Post-Brexit Fishing Negotiations and Agreements in 2026

The year 2026 marks a structural turning point for European fisheries with the end of the post-Brexit transitional period. The challenge is to stabilize relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom while ensuring the economic viability of fleets dependent on British waters.

The legal framework is now governed by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which mandates a shift to annual negotiations for quotas and access to fishing grounds. Despite an extension of reciprocal access until 2038 to avoid an abrupt break, the French sector remains weakened by a 25% reduction in its historical quotas and the withdrawal of 90 vessels.

Find the key points of the post-Brexit negotiations and agreements in our summary sheet.

Valorizing shrimp waste for CO2-capturing activated carbon

Researchers from the University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) have developed an innovative technology that transforms shrimp waste into activated carbon capable of efficiently capturing CO2. This scientific breakthrough combines the valorization of marine by-products with sustainable solutions for carbon management.

Shrimp heads and shells, representing up to 48% of waste from shellfish processing, are generally underutilized.

The methodology developed by Dr. Haif Al-Jomard’s team combines pyrolysis, chemical activation, and mechanical grinding to produce an activated carbon with high CO2 adsorption capacity and proven stability over several cycles of use.

This innovative material opens up prospects for industrial carbon capture while fitting into a circular economy approach, offering a sustainable response to waste valorization and environmental protection.

Transparency and traceability in the face of fishing fraud

What you see on your plate is not always what you think. Up to a third of seafood products sold worldwide could be mislabeled, with consequences for health, the environment, and the sustainability of fish stocks.

Fraud in the fishing sector—whether species substitution, mislabeling, falsification, or diversion—potentially affects 20% to 30% of global trade, which is significantly higher than in other food sectors. The motivations are economic: selling farmed fish as wild-caught, masking geographical origin, or inflating weight to increase profits.

Faced with this complex problem, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre present scientific tools for detecting fraud in their report “Food Fraud in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector”:

• DNA analysis,
• Stable isotopes, magnetic resonance, machine learning models, etc.

Harmonizing labeling, strengthening traceability, and international cooperation are essential to protect consumers and preserve biodiversity.

Local initiatives, such as those in Los Angeles or Italy, show that awareness, monitoring, and collaboration between authorities, researchers, and businesses can significantly reduce labeling errors.

To discover all the recommendations and better understand the challenges facing the sector, read the full article.

The ObsMer (Observers at Sea) program is a French scientific initiative that involves deploying observers aboard professional fishing vessels to collect precise data on fishing activities.

To better understand what truly happens at sea to better manage resources: this is the core objective of the ObsMer program. By creating a direct link between field observations, scientific expertise, and management decisions, this initiative helps reconcile fishing activities with the sustainable preservation of fishery resources.

Thanks to the data collected aboard vessels, ObsMer provides concrete insights into practices, catches, and discards, thereby enriching knowledge and supporting the evolution of the sector.

To learn more about the key results and lessons learned, consult the full document below.