EU allows Mediterranean fishermen to fish for more than 140 days in 2026 | Economy

Mediterranean fishing boats will be able to fish for 143 days in 2026, a similar number to this year. In exchange, they will have to apply measures guaranteeing the sustainability of fishing grounds. It is one part of the agreement on fishing quotas for next year reached by EU fisheries ministers in the early hours of this Saturday. This was the “most difficult” part of the negotiation, explained the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Luis Planas, at the end of the meeting. The agreement also includes the quantities that can be fished in the Atlantic Ocean.

Planas assures that the most difficult part of the negotiations was that of the Atlantic, because the initial proposal from the European Commission implied a significant reduction compared to what had been agreed for this year. In December 2024, during the traditional and lengthy negotiation of fishing quotas for the following year, the number of days during which Mediterranean fishing boats could go out to fish was set at 23 days. However, this is a minimum amount, because if measures were applied for more sustainable fishing, this figure could reach 130 days. Moreover, in November it was possible to increase by another 13. In total, 143.

This number is the same as, according to Planas, that which was agreed for 2026. What allows the minister to speak of the “most difficult” part of the agreement is that the initial proposal put forward by the European Commission was a minimum of 9.7 days. This meant a 65% reduction, leading the Spanish minister to speak of an “from another planet” approach that was, in effect, making fishing activity unviable. The possibility of increasing the days if we apply compensation mechanisms making the fishing activity more sustainable completely changes this starting point and considerably increases the final result. These mechanisms are new, larger nets to allow smaller fish to escape, flying doors that reduce the impact on the seabed or the presence of scientists on board ships.

Still according to the explanations given by Planas, the 143 days of work can be carried out “with the measures in force since last year, there will be no new ones”. This also implies an improvement compared to the Commission’s exit proposal, which proposed more compensation measures.

From the Council of the EU, it is explained that “to mitigate the socio-economic impact in the short term and reward the most selective practices, ministers agreed to continue, with slight modifications, the use of the compensation mechanism”. “This was established for the first time for 2022 in order to allocate additional days to operators who opt for more selective gear or who are covered by a national conservation measure, as an incentive to increase the protection of the population”, develops the press release sent by the presidency of Denmark, the country which chairs the Council during this semester.

For the Atlantic, where it is negotiated in volume of catches and not in days of fishing, the Council points to an increase in fishing quotas for rooster or crayfish. While possible catches of sole, horse mackerel, haddock or monkfish would be reduced.

Regarding mackerel, which also involves third countries (Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands), the negotiations are not yet complete. However, as a provisional measure, “ministers have agreed to limit catches to 70% during the first six months of the year”.