On Tuesday, December 10th, intense discussions took place at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels regarding fishing opportunities for EU member state fishermen in 2025 and 2026, both in EU waters and for EU vessels operating outside EU waters. Of particular importance to Latvia were cod fishing opportunities in the 2J3KL subarea of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO).
These fishing opportunities were restored to Latvia after a hiatus of more than 32 years. It was therefore crucial to allocate them in a manner that considered not only the interests of the countries who were EU member states at the time the ban was introduced but also the fishing interests of countries like Latvia that joined the EU after the ban was imposed.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture advocated for Latvia’s newly assigned cod fishing opportunities in the NAFO area for 2025 and subsequent years to be allocated proportionally. This allocation was to be based on calculated and additional fishing opportunities included in the EU quota, taking into account the historical cod catches of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania during the period from 1973 to 1976, while also respecting the interests of member states that joined the EU in 2004 or later.
Additionally, Latvia successfully retained its 11 fishing licenses for snow crab fishing in Svalbard waters in 2025. Latvia also emphasized its expectation for active action from the European Commission to ensure that regulations guaranteeing the rights of Latvian fishing vessels are fully implemented.