Department of Fisheries,Fishing, Agriculture and Self-Sufficiency, as well as other relevant departments, are finalizing negotiations at official level with external partners about quotas in Greenland's waters for 2026.
Thus, the fisheries negotiations with the Faroe Islands and the EU are complete. For both, this means less quotas, and Naalakkersuisut has approved the negotiation results.
Agreement with the Faroe Islands
As far as the Faroe Islands are concerned, both Greenland and the Faroe Islands receive smaller quotas from each other.
- Due to a 41 percent decrease in scientific advice, the Faroe Islands have reduced Greenland's quota of blue whiting by 3,350 tonnes, Naalakkersuisut informs and continues:
- In return, Greenland has reduced the Faroe Islands on a number of quotas in East Greenland. Halibut has been reduced by 50 tonnes, cod has been reduced by 150 tonnes, tusk has been reduced by 200 tonnes and halibut has been reduced by 25 tonnes.
In the table below, the quota exchange between Greenland and the Faroe Islands can be seen:
Agreement with the EU
The agreement will form the basis for the EU's fishing in Greenlandic waters in 2026. The agreement is based on the Fisheries Protocol for 2025-2030, which is part of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between Greenland and the EU.
In the Fisheries Protocol, the EU is offered a number of quotas in Greenlandic waters, in return Greenland receives financial compensation.
The fishing opportunities for 2026 were determined based on the indicative amounts in the Fisheries Protocol.
Restriction introduced for foreign vessels
Due to a decline in scientific advice, the fishing opportunities for shrimp in both West and East Greenland have been reduced by 181 and 950 tons.
Due to the new minimum limit for capelin of 30,000 tonnes for Greenland, the EU has not been offered a quota for capelin in 2026. In addition, Greenland has also introduced a restriction on the number of foreign vessels that can fish on the shrimp stock in East Greenland, informs Naalakkersuisut.
- The reduction of quotas allocated by the EU for shrimp in West and East Greenland will contribute to Greenlandic vessels having a larger quota base and better utilization of their capacity, informs Naalakkersuisut and continues:
- This will lead to increased income for the public sector from resource charges and taxes. The decrease in payment from the EU will be compensated by fees and taxes from Greenland's businesses.
91.5 Million for fishing opportunities and 25 million for license payment
The fisheries partnership agreement between Greenland and the EU consists of two parts; a commercially based fishing agreement that includes access payment for the allocated fishing opportunities and license payment, and a sector support programme.
The payment for the fishing opportunities for 2026 is expected to be approx. 91.5 million DKK for fishing opportunities and approx. 25 million DKK for license payment.
For both negotiations, the Greenlandic delegation consisted of representatives from the Department of Fisheries, Catching, Agriculture and Self-Sufficiency, Greenland's Mission to the EU, Greenland's Fisheries and Hunting Control, Greenland's Nature Institute, Department of Finance and Taxes and the Greenlandic fishing industry.
