UK fishing quota falls to lowest since 2022
The 2026 total is the lowest since 2022, though its estimated value is put at £1.06bn, figures given to Parliament by minister Stephen Morgan show.
The UK’s total fishing quota has fallen by 17% in 2026 to 636,000 tonnes, the lowest since 2022, 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.
The quota rose in the following two years, to 620,000 tonnes in 2022 and 691,000 tonnes in 2023, before reaching its peak of 774,000 tonnes in 2024.
But the estimated value of the 2026 quota is £1.06bn, compared with £1.04bn for 2025 and £0.88bn for 2021.
| Year | Tonnes | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 644,000 | £0.88bn |
| 2022 | 620,000 | £0.84bn |
| 2023 | 691,000 | £0.82bn |
| 2024 | 774,000 | £1.06bn |
| 2025 | 769,000 | £1.04bn |
| 2026 | 636,000 | £1.06bn |
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 question was tabled on 10 September by Liberal Democrat MP Dr Al Pinkerton, who represents Surrey Heath and had asked how the UK’s quota share had changed since the trade agreement came into force.
The answer gives total tonnages and estimated values rather than the UK’s specific share.
