Council of the European Union 26 January 2026, Council Regulation (EU) 2026/249 of 26 January 2026 fixing for 2026, 2027 and 2028 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters, and amending Regulation (EU) 2025/202

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European Union · · · Cited by 66 · 26-01-2026

TITLE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1. Subject matter
Article 2. Scope
Article 3. Definitions
Article 4. Fishing zones
TITLE II. FISHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNION FISHING VESSELS
CHAPTER I. General provisions
Article 5. TACs and allocations
Article 6. TACs to be determined by Member States
Article 7. Conditions for landing catches and by-catches
Article 8. Quota exchange mechanism for TACs for unavoidable by-catches
Article 9. Fishing effort limits in ICES division 7e
Article 10. Measures on European seabass fisheries in ICES divisions 4b, 4c and 6a and ICES subarea 7
Article 11. Measures for European seabass fisheries in the ICES divisions 8a and 8b
Article 12. Measures on recreational fisheries for pollack in ICES areas 6 and 7
Article 13. Measures for pollack in ICES subareas 8, 9 and 10 and Union waters of CECAF area 34.1.1
Article 14. Measures on European eel fisheries in Union waters of ICES subareas 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9
Article 15. Special provisions on allocations of fishing opportunities
Article 16. Closed fishing seasons for sandeels
Article 17. Remedial measures for cod in the North Sea
Article 18. Real-time closures of certain fisheries in the North Sea and Skagerrak
Article 19. Technical measures for the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and the West of Scotland
Article 20. Technical measures for the Channel
Article 21. Technical measures for Northern prawn in the Skagerrak
Article 22. Remedial measures for common sole in the Skagerrak, Kattegat and western Baltic Sea
Article 23. Prohibited species
Article 24. Data transmission
CHAPTER II. Fishing authorisations in third-country waters
Article 25. Fishing authorisations
CHAPTER III. Fishing opportunities managed by regional fisheries management organisations
Section 1. General provisions
Article 26. Quota transfers or exchanges
Section 2. ICCAT Convention area
Article 27. Fishing, farming and fattening capacity limitations
Article 28. Recreational fisheries
Article 29. Prohibitions relating to thresher sharks and shortfin mako
Article 30. FADs for tropical tunas
Section 3. CCAMLR Convention area
Article 31. Exploratory fisheries notifications for toothfish for the 2026-2027 fishing season
Article 32. Toothfish fishery during the 2025-2026 fishing season
Article 33. Krill fishery during the 2026-2027 fishing season
Section 4. IOTC Area of Competence
Article 34. Limitation of fishing capacity of fishing vessels
Article 35. Drifting FADs and supply vessels
Section 5. SPRFMO Convention area
Article 36. Pelagic fisheries
Section 6. IATTC Convention area
Article 37. Purse seine fisheries
Article 38. Drifting FADs
Article 39. Catch limits for bigeye tuna in longline fisheries
Article 40. Records of releases of oceanic whitetip sharks
Section 7. SEAFO Convention area
Article 41. Prohibition of directed fishing for deep-water sharks
Section 8. WCPFC Convention area
Article 42. Measures for bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna and South Pacific albacore fisheries
Article 43. Management of fishing with FADs
Article 44. Maximum number of Union fishing vessels authorised to fish for swordfish
Article 45. Catch limits for swordfish in longline fisheries south of 20° S
Section 9. Bering Sea
Article 46. Prohibition on fishing for pollock in the high seas of the Bering Sea
Section 10. SIOFA Agreement Area
Article 47. Limits to bottom fishing
Article 48. Toothfish fishery measures
Article 49. Prohibition of directed fishing for deep-water sharks
Section 11. NPFC Convention area
Article 50. Chub mackerel fishery
Article 51. Prohibition of fishing for sharks
Article 52. Prohibition of fishing for anadromous fish
TITLE III. FISHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIRD-COUNTRY FISHING VESSELS IN UNION WATERS
Article 53. Fishing vessels flying the flag of Norway or of the Faroe Islands
Article 54. Fishing vessels flying the flag of the United Kingdom, registered in the United Kingdom, the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey or the Isle of Man, and licensed by a United Kingdom fisheries administration
Article 55. Quota transfers or exchanges with the United Kingdom
Article 56. Fishing vessels flying the flag of Venezuela
Article 57. Fishing authorisations
Article 58. Conditions for landing catches and by-catches
Article 59. Prohibited species
TITLE IV. FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 60. Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2025/202
Article 61. Committee procedure
Article 62. Entry into force and application
ANNEX I. TACs APPLICABLE TO UNION FISHING VESSELS IN AREAS WHERE TACs EXIST BY SPECIES AND BY AREA

Official Journal
of the European Union

L series

2026/249

30.1.2026

COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2026/249

of 26 January 2026

fixing for 2026, 2027 and 2028 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters, and amending Regulation (EU) 2025/202

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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