EU Proposes 2027 Atlantic and North Sea Fishing Limits

Today, the European Commission adopted its proposal for the 2027 fishing opportunities for 11 fish stocks managed by the EU in the Atlantic, Kattegat and Skagerrak. For six of those stocks, the proposal would also set catches for 2028 and, in some cases, 2029.

The proposal is based on the latest scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). It aims to keep fisheries on a sustainable footing, support the long-term viability of the sector and help rebuild stocks that remain under pressure.

ICES advised catch limits for six stocks in line with maximum long-term sustainable harvesting. This corresponds to the largest catch that can be taken over time without undermining the stock's ability to replenish itself. For five other stocks, where less data is available, ICES issued precautionary advice.

The Commission also proposes to bring into EU law the fishing opportunities agreed at the annual meetings of five Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.

Proposed fishing opportunities for EU-managed stocks

The Commission proposes increases for anglerfish (+22%) and horse mackerel (+6%) in Iberian waters, and a rollover for plaice in the Kattegat and for undulate ray in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian waters.

In line with scientific advice, for stocks below healthy levels, the Commission is proposing to decrease catch limits in order to reduce fishing pressure and allow them to rebuild. For example, in the case of sole in the Bay of Biscay, whose biomass has declined for several years and is now low, the Commission proposes a -15% reduction in the catch limit. Scientists indicate that even fishing at MSY, which would imply a -9% reduction, may not allow the stock to recover.

For red seabream in Iberian waters, the Commission proposes a -35% reduction in the catch allowance, based on scientific advice and precautionary considerations. For southern hake, the Commission proposes lowering the catch allowance by -20% towards the maximum sustainable catch limit, while capping the year-to-year variation to 20%, in line with the provisions of the Western Waters Multiannual Plan.

Authorisation for quota setting by Member States

For seabass in the Bay of Biscay, the Commission proposes to maintain the current approach under which France and Spain set quotas. It also proposes to keep the same ceiling agreed last year — 3,884 tonnes, below the highest sustainable catch point. Member States would need to respect this ceiling jointly in order to avoid increasing pressure on pollack, which is caught as by-catch in the seabass fishery, and to support the stock's recovery.

The Commission also proposes to authorise France, Spain and Portugal to set national quotas for the following stocks:

• seabass in Iberian waters (France, Spain, Portugal);
• sardines in the Bay of Biscay (France, Spain);
• and sardines in Iberian waters (France, Spain, Portugal).

For these stocks, Member States would have to ensure jointly that catches remain in line with the highest sustainable catch limit or, where appropriate, the precautionary approach, as required under the common fisheries policy.

Preserving European eel stocks

Given the continued critical state of the European eel, the Commission proposes to maintain the measures for eel, which include a 6-month closure period for any eel fishing activity and a prohibition on all recreational eel fisheries in EU marine and brackish waters of the north-east Atlantic.

Other EU-managed stocks – pending scientific advice

In some cases, the scientific advice is not yet available for the EU-managed stocks. The catch limits for those stocks are marked 'pm' (pro memoria) in the proposal: cod in Kattegat, megrims in Iberian waters, Norway lobster in the Skagerrak-Kattegat, in the Bay of Biscay and in Iberian waters, roundnose grenadier in the Skagerrak-Kattegat and Baltic Sea, sole in the Skagerrak-Kattegat and western Baltic Sea, as well as anchovy in the Bay of Biscay and in the Gulf of Cádiz.

Once the scientific advice becomes available, the Commission will update the proposal through Commission services' non-papers.

Next steps

In the coming weeks, the proposal will be updated regularly through Commission services' non-papers. These updates will cover additional EU-managed stocks, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations -managed stocks, stocks jointly managed with non-EU countries and stocks in the waters of non-EU countries.

EU Fisheries Ministers are expected to discuss and decide on the proposal at the AGRIFISH Council on 14–15 December 2026. The final Council regulation will apply from 1 January 2027.

Background

Total allowable catches for EU-managed fish stocks are set by EU Member States, following a proposal by the Commission, for commercial fish stocks that are only exploited by the EU and certain stocks shared with the United Kingdom.

Under the common fisheries policy, EU Member States are legally bound to manage fish stocks in line with the maximum sustainable yield – the highest sustainable catch - and with the precautionary approach, as well as to rebuild stocks below healthy levels. That ensures that EU fishers have healthy fish stocks to rely on.

When setting total allowable catches in mixed fisheries, the EU Member States may also take into account socio-economic considerations, provided that the legal framework's conditions for doing so are met.

In most cases advice is provided by ICES and total allowable catches are set annually. In other cases, advice is provided less frequently, and multiannual catch limits are established, which are sets of annual catch limits covering the entire advice period, i.e. a period of two to three years.

Stakeholders were consulted based on the Commission's annual communication on fish stocks and the setting of total allowable catches and effort limits. The most recent annual communication is entitled Sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2027 .