Barents Sea cod quotas lowered for the fourth year in a row but cut less than expected.

Cod quotas have been lowered for the fourth year in a row but cut less than expected.

Russia and Norway have reached a deal for the 2025 fish quotas. They did not meet in person and did not conduct joint research expeditions in the Barents Sea. The Norwegian-Russian Joint Fishery Commission finally announced the results of online negotiations and data exchange overnight.

Cod quotas in the Barents and Norwegian Seas will total 340,000 tons, down 25% from 2024. This year’s 453,000 tons was down 20% from 2023 quotas which again was down 20% from the agreed catch in 2022.

The quotas are shared by three parties, Norway and Russia taking the biggest part. A smaller part is given to a few European Union countries and Iceland.

Norway’s share of the cod quota will be 163,436 tons, ( from the Norwegian Fishery Ministry ).

Julie Waites, Executive Director of FASFA said:

''The cod and haddock on which British Fish and Chip shops depend on are sustainable and harvested in a responsible manner, backed by rigorous scientific research. Coming from the deep cold clear waters of the North Atlantic and the Barents Sea, these are the biggest cod and haddock stocks in the world and remain the greatest source of supply to the UK market.''