A new agreement about the maximum mackerel catch has been announced between Iceland, Norway, Greenland, the EU, and the UK.
This new agreement sees that the maximum catch amount for 2023 will be 782,066 tonnes, 13 thousand fewer than in 2022. This agreement is in accordance with the recommendations of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on maximum catches.
It is estimated that Icelandic fisheries will be allocated a quota of 129 thousand tons per mackerel next year, which is a 16.5% share of the fishing as part of the agreement.
Speaking about the agreement, Bjørnar Skjæran, Norway’s Minister of Fisheries, explains, “I am very pleased that we have finally been able to set an overall quota for the mackerel. This is something we have been working on for a long time and is of great importance for the fishermen and for the sustainable use of this important crop.”
“We hope that the remaining issues will be resolved at the beginning of next year. The ministry will nonetheless issue a provisional quota for 2023 so that those who need it can begin their fishing already from the end of the year,” comments Skjæran.