BRUSSELS – Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, emphasized today that Portugal will persist in negotiations to secure more fishing opportunities for 2026 compared to this year’s catches.
“Negotiations continue until the very end; we are never fully satisfied,” the minister stated to reporters in Brussels.
“We consistently strive for fishing opportunities that exceed our actual catches, while respecting sustainability and aiming to limit cuts as much as possible,” he added.
Portugal’s key targets in this negotiation include sole, monkfish, and red seabream, all significant commercially, for which the European Commission has proposed cuts of 28%, 2%, and 3%, respectively, for the coming year.
“We do not concede,” the minister reiterated.
Alongside these reductions, the European executive’s proposal entails cuts in megrim (-26%) and a 5% reduction in horse mackerel.
Horse mackerel is set for a 5% cut in Iberian waters (856,520), and plaice will see a 20% reduction for the years 2026, 2027, and 2028 (99 tonnes).
The quotas for hake and rays will remain the same as in 2025, while bluefin tuna quotas are expected to increase by 17%, and sand eels by 12%.
Awaiting outcomes from negotiations with Norway, José Manuel Fernandes noted that there is an increase of 800 tonnes in cod catches in Newfoundland, Canada, which is part of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). (12/12/25)
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