Measures adopted by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) to address what it said is unsustainable Russian mackerel fishing in the North-East Atlantic officially entered into force on Friday, August 28.
Initiated by a proposal from the European Union, these measures aim to protect mackerel stock currently under severe conservation pressure due to years of overfishing, NEAFC said in a press release.
In 2026, Russia unilaterally increased its quota to 67,548 tonnes, or 22.5 per cent of the total allowable catch (TAC), nearly five times its 2004 quota.
The NEAFC said the measure sets a limit for Russian mackerel catches in international waters of 1,495 tonnes.
The NEAFC said that, despite Russia’s objection, the measure will prohibit other commission members from facilitating Russia’s "unsustainable fishing of mackerel in international waters in excess of that limit."
Vessels from other NEAFC members may not tranship from, nor provide refuelling services to fishing vessels with Russian mackerel catches on board that exceed that 1,495 tonnes limit.
In addition, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Iceland will apply these restrictions within their respective national jurisdictions. Fishing vessels carrying Russian mackerel quantities above the agreed limits are barred from entering EU, UK, and Icelandic ports.
The EU decided to apply these NEAFC measures on July 3, 2026. As a result, this summer, the EU has already denied entry into its ports to fishing vessels with Russian mackerel on board caught in excess of the 1,495-tonne limit.