Following the UK's withdrawal from the EU and after two months of negotiations, "the three parties signed an agreement yesterday [16 March] allowing the joint management of the following stocks: cod, haddock, saithe, whiting, plaice and herring," according to a European Commission statement.

The agreement has resulted in quota reductions in 2021 for saithe (-25 percent), plaice (-2.3 percent) and herring (-7.4 percent), but increases for haddock (20 percent) and whiting (19 percent).

For cod stocks in the North Sea, Skagerrak and eastern Channel, the total allowable catch (TAC) was reduced by 10 percent for 2021.

The parties agreed to continue to apply a series of additional measures to protect adult and juvenile cod, including area closures.

In parallel to this tripartite agreement, the EU and Norway concluded bilateral consultations for shared stocks in the North Sea, Skagerrak and respective quota exchanges.

The trilateral agreement between the EU, the UK and Norway on fishing opportunities sets out the total allowable catch and quota sharing covering more than 636,000 tonnes of fish.

In parallel, the EU and Norway concluded a bilateral agreement including 10,274 tonnes of Arctic cod for the EU and 37,500 tonnes of blue whiting for Norway, among other species.

With these agreements, fishing operations in Norwegian waters by EU vessels can resume.