quota across the 3 main negotiating forums to be utilised, with a value of around £766 million.

4. UK-EU bilateral negotiations

73 TACs were set through UK-EU bilateral negotiations for the 2024 fishing year.

These 73 TACs provided around 134,000 tonnes of UK quota, with an estimated value of around £345 million. These figures are net of quota transfers agreed with Norway.

Table 2: UK quota from UK-EU negotiations

2023 2024 Percentage difference from 2022 to 2023
UK quota (tonnes) 144,000 134,000 -7%
UK quota value (£) £360 million £345 million -4%

In aggregate, TACs were slightly lower in 2024 compared to 2023. 35 TACs (48%) were reduced, 20 TACs (27%) increased, 16 TACs (22%) were set at the same tonnage and the remaining 2 TACs were new in 2024.

UK quota saw a 7% decrease in tonnage and a 4% fall in value compared to 2023. This was primarily due to TAC cuts based on scientific advice. Some quotas were also used to bring in priority stocks in the UK’s deals with Norway.

The UK’s largest absolute tonnage uplifts compared to the previous year were in:

  • North Sea Sprat (+2,300 tonnes)
  • Celtic Sea Whiting (+1,600 tonnes)
  • North Sea Skates and Rays (+1,000 tonnes)
  • Anglerfish in Area 7 (+900)
  • Western Tusk (+800)
  • Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel Horse Mackerel (+600)

These uplifts were primarily driven by TAC increases following International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES) advice that the stocks can support a higher level of landings for 2024.

The UK’s largest absolute falls in tonnage were in:

  • Norway Pout (-9,400 tonnes)
  • English Channel Sprat (-4,900 tonnes)
  • Pollack in Area 7 (-1,300)
  • Western Hake (-1,000)
  • English Channel Plaice (-800)
  • North Sea Sole (-700)

These were mainly driven by reductions in the agreed TACs, including a by-catch only TAC set for pollack in area 7. Also, 900 tonnes of Western ling were transferred out to Norway in exchange for priority stocks for the UK fleet.

The UK and EU also agreed fishing opportunities for non-quota stocks. These outcomes are not within the scope of this publication.

5. UK-EU-Norway trilateral negotiations

11 TACs of direct interest to the UK are set through these negotiations.

For 2024, these 11 TACs provided around 286,000 tonnes of UK quota, estimated to be worth approximately £361 million.

Table 3: UK quota from UK-EU-Norway negotiations

2023 2024 Percentage difference from 2023 to 2024
UK quota (tonnes) 195,000 286,000 +47%
UK quota value (£) £258 million £360 million +40%

Of the 11 TACs set in this forum, 10 were set higher in 2024 than in 2023.  One TAC, bycatch of herring in the North Sea, was unchanged between 2023 and 2024. This led to UK quota increasing by 47% in tonnage and 40% in value compared to the previous year.

The largest tonnage and value increase was in North Sea whiting (+28,000 tonnes, +£37 million). This was driven by a TAC increase compared to 2023. The second largest increase was in North Sea haddock by both tonnage (+28,000 tonnes) and value (+£30 million).

6. Coastal state negotiations

6 TACs of direct interest to the UK are set through these negotiations. These were mackerel, blue whiting, and Norwegian Spring Spawning/Atlanto-Scandian herring (NSSH/ASH).

For 2024, these 6 TACs provided around 331,000 tonnes of UK quota[footnote 11], estimated to be worth approximately £268 million.

The most significant component of this in terms of the tonnage and value was mackerel with 203,000 tonnes, worth £232 million.

Table 4: UK quota from coastal states negotiations

2023 2024 Percentage difference from 2022 to 2023
UK quota (tonnes) 351,000 331,000 -6%
UK quota value (£) £302 million £268 million -11%

The TACs for mackerel and NSSH/ASH were reduced in 2024 compared to 2023, and the TAC for blue whiting was increased. Overall, this resulted in a small tonnage decrease and an 11% value decrease due to mackerel being a more valuable stock than blue whiting.

