Norway and the Faroe Islands sign a sharing agreement for herring

Representatives of the Norwegian and Faroese governments have signed a sharing agreement on Norwegian spring spawning herring for the first time in over a decade. Norway and the Faroe Islands are the two coastal states that fish more than half of the stock, and the agreement, signed on 13 December, marks a step towards more sustainability in the fishery. The agreement is the first one since 2013, when all coastal states started self-allocating quota. As part of the agreement, Norway will get 64.2 percent of the quota, the Faroe Islands will get 10 percent, while the remaining 25.8 percent will be unallocated, leaving some room for Iceland, Russia, and the E.U. to fish. Both Norway and the Faroe Islands have reduced the amount of their quota compared to last year – according to Faroese public service – by 22.8 percent combined.The Norwegian spring spawning herring stock has been overfished for several years, and the International Council for Exploration of the Sea recommended a 24 ...