"Iceland's announcement of its unilateral mackerel quota is a positive step. It conforms to the share figure it had previously claimed in the Coastal State mackerel negotiations, namely, 11.9% of 1,240,000 tonnes. The EU has said from the outset that the door is open for Iceland to join the arrangement, and we could now be very close to reaching a deal which includes all four Coastal States: the European Union, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Iceland. We therefore urge Iceland to join the other three Parties at the negotiating table at the earliest opportunity so that we can work out the terms of a full four-Party Coastal State arrangement for mackerel."

Background

Iceland announced on Tuesday 22 April its 2014 mackerel quota of 147,574 tonnes. Three Coastal States (EU, Faroe Islands and Norway) agreed in London on a five-year arrangement for mackerel  on 12 March 2014. This arrangement established a number of important principles, including a commitment to sustainable fisheries, a sharing between the Parties, and a commitment to establish a new long-term management plan in 2014 following ICES advice. Regrettably, Iceland was unable to come on board at that time. However, the arrangement made room for it to join at a later stage.