7. Total UK quota from all sources

The UK also holds quota in a number of TACs that are not negotiated at the 3 forums covered above. The following section summarises these, to provide a full overview of UK quota in 2024.

In total, for the 2024 fishing year, the UK had around 774,000 tonnes of quota from the 3 main negotiation forums and other sources summarised below. This is estimated to be worth approximately £1.06 billion.

8. Regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs)

The secretary of state’s determination records UK quota for TACs managed through three RFMOs: the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the North West Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), and the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC).

The UK secured shares in 4 Atlantic TACs managed through ICCAT (albacore tuna, bluefin tuna, blue shark, and swordfish) in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement[footnote 12]. In 2024, this translated to around 750 tonnes of UK quota, estimated to be worth approximately £1.7 million. This represents the full UK albacore quota for 2024, which is shared among UK and UK Overseas Territories.

In 2024, the UK has around 1,100 tonnes of cod quota in area 3M through NAFO, estimated to be worth approximately £4 million. This is a large increase on 2023, when all UK cod (NAFO 3M) quota was transferred to Norway and the Faroe Islands, and due to a large TAC increase for 2024. As cod is a valuable stock, this is the main driver for the percentage increase in value for all RFMO negotiated stocks in table 5.

In 2023, the UK had around 815 tonnes of redfish quota in the NEAFC regulatory area, estimated to be worth approximately £1.3 million. The UK will set a quota for redfish in the NEAFC regulatory area in 2024, which will be confirmed in the secretary of state’s determination ahead of the fishery opening in July[footnote 13].

Table 5: Total UK quota from RFMO negotiations

2022 2023 Percentage difference from 2022 to 2023
UK quota (tonnes) 1,340 1,460 +9%
UK quota value (£) £2.4 million £2.7 million +11%

9. Stocks which are present in the waters of only one of the UK or the EU

There are several stocks that are present in either UK or EU waters, but not in both, for which the other party to the UK-EU TCA nevertheless holds a share. For example, ling in Area 5. In these cases, the party in whose waters the stock occurs is responsible for setting the TAC and notifying the other of their quota. There are also stocks, such as Clyde herring, which is exclusive to the UK and for which the UK holds 100% of the quota[footnote 14].

In 2024, these stocks provided around 13,300 tonnes of UK quota, estimated to be worth approximately £60 million. This excludes 600 and 850 tonnes of North Sea and West of Scotland Greenland halibut transferred to Norway and the Faroes Islands respectively.

Over 90% of this value is due to one stock that is present in UK waters only: West of Scotland nephrops (£59 million). A TAC decrease in this stock for 2024 drove the overall decreases in value and tonnage shown in table 6.

Table 6: UK quota outcomes across stocks present in only one of UK/EU waters

2023 2024 Percentage difference from 2023 to 2024
UK quota (tonnes) 13,500 13,300 -1%
UK quota value (£) £61 million £60 million -2%

10. Quota under the Treaty of Paris

The UK has access to fishing opportunities in the waters around Svalbard through the Treaty of Paris[footnote 15].

In 2024, these opportunities included around 4,100 tonnes of Atlantic cod (Svalbard) allocated by Norway, estimated to be worth approximately £14.4 million.

Table 7: UK quota outcomes under the Treaty of Paris

2023 2024 Percentage difference from 2023 to 2024
UK quota (tonnes) 5,200 4,100 -21%
UK quota value (£) £18.1 million £14.4 million -20%

11. Quota from transfers with countries other than the EU

The UK previously participated in the EU’s quota transfer deals with Norway, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland.

The UK concluded bilateral negotiations with Norway having agreed a quota exchange deal for the 2024 fishing year in December 2023[footnote 16]. Negotiations with the Faroe Islands concluded in March 2024[footnote 17].

