United Kingdom and Faroe Islands fisheries consultations: agreed record for 2025

Summary

1. A Delegation from the United Kingdom, headed initially by Colin Faulkner, and subsequently by Catherine Perez, and a Delegation from the Faroe Islands, headed by Herluf Sigvaldsson, met in London and by means of videoconference on a number of occasions to consult on mutual fisheries relations for 2025. A list of participants is attached in Annex 4.
2. The Delegations recalled the Framework Agreement on Fisheries between the Government of the Faroe Islands and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed in Copenhagen on 29 October 2020 ("the Framework Agreement"). They recalled the principles which underpin their close cooperation as set out in Article 1 of that agreement. They further recalled their close cooperation in 2024 in international fisheries forums, including Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, and looked forward to continuing their dialogue on the management of shared stocks in 2025.
3. The Delegations recalled the Agreed Record of Fisheries Consultations between the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom on the management of mackerel in the North-East Atlantic which they had signed on 17 June 2024 alongside the Agreed Record of Fisheries Consultations between the Faroe Islands, Norway and the United Kingdom on the management of mackerel in the North-East Atlantic. They welcomed the consequential and much-needed reduction in fishing pressure on the stock as compared to 2021, 2022 and 2023. They committed themselves to playing their part in 2025 in reaching a comprehensive quota-sharing arrangement for the stock.   
4. The Delegations decided to recommend to their respective authorities the fishery arrangements for 2025 as outlined in this Agreed Record, including Annex 1.
5. In this Agreed Record, references to a "Party" are references to the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands as Contracting Parties to the Framework Agreement, and references to the waters of a Party are references to the Parties’ respective areas of fisheries jurisdiction as defined in Article 2(3) of the Framework Agreement.
6. The Delegations reiterated their determination to cooperate, in their mutual interest, in securing continued responsible fisheries and ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources.
7. The Delegations restated the importance of cooperating on scientific research with regards to marine biology and the marine environment.
8. The Delegations decided to meet during 2025 and as part of an annual intersessional process, to ensure the successful implementation of this Agreed Record and to deepen the strategic relationship between the Parties.