United Kingdom, European Union and Norway - North Sea sprat fisheries consultations: agreed record for 2026

Agreed Record of Fisheries Consultations on 26 May 2026 between the European Union, Norway, and the United Kingdom

1. A European Union Delegation, headed by Mael Le Drast, a Norwegian Delegation, headed by Ann Kristin Westberg, and a United Kingdom Delegation, headed by Emily Hawkes, met on 26 May by means of video conference to consult on mutual fisheries relations for sprat in International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Division 3a, Subarea 4 and Division 2a for the fishing season from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
2. The Delegations agreed to recommend to their respective authorities the following fishery arrangements for the period 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, as outlined in this Agreed Record. Accordingly, where this Agreed 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 Agreed Record.
3. The Delegations agreed to rollover the method to distribute the ICES single stock advice, which results in an allocation of 18.3% of the overall advice as the basis for setting the TAC for the Skagerrak/Kattegat.
4. The United Kingdom Delegation recalled that it had not been party to that 2020 decision on allocation. The UK noted its preference for using an allocation method which more accurately reflects the spatial distribution of the resource but noted that this had not been adopted in advance of setting the TAC in 2026. The UK indicated its intention to pursue further trilateral discussions on this matter in advance of the TAC setting process for 2027 to 2028.
5. The Norwegian Delegation agreed with the UK Delegation that, as a principle, allocation methods should reflect the spatial distribution of fish stocks.
6. The European Union Delegation recalled its general position that allocation methods should continue to be based on historic fishing rights.
7. The Delegations noted that ICES released the advice on sprat in Division 3a and Subarea 4 (Skagerrak, Kattegat and North Sea) on 30 April 2026. Based on its Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) approach, ICES advises that catches in the Skagerrak, Kattegat and North Sea for the period from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 should be no more than 82 822 tonnes. This represents a decrease of 65% compared to advice for the 2025/2026 fishing season. 
8. The Delegations noted the ecological significance of forage fish species and that their function and role should be considered when setting fishing opportunities, guided by the best available scientific advice.
9. The Delegations agreed to apply a split of the TAC between the Skagerrak and Kattegat and the North Sea which would allocate 18.3% of the TAC to the Skagerrak and Kattegat.
10. The Delegations consequently agreed to establish a TAC for sprat in ICES Division 3.a (Skagerrak and Kattegat) of 15 156 tonnes and in ICES Subarea 4 of 67 666 tonnes for the period 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. 
11. The European Union Delegation notified other Delegations of its intention to rollover the provisions allowing for the transfer of EU quotas from waters of ICES division 3a to United Kingdom and European Union waters of division 2a and subarea 4, as laid out in Annex 1, Table 4 of the Written Record of fisheries consultations between the United Kingdom and the European Union for 2026, signed on 10 December 2025.
12. The Delegations agreed that their work on developing long-term management strategies (LTMS) for jointly managed stocks would also include sprat in the North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat. 

26 May 2026

For the European Union Delegation, Mael Le Drast

For the Norwegian Delegation, Ann Kristin Westberg

For the United Kingdom Delegation, Emily Hawkes

United Kingdom, European Union and Norway - North Sea sprat fisheries consultations: agreed record for 2026

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