The deal with Norway included inward quota transfers for the UK of Northeast Arctic cod and anglerfish in Norwegian waters. These inward transfers are estimated to be worth around £5 million in value to the UK. The UK transferred out primarily Western ling, Western tusk, West of Scotland saithe, and Greenland halibut in exchange, with outward transfers valued at around £4 million.

The deal with the Faroe Islands includes inward quota transfers of stocks in Faroese waters, including haddock and saithe. These inward transfers are estimated to be worth around £6 million in value to the UK. The UK transferred out primarily Greenland halibut, haddock, ling and blue ling in exchange, with outward transfers valued at around £3 million.

The table below summarises the transfers of quota in third-country waters only. This does not include transfers of quotas in the North Sea because these are already accounted for in the sections above, in the forums where those TACs are set.

Table 8: UK quota from transfers with Norway and the Faroe Islands

2023 2024 Percentage difference from 2023 to 2024
UK quota (tonnes) 4,500 3,700 -17%
UK quota value (£) £14 million £12 million -18%

The UK quota decrease from Norway in 2024 compared to 2023 is primarily driven by a reduction in anglerfish transfers, informed by scientific advice on the sustainability of the stock. This also drove much of the reduction in value transferred in given anglerfish is a valuable stock.

12. Quota allocations

Quota allocations have not yet been finalised for 2024, so this assessment is available for 2023 only[footnote 18].

After TAC deductions for discard exemptions were applied, and excluding unallocated quotas, around 690,000 tonnes of quota was allocated to UK vessels in 2023, estimated to be worth approximately £980 million.

During the allocation process, this quota was split into ‘existing quota’ (quota the UK would have expected to receive as an EU member state), and ‘additional quota’ (quota received as a result of the quota share uplifts agreed in the UK-EU TCA)[footnote 19]. Table 9 shows the tonnage and estimated value split between these 2 categories in 2023.

Table 9: Existing vs. additional quota in 2023

Total allocated quota Existing quota Additional quota Additional quota as % of total allocated quota
UK quota (tonnes) 690,000 590,000 100,000 15%
UK quota value (£) £981 million £847 million £134 million 14%

Pelagic stocks comprised the majority (82%) of the additional quota tonnage in 2023. This was driven by the UK’s quota share uplift agreed for mackerel, which provided the largest amount of additional quota overall in terms of tonnage (around 52,000 tonnes) compounded with the substantial mid-year mackerel transfer from Norway in 2023[footnote 20].

Additional quota was apportioned between the 4 UK fisheries administrations using a hybrid approach: 90% of additional quota was apportioned based on the previous track record of fishing activity in each nation, and 10% was apportioned on the principle of zonal attachment (which reflects the geographical areas where fish are present in UK waters). There were also some exceptions made for Wales, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man.

Table 10: Additional quota per fisheries administration in 2023

England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
UK quota (tonnes) 22,800 7,800 71,000 400
% of total tonnes 22.4% 7.6% 69.7% 0.4%
UK quota value (£) £40.2 million £10.2 million £82.6 million £1 million
% of total value 30.0% 7.6% 61.5% 0.9%

This table shows that most of the additional quota tonnage was apportioned to Scotland (70%), whereas England received a relatively higher proportion of the additional quota value (30%). This is primarily due to Scotland’s share of high-tonnage pelagic quotas, and England’s share of high-value demersal quotas.

For context on the size of the fleets in each fisheries administration, England contributes the highest number of vessels to the UK fleet (48%), but Scotland’s fleet has more capacity (61%). Around 46% of UK fishers worked onboard English vessels and 40% on Scottish vessels. The remaining 14% are split 8% for Northern Irish vessels and 6% for Welsh vessels[footnote 21].

Annex 1: UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement

On 30 December 2020, the UK and the EU signed the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)[footnote 22], which included agreement on the management of UK-EU fish stocks following the UK’s departure from the EU and the end of the transition period.

The TCA includes agreed quota shares for over 100 fish stocks. Many of the UK’s shares will increase gradually over a 5-year period, with the highest uplifts in a single year received in 2021.

