UK – EU Fisheries Deal

On May 19, UK and EU deals were renegotiated post-Brexit. These negotiations covered a wide range of UK-EU relations. See a broad overview of the decisions here and here.

Focusing on the fisheries negotiations – the agreements included a 12-year fisheries access arrangement. Under this deal, there is no increase in the quota of fish that EU vessels can catch in British waters. The aim is provide long-term stability in relations and to maintain current fishing levels while protecting UK fishing rights and areas. The UK will continue to participate in fisheries negotiations each year to agree total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for fish stocks shared with other coastal States.

The UK-EU deal aimed to balance economic cooperation with the EU but has been met with mixed reactions from fishers and industry experts. Some are worried about continued threats of overfishing whilst others are positive towards UK Government support, which includes the launch of a £360 Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund (See more here).

To learn more about this deal, read more on these sites: