The Faroe Islands and Russia have reached an agreement on mutual fishing rights for 2026. Negotiations concluded on December 30, 2025, following a series of digital meetings and email consultations.
The agreement includes quota reductions for both parties due to the biological status of key fish species.
Faroese quotas in Russian waters for 2026 are set at 6,306 tonnes for cod, 1,484 tonnes for haddock, 900 tonnes for flatfish, and 4,000 tonnes for shrimp.
Faroese demersal quotas in the Barents Sea will decrease by 655 tonnes overall. The cod quota is reduced by 1,139 tonnes, while the haddock allocation has increased by 484 tonnes.
Russian quotas in Faroese waters will also decrease, with Norway pout reduced by 10,000 tonnes and mackerel by 3,879 tonnes. The quota for North Sea herring will increase slightly to 7,714 tonnes.
Russian vessels will be permitted to fish 65,000 tonnes of Norway pout and 4,201 tonnes of mackerel in Faroese and international waters.
Access to Faroese waters for the international Norway pout quota has been reduced by 41 per cent compared to 2025.
From January 1, 2026, the Faroe Islands will implement restrictive measures involving two Russian shipping companies. Vessels from these entities will be barred from fishing in Faroese waters and will not have access to Faroese ports.
Russian vessels remain prohibited from fishing in the exclusive zone shared by the Faroe Islands and the UK.