Comparison of figures

The full quota share uplifts (by 2026) secured in the TCA were estimated to be worth around £146 million.

This figure was calculated using the full stock list negotiated in the TCA and estimates the difference between the UK’s relative stability shares and UK’s final shares in 2026, assuming 2020 TACs, and 2018 UK average prices. For more detail, read the Marine Management Organisation’s Analysis of fishing quota shares in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Although similar, this is not directly comparable to the figures in this report. This is because the figures in this report are calculated using the stock list for each annual negotiation forum, which are subsets of the stock list negotiated in the TCA. They also use the UK’s agreed shares for 2024 (rather than 2026) and are based on different TACs (those agreed at annual negotiations for 2024), and more recent UK average prices (2022).

Annex 2: TAC categories

In practice, there are some minor differences between the categorisation of TACs in the secretary of state’s determination[footnote 23] (based on which parties share the TACs, following the annexes in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement), and the categorisation of TACs in this report (based on which negotiation forum sets the relevant TAC).

UK-EU

There are 79 UK-EU shared TACs.

3 of these are shared only between the UK and the EU but in practice are dependent on TACs decided at the UK-EU-Norway negotiations. These TACs are therefore included in the UK-EU-Norway section: cod (Eastern Channel), haddock (West of Scotland), and saithe (West of Scotland).

3 TACs are excluded from this report:

  • 1 TAC is prohibited: Deep-Sea Sharks (Western). No quota has been set for this TAC.
  • 1 TAC is an ‘of which’ provision of another TAC and is excluded to avoid double counting: Nephrops (Porcupine Bank)
  • 1 TAC is set in-year and did not have an agreed TAC at the time of negotiations concluding: Sandeels (North Sea)[footnote 24]

Consequently, 73 UK-EU TACs are covered in this report.

UK-EU-Norway

There are 8 UK-EU-Norway shared TACs.

Including the 3 TACs for cod, haddock and saith mentioned in the section UK-EU, this means that 11 UK-EU-Norway TACs are covered in this report.

Coastal states

There are 3 coastal states TACs: mackerel (North Sea), mackerel (western), and blue whiting (northern).

There are 3 further TACs that are included in the section ‘stocks which are present in the waters of only one of the United Kingdom and the European Union’ in the secretary of state’s determination, however in practice are agreed at the coastal states negotiations: Atlanto-Scandian herring (ASH), redfish [deep pelagic] and redfish [shallow pelagic].

Therefore, 6 coastal state TACs are covered in this report.

Overall, this gives 90 TACs (73 + 11 + 6) across the UK’s annual fisheries consultations for 2024.

Other sources of UK quota

The UK also receives quota from other TACs:

The UK receives quota through 3 RFMOs: The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). There are 7 TACs in this category.

The UK has access to fishing opportunities in the waters around Svalbard under the Treaty of Paris. The UK is not involved in setting the TAC for this stock. There is one TAC in this category: Atlantic cod (Svalbard).

There are a number of stocks where the UK or EU alone set the TAC (such as Clyde herring and skates and rays (8,9)). There are 8 TACs in this category.

The UK may receive quota transfers through agreements with third countries such as Norway and the Faroe Islands. The UK has agreed to quota transfers with Norway and the Faroe Islands for 2024.

TAC list and UK quota data

The tables in this annex align with the annexes in the secretary of state’s determination of fishing opportunities for British fishing boats. The third column indicates which negotiation category these TACs fall into in this report.

UK quota tonnages for 2023 and 2024, as well as the percentage change between years, are also shown.

