EU Sets 2025 Fishing Quotas, Reducing Key North Sea Catches

New quotas aim to protect vulnerable fish stocks, but environmental groups criticize measures as insufficient to curb overfishing.

The EU Fisheries Ministers have agreed on 2025 fishing quotas for the North Sea and North East Atlantic, with significant reductions for herring, cod, and mackerel.
Herring quotas will decrease by 27% to 35,600 tons, cod by 22% to 1,700 tons, and mackerel in western waters by 32%, while quotas for plaice and saithe in the North Sea will increase by 11%.
A six-month fishing ban for European eel will continue, though exceptions remain, drawing criticism from environmental advocates.
The quotas are based on scientific recommendations to protect fish stocks under pressure from overfishing, climate change, and other factors, though some experts argue they remain too high for sustainable recovery.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace and the German Environmental Aid, claim the measures fail to address ongoing overfishing and criticize loopholes in eel conservation policies.