UK fishing quota falls 17% to 636,000 tonnes

The UK’s total fishing quota has fallen by 17% this year to 636,000 tonnes, figures released by Stephen Morgan, a minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, show.

Morgan gave the figures in a written parliamentary answer on 18 September.

They show the 2026 total is down from 769,000 tonnes in 2025 and is the lowest since 2022.

It is also below the 644,000 tonnes negotiated for 2021, the first year covered by the figures, which begin when the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) came into force.

But the estimated value of this year’s quota is £1.06bn, compared with £1.04bn for 2025 and £0.88bn for 2021.

The quota peaked at 774,000 tonnes in 2024.

Morgan said the changes “also reflect impacts from changes in scientific advice for stocks and the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.

UK fishing quota is negotiated across three key forums - UK-EU bilateral talks, UK-EU-Norway trilateral talks and Coastal States - and “a handful of smaller forums”, the minister said.

The figures were given in response to a question from Liberal Democrat MP Dr Al Pinkerton, who asked how the UK’s quota share had changed since the agreement came into force. The answer gives total tonnages and estimated values rather than the UK’s share.