Annex Table 1: United Kingdom-European Union bilateral stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
ALF/3X14- Alfonsinos (3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,14) UK-EU 5 5 -
ANF/07. Anglerfish (7) UK-EU 10,197 11,056 +8%
ANF/2AC4-C Anglerfish (North Sea) UK-EU 6,338 6,408 +1%
ANF/56-14 Anglerfish (West of Scotland) UK-EU 1,704 1,772 +4%
ARU/1/2. Greater Silver Smelt (1,2) UK-EU 25 24 -4%
ARU/3A4-C Greater Silver Smelt (North Sea) UK-EU 13 12 -8%
ARU/567. Greater Silver Smelt (Western) UK-EU 454 469 +3%
BLI/12INT- Blue Ling (International 12) UK-EU 1 1 -
BLI/24- Blue Ling (North Sea) UK-EU 27[footnote 25] 26[footnote 26] -4%
BLI/5B67- Blue Ling (Western) UK-EU 2,291[footnote 27] 2,593[footnote 28] +13%
BLL/7DE Brill (7de) UK-EU - 281 N/A
BOR/678- Boarfish (Western) UK-EU 1,450 1,739 +20%
BSF/56712- Black Scabbardfish (Western) UK-EU 103 78 -24%
COD/07A. Cod (Irish Sea) UK-EU 73 74 +1%
COD/07D. Cod (Eastern Channel) UK-EU-Norway 117 134 +15%
COD/5BE6A Cod (West of Scotland) UK-EU 893[footnote 29] 1,074[footnote 30] +20%
COD/5W6-14 Cod (Rockall) UK-EU 52 54 +4%
COD/7XAD34 Cod (Celtic Sea) UK-EU 63 65 +3%
DGS/15X14 Spurdog (Western) UK-EU 4,825 5,089 +5%
DGS/2AC4-C Spurdog (North Sea) UK-EU 2,781 2,862 +3%
DWS/56789- Deep-sea Sharks (Western) Prohibited N/A N/A N/A
HAD/07A. Haddock (Irish Sea) UK-EU 1,440 1,253 -13%
HAD/5BC6A. Haddock (West of Scotland) UK-EU-Norway 5,245 9,110 +74%
HAD/6B1214 Haddock (Rockall) UK-EU 3,430 3,453 +1%
HAD/7X7A34 Haddock (Celtic Sea) UK-EU 2,142 1,584 -26%
HER/07A/MM Herring (Irish Sea) UK-EU 6,870 7,061 +3%
HER/5B6ANB Herring (West of Scotland) UK-EU 791 959 +21%
HER/7EF. Herring (Western Channel and Bristol Channel) UK-EU 279 223 -20%
HER/7G-K. Herring (Celtic Sea) UK-EU 1 1 -
HKE/2AC4-C Hake (North Sea) UK-EU 1,339 1,281 -4%
HKE/571214 Hake (Western) UK-EU 9,374 8,351 -11%
JAX/2A-14 Horse Mackerel (Western) UK-EU 1,258 1,244 -1%
JAX/4BC7D Horse Mackerel (Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel) UK-EU 3,074 3,669 +19%
L/W/2AC4-C Lemon Sole and Witch (North Sea) UK-EU 2,042 1,666 -18%
LEZ/07. Megrims (7) UK-EU 4,285 4,604 +7%
LEZ/2AC4-C Megrims (North Sea) UK-EU 2,621 2,874 +10%
LEZ/56-14 Megrims (West of Scotland) UK-EU 2,296 2,611 +14%
