United Kingdom and Norway - fisheries consultations: agreed record for 2026

13. Scientific cooperation

13.1 The Delegations recognised the value in scientific cooperation and noted that their respective scientists have been successfully collaborating on issues of shared interest for many years. They agreed to explore in 2026 the potential to strengthen and formalise those bilateral working arrangements.

13.2 The Delegations welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding between institutions in their respective countries, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the Institute of Marine Research, which was signed and established on 23 June 2025. The Delegations also agreed to explore a state-to-state Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific Cooperation in the future, and agreed to consider the issue further at the intersessional meeting in 2026. They also noted that there could be particular benefit in the Parties increasing their joint working on the science underpinning shared stocks, as well as developing collaborative responses to global marine challenges.

13.3 The Delegations noted the continued cooperation following the UK-Norway Science-Industry Workshop to Explore Collaboration on Science Information Needs for the Northeast Atlantic Mackerel Stock, held in April 2024 in Aberdeen. The findings of the workshop were presented to the Heads of Delegation at the intersessional meeting in June 2024 in Lerwick. An update on this work was also provided at the intersessional meeting in May 2025 in Ålesund, and again in Oslo on 31 October 2025. The Delegations welcomed the encouraging progress towards the re-analysis of existing acoustic data as a basis for potentially establishing an autumn/winter acoustic based survey on distribution and abundance for adult mackerel. The Delegations reaffirmed their commitment to reviewing detailed proposals for the planned pelagic trawl survey in July 2026, west of the British Isles (Area 6a) targeting 2-year-old mackerel, which include project costings, industry funding, and resourcing and will review progress at the intersessional meeting in 2026.