This Saturday, December 13, European fisheries ministers reached an agreement on catches in 2026, with a forecast of reducing the global volume, in some cases with an impact on Portugal, as is the case with horse mackerel, plaice or sole.
The agreement foresees the volume of catches by European vessels in the Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic, Black Sea and, in some cases, also foresees the risk for “certain stocks for 2027 and 2028”, according to the EU statement.
Horse mackerel is expected to see a 5% reduction in catches in Portuguese waters, from 59,266 tonnes in 2025 to 56,520 in 2026.
With regard to crayfish, the agreement foresees a 23% reduction in fishing in Portuguese waters, from 239 to 185 tonnes, while for plaice, forecasts point to a 20% reduction, from 124 to 99 tonnes.
In terms of sole, fished in Madeira, mainland Portugal and the Azores, authorities predict a reduction in catch by 9%, from 540 tonnes in 2025 to 492 in 2026, while paloco fishing in national waters is expected to reduce by 13%.
In the case of the curved ray, there is no change in the fishing volume (50 tons will remain), while snapper fish will have a slight reduction (3%), from 392 to 382 tons, but the agreement foresees an increase of 11.4% of the current value in 2027.
For 2026, the EU also foresees the end of total anchovy fishing in the Azores area and an increase of 60% in the south of the Portuguese maritime zone, going from the current 7,266 tonnes to 11,639 in 2026.
The agreement, reached after two days of negotiations, establishes catch limits, known as “total allowable catches” and “fishing effort limits for the most important commercial fish stocks”, say European authorities.
The stocks covered by the agreement “are those that the EU manages alone, together with neighboring non-EU countries or through agreements concluded in regional fisheries management organizations” and fishing effort refers to the size and power of a vessel’s engine, combined with the number of days dedicated to fishing.
“Following the UK’s departure from the EU, fish stocks managed jointly by the EU and the UK are considered shared resources under international law”, states the final statement.