LIN/03A-C. Ling (3a) UK-EU 11 0[footnote 31] -100%
LIN/04-C. Ling (North Sea) UK-EU 2,046 1,807[footnote 32] -12%
LIN/6X14. Ling (Western) UK-EU 3,048[footnote 33] 3,209[footnote 34] +5%
NEP/07. Nephrops (7) UK-EU 7,371 7,799 +6%
NEP/2AC4-C Nephrops (North Sea) UK-EU 19,120 18,350 -4%
NOP/2A3A4. Norway Pout (North Sea) UK-EU (mid-year) 11,439[footnote 35] 2,058[footnote 36] -82%
PLE/07A. Plaice (Irish Sea) UK-EU 1,042 972 -7%
PLE/56-14 Plaice (West of Scotland) UK-EU 360 360 -
PLE/7DE. Plaice (English Channel) UK-EU 2,020 1,176 -42%
PLE/7FG. Plaice (7fg) UK-EU 103 105 +2%
PLE/7HJK. Plaice (7hjk) UK-EU 22 23 +5%
POK/56-14 Saithe (West of Scotland) UK-EU-Norway 2,456 2,954[footnote 37] +20%
POK/7/3411 Saithe (Celtic Sea) UK-EU 383 229 -40%
POL/07. Pollack (7) UK-EU 1,506 203 -87%
POL/56-14 Pollack (West of Scotland) UK-EU 46 29[footnote 38] -37%
PRA/2AC4-C Northern Prawn (North Sea) UK-EU 218 174 -20%
RJE/7FG. Small-eyed Ray (7fg) UK-EU 43 46 +7%
RJU/7DE. Undulate Ray (English Channel) UK-EU 1,051 1,358 +29%
RNG/5B67- Roundnose Grenadier (Western) UK-EU 112 80 -29%
RNG/8X14- Roundnose Grenadier (8,9,10,12,14) UK-EU 4 6 +50%
SAN/2A3A4. Sandeel (North Sea, All Banks) UK-EU (mid-year) N/A N/A N/A
SBR/678- Red Seabream (Western) UK-EU 11 11 -
SOL/07A. Sole (Irish Sea) UK-EU 140 47 -66%
SOL/07D. Sole (Eastern Channel) UK-EU 347 300 -14%
SOL/07E. Sole (Western Channel) UK-EU 861 737 -14%
SOL/24-C. Sole (North Sea) UK-EU 1,323 587 -56%
SOL/56-14 Sole (West of Scotland) UK-EU 11 11 -
SOL/7FG. Sole (7fg) UK-EU 421 405 -4%
SOL/7HJK. Sole (7hjk) UK-EU 36 28 -22%
SPR/2AC4-C Sprat (North Sea) UK-EU (mid-year) 2,144[footnote 39] 4,482[footnote 40] +109%
SPR/7DE. Sprat (English Channel) UK-EU (mid-year) 6,859[footnote 41] 1,940[footnote 42] -72%
SRX/07D. Skates and Rays (Eastern Channel) UK-EU 240 427 +78%
SRX/2AC4-C Skates and Rays (North Sea) UK-EU 1,202 2,195 +83%
SRX/67AKXD Skates and Rays (Western) UK-EU 2,937 2,985 +2%
T/B/2AC4-C Turbot and Brill (North Sea) UK-EU 715 708 -1%
USK/04-C. Tusk (North Sea) UK-EU 92 8 -9%
USK/567EI. Tusk (Western) UK-EU 867[footnote 43] 1,622[footnote 44] +87%
WHG/07A. Whiting (Irish Sea) UK-EU 428 435 +2%
WHG/56-14 Whiting (West of Scotland) UK-EU 1,692 2,063 +22%
WHG/7X7A-C Whiting (Celtic Sea) UK-EU 1,077 2,663 +147%

