Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has set an adapted quota of 1,275 tonnes of northern mackerel for mackerel distribution. This allocation is designated for authorised vessels operating in the deep-sea, high-seas, and longline censuses.
The measure is expected to benefit 84 ships with home ports located mainly in Galicia and the Basque Country, according to the ministry. These vessels make up the 300 fleet situated in the northwest Cantabrian Sea.
The General Secretariat for Fisheries secured quota exchanges with other member states to reach this figure. It also applied an interannual flexibility mechanism to transfer unused quota from 2025.
The current allocation represents an increase from the provisional total allowable catch set by the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of the European Union. That previous limit, established in December 2025, was only three tonnes.
The General Secretariat of Fisheries chose to distribute 100 per cent of the quota corresponding to Spain among the fleet. This decision was made to facilitate the planning of fishing activity given the seasonal nature of the fishery.
The Official State Gazette also released a resolution modifying bans for demersal species in the Mediterranean.
