EU fishing ministers have agreed that Mediterranean boats can fish 143 days in 2026, the same as this year, in exchange for maintaining sustainability measures. Spanish Minister Luis Planas highlighted the difficulty of the negotiation, which started from an initial proposal of just 9.7 days. The agreement also sets quotas for the Atlantic with mixed results.
In the early hours of Saturday, EU fishing ministers reached an agreement on 2026 fishing opportunities in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. For the Mediterranean fleet, 143 fishing days were approved, a figure similar to 2025, achieved after two days of intense discussions in Brussels. "It has been the most difficult part of the negotiation," explained Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, who described the outcome as positive for Spain.
The European Commission's initial proposal was drastic: only 9.7 fishing days per year, a significant cut from the 27 days of the previous year. Spain, along with France and Italy, defended a common stance to raise the figure, conditioning it on maintaining existing sustainable measures, such as nets with 45 or 50 millimeter mesh on about 600 boats, flying doors to protect seabeds, bans, and scientists on board. "There will be no new selective measures; with those in force since last year, these 143 days can be reached," Planas clarified.
In the Atlantic, where quotas are measured by volume, results are uneven. Southern hake remains at 10,900 tons, good news due to its market value. Monkfish drops 2% to 4,293 tons, while megrim rises 11% to 4,375 tons. Horse mackerel reaches 29,000 tons, with improvements in anchovy and sardine. However, there are cuts in cod (18%) and sole (9%), and a sharp 50% reduction in Norway lobster to 50 tons, on which Planas expressed scientific doubts. For mackerel, a provisional 70% limit was agreed for the first six months, pending negotiations with third countries.
A positive post-Brexit aspect is the 85-ton red sea bream quota with the UK, benefiting 80 vessels. Planas noted that Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius committed to reforming the regulation to avoid initial proposals based on the most vulnerable species, which prolongs negotiations.