Annex Table 2: United Kingdom-European Union-Norway trilateral stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
COD/2A3AX4 Cod (North Sea) UK-EU-Norway 9,882 11,613 +18%
HAD/2AC4. Haddock (North Sea) UK-EU-Norway 36,861[footnote 45] 65,325[footnote 46] +77%
HER/2A47DX Herring (North Sea bycatch) UK-EU-Norway 140 140 -
HER/4AB. Herring (North Sea) UK-EU-Norway 72,563 96,736 +33%
HER/4CXB7D Herring (Southern North Sea and Eastern Channel) UK-EU-Norway 5,162 6,809 +32%
PLE/2A3AX4 Plaice (North Sea) UK-EU-Norway 35,184 36,109 +3%
POK/2C3A4 Saithe (North Sea) UK-EU-Norway 6,186 8,105 +31%
WHG/2AC4. Whiting (North Sea) UK-EU-Norway 21,435[footnote 47] 19,420 -9%

Annex Table 3: Coastal states stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
MAC/2A34. Mackerel (North Sea) Coastal States 1,798[footnote 48] 1,558 -13%
MAC/2CX14- Mackerel (Western) Coastal States 233,651[footnote 49] 201,653 -14%
WHB/1X14 Blue Whiting (Northern) Coastal States 106,033 120,163 +13%

Annex Table 4: United Kingdom-Norway stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
COD/1N2AB. Arcto-Norwegian Cod Transfer (Norway) 750 700 -7%
No code Miscellaneous Arctic cod by-catch Transfer (Norway) 120 100 -17%
ANF/04-N. Anglerfish (Norway) Transfer (Norway) 1,075 700 -35%
OTH/04-N. Hake (Norway) Transfer (Norway) 25 - -100%

Annex Table 5: United Kingdom-Faroe Island stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
C/H/05B-F. Cod and haddock (5b) Transfer (Faroes) 1,200 920 -23%
POK/05B-F. Saithe (5b) Transfer (Faroes) 600 600 No change
RED/05B-F. Redfish (5b) Transfer (Faroes) 10 10 No change
B/L/05B-F. Blue ling and ling (5b) Transfer (Faroes) 180 180 No change
FLX/05B-F. Flatfish (5b) Transfer (Faroes) 40 40 No change
OTH/05B-F. Other species (5b) Transfer (Faroes) 475 475 No change

Annex Table 6: ICCAT Convention Area stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
ALB/AN05N Albacore (North Atlantic) RFMO (ICCAT) 551 663 +20%
BFT/AE45WM Bluefin Tuna (Northeast Atlantic) RFMO (ICCAT) 63 63 -
BSH/AN05N Blue Shark (North Atlantic) RFMO (ICCAT) 33 25 -24%
SWO/AN05N Swordfish (North Atlantic) RFMO (ICCAT) 1 1 -49%

Annex Table 7: NAFO Convention Area stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
COD/N3M. Cod (NAFO 3M) RFMO (NAFO) 0[footnote 50] 1,091 N/A

Annex Table 8: Stocks which are present in the waters of only one of the United Kingdom and the European Union

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
GHL/2A-C46 Greenland Halibut (North Sea and West of Scotland) UK to set TAC 418[footnote 51] 1,268[footnote 52] +203%  
HER/06ACL. Herring (Clyde) UK to set TAC 0 0 0%  
HER/4C_BW Herring (Blackwater) UK to set TAC (mid-year) 10[footnote 53] TBC TBC  
HER/1/2- Herring (ASH) Coastal States 9,983 7,617 -24%  
LIN/05EI. Ling (5) UK to set TAC 4 1 -75%  
LIN/1/2. Ling (1,2) UK to set TAC 8 7 -13%  
NEP/5BC6. Nephrops (West of Scotland) UK to set TAC 12,997 12,831 -1%  
RED/51214D Redfish [Deep Pelagic] (5,12,14) Coastal States 0 0 No change  
RED/51214S Redfish [Shallow Pelagic] (5,12,14) Coastal States 0 0 No change  
SBR/10- Red Seabream (Azores) EU to set TAC 5 5   No change
SRX/89-C. Skates and Rays (8,9) EU to set TAC 12 12 No change  
USK/1214EI Tusk (1,2,14) UK to set TAC 6 5 -17%  

Annex Table 9: Special cases

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
COD/1/2B. Cod (Svalbard) Quota under the Treaty of Paris 5,214 4,144 -21%

Annex Table 10: NEAFC Regulatory Area Stocks

TAC code Common name Annual negotiation TAC-setting forum 2023 UK quota (tonnes) 2024 UK quota (tonnes) % Change in quota (2024 vs. 2023)
RED/1/2/INT Redfish (International 1,2) RFMO (NEAFC) 815 TBC TBC

