European Union and the United Kingdom – sandeel fisheries consultations: written record for 2026
Written record of sandeel fisheries consultations between the European Union and the United Kingdom for 2026.
1. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (‘the TCA’) between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) includes the objective of cooperating with a view to ensuring that fishing activities for shared stocks in their waters are environmentally sustainable in the long term and contribute to achieving economic and social benefits. The TCA requires Parties to hold annual consultations to agree the total allowable catches (TACs) for the following year for stocks listed in Annex 35 to the TCA. Sandeels are included in that Annex.
2. A Delegation from the European Union, headed by Dr Norman Graham, and a Delegation from the United Kingdom, headed by Dr Emily Hawkes, met in a virtual format on 6 to 11 March 2026 to consult on fishing opportunities for sandeels in 2026 in accordance with Article 498 (Fishing Opportunities) of the TCA. This Written Record documents the outcome of those consultations.
3. The Heads of Delegations agreed to recommend to their respective authorities the fishery arrangements for 2026 set out in this Written Record, including Annex 1. Accordingly, where this Written Record refers to the Delegations (or the Parties) having agreed on a matter, it should be read as an agreement to recommend to the Delegations’ respective authorities to implement the arrangements in this Written Record, including Annex 1.
4. The Delegations considered the sandeel stocks listed in Annex 35 to the TCA and agreed to establish the total allowable catches (TACs) for 2026, and the associated special conditions, flexibilities and footnotes, shown in Annex 1.
5. The other relevant arrangements for jointly managed stocks in the Written Record of fisheries consultations between the United Kingdom and the European Union for 2026 signed on 10 December 2025 (“the Written Record of 10 December 2025”) will continue to apply for sandeels.
6. During 2026 the EU will monitor the management of the sandeel fishery in sandeel bank 1r, in particular as regards the risk of local depletions, and of shifting its catch composition towards immature individuals, which has unknown consequences to local and regional stock demography.
13 March 2026
Brussels
For the European Union
Norman Graham
London
For the United Kingdom
Emily Hawkes
Annex 1
| Code | Common name (scientific name) |
ICES areas | Agreed Total Allowable Catch (tonnes) | UK TCA TAC share (%) | UK TCA quota (tonnes) | UK transfer to/from EU (tonnes) | UK post- transfer quota (tonnes) | EU TCA TAC share (%) | EU TCA quota (tonnes) | EU transfer to/from UK (tonnes) | EU post- transfer quota (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN/2A3A4. | Sandeels (North Sea, All Banks) (Ammodytes spp.) |
United Kingdom and European Union waters of 4; United Kingdom waters of 2a; European Union waters of 3a | 100,563 [2], [3] | 3.20% | 3,218 | - | 3,218 | 96.80% | 97,345 | - | 97,345 [1] |
[1] Up to 2 % of the quota may consist of by catches of whiting (OT1/*2A3A4). By catches of whiting counted against the quota pursuant to this provision and by catches of species counted against the quota pursuant to Article 15(8) of regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall, together, not exceed 9 % of the quota.
[2] In Union waters of sandeel bank 2r, the TAC may only be fished as monitoring TAC with an associated sampling protocol for the fishery.
[3] Special condition: within the limits of the abovementioned TAC, no more than the quantities indicated below may be taken in the following sandeels management areas:
| Code | Common name (scientific name) |
ICES areas | Agreed Total Allowable Catch (tonnes) | UK TCA TAC share (%) | UK TCA quota (tonnes) | UK transfer to/from EU (tonnes) | UK post- transfer quota (tonnes) | EU TCA TAC share (%) | EU TCA quota (tonnes) | EU transfer to/from UK (tonnes) | EU post- transfer quota (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SAN/234_1R |
Sandeels (North Sea, Bank 1r) |
Sandeel bank 1r |
95,451 |
3.20% |
3,054 |
- |
3,054 |
96.80% |
92,397 |
- |
92,397 |
|
SAN/234_2R |
Sandeels (North Sea, Bank 2r) |
Sandeel bank 2r |
5,000 |
3.20% |
160 |
- |
160 |
96.80% |
4,840 |
- |
4,840 |
|
SAN/234_3R |
Sandeels (North Sea, Bank 3r) |
Sandeel bank 3r |
0 |
3.20% |
0 |
- |
0 |
96.80% |
0 |
- |
0 |
|
SAN/234_4 |
Sandeels (North Sea, Bank 4) |
Sandeel bank 4 |
0 |
3.20% |
0 |
- |
0 |
96.80% |
0 |
- |
0 |
|
SAN/234_5R |
Sandeels (North Sea, Bank 5r) |
Sandeel bank 5r |
0 |
3.20%
|
0 |
- |
0 |
96.80% |
0 |
- |
0 |
|
SAN/234_6 |
Sandeels (North Sea, Bank 6) |
Sandeel bank 6 |
112 |
3.20% |
4 |
-
|
4 |
96.80% |
108 |
- |
108 |
|
SAN/234_7R |
Sandeels (North Sea, Bank 7r) |
Sandeel bank 7r |
0 |
3.20% |
0 |
- |
0 |
96.80% |
0 |
- |
0 |