  1. Fishing opportunities for British fishing boats. ↩

  2. For example, see 2023 deductions here: Fishing quota allocations for England and the UK. ↩

  3. UK and England quota management rules ↩

  4. UK sea fisheries annual statistics report 2022. Average £ per tonne is calculated for each UK quota using live weight landing tonnage and landed value at the first point of sale; see data table ‘UK fleet landings by rectangle stock port and EEZ 2018 - 2022’. ↩

  5. Relative stability is the mechanism by which TACs are shared between EU member states under the Common Fisheries Policy. Each member state receives a set percentage of the EU’s total quota in each stock. ↩

  6. UK/EU and EAEC: Trade and Cooperation Agreement [TS No.8/2021] ↩

  7. The Hague Preference is a mechanism under the Common Fisheries Policy designed to adjust fishing quota allocations for the UK and the Republic of Ireland when certain TACs fell below determined trigger levels. ↩

  8. 2020 is used as the UK’s final year as an EU member state. This share is primarily based on the relative stability sharing mechanism, but also includes invocations of the Hague Preference in that year, as well as contribution to/benefit from the EU’s quota transfer agreements with countries such as Norway. ↩

  9. Analysis of fishing quota shares in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement ↩

  10. UK landings for each year between 2017 and 2022 (UK sea fisheries annual statistics report 2022) taken as a percentage of the quota available at the start of that year, and applied to the 2024 opening UK quotas. ↩

  11. UK quota figures taken from written record. (Fisheries: consultations between the UK and the EU) ↩

  12. As there were very few UK landings of blue shark and swordfish in 2021, prices based on EU vessel average landings are used to estimate the potential value of the quota. ↩

  13. 23 December 2022: Secretary of State determination of fishing opportunities for British fishing boats. Fishing opportunities for British fishing boats ↩

  14. The TAC for Clyde herring starts on 1 July, therefore this TAC has not yet been agreed beyond July 2023. ↩

  15. Fisheries: cooperation between the UK and Norway ↩

  16. Fisheries: bilateral agreement with Norway for 2024 ↩

  17. Fisheries: bilateral agreement with the Faroe Islands for 2024 ↩

  18. Fishing quota allocations for England and the UK ↩

  19. UK and England quota management rules ↩

  20.  Fisheries: bilateral agreement with Norway for 2024 - GOV.UK ↩

  21. UK sea fisheries annual statistics report 2022 ↩

  22. UK/EU and EAEC: Trade and Cooperation Agreement [TS No.8/2021] ↩

  23. Fishing opportunities for British fishing boats ↩

  24. English Channel Sprat and North Sea Sprat are also mid-year TACs. Their quotas from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 are included in this report. ↩

  25. Includes 20 tonnes inward quota transfer from Norway. ↩

  26. Includes 20 tonnes inward quota transfer from Norway. ↩

  27. Excludes 70 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 250 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  28. Excludes 100 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 250 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  29. Excludes 15 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 5 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  30. Excludes 25 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 5 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  31. Excludes 11 tonnes outward quota transfer to the EU. ↩

  32. Excludes 100 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  33. Excludes 1,300 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 250 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  34. Excludes 900 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway. ↩

  35. TAC available from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023. ↩

  36. TAC available from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024. ↩

  37. Excludes 400 tonnes outward transfer to Norway. ↩

  38. Excludes 5 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 5 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  39. TAC available from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. ↩

  40. TAC available from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. ↩

  41. TAC available from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. ↩

  42. TAC available from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. ↩

  43. Excludes 380 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 25 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  44. Excludes 450 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 25 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  45. Excludes 400 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands ↩

  46. Excludes 400 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands ↩

  47. Includes 25 tonnes inward quota transfer from Norway. ↩

  48. Includes 188 tonnes inward quota transfer from Norway. ↩

  49. Includes 24,447 tonnes inward quota transfer from Norway. ↩

  50. Excludes 285 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 284 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  51. Excludes 700 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 750 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  52. Excludes 600 tonnes outward quota transfer to Norway and 850 tonnes outward quota transfer to Faroe Islands. ↩

  53. TAC available from 1 September 2022 to 31 January 2023. ↩

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