Coastal fishing: sole quota doubled in the North Sea

The Flemish Minister for Fisheries H. Crevits has doubled the quantity of sole allocated to small-segment fleet vessels in the North Sea, increasing it from 70 to 140 kg per kilowatt. The measure is detailed in a ministerial decree of September 17, 2026, published in the Belgian Official Gazette on September 24, 2026, under reference C − 2026/006900 (p. 51387). The text entered into force on September 11, 2026, six days before its signature.

The decree amends Article 14, § 2, of the ministerial decree of December 22, 2025, regarding temporary complementary conservation measures for fish stocks at sea for the year 2026: the quantity of “70 kg” is replaced by the quantity of “140 kg”. The provision targets North Sea sole expressed in kg/kW for small-segment fleet vessels.

The text is based on three legal foundations:

• the decree of June 28, 2013, relating to agriculture and fisheries policy, Article 24;
• the Flemish Government decree of December 16, 2005, establishing a fishing license, Article 18;
• the Flemish Government decree of September 9, 2016, establishing national complementary provisions for the conservation and management of fisheries resources, Article 10/1.

An emergency procedure without an opinion from the Council of State

The Flemish government indicates that no opinion was requested from the Council of State, pursuant to Article 3, § 1, of the coordinated laws on the Council of State of January 12, 1973. The urgency is justified by the fact that quota management is carried out through a collective management system “to which it must be possible to make adjustments very quickly,” due to the obligations imposed by European and international legislation regarding the management of fishing quotas.

The quota commission had issued a favorable opinion

According to the published justification, the quota commission, in its session of September 1, 2026, advised increasing the allocated quantity of sole in the North Sea, expressed in kg/kW, for small-segment fleet vessels, from 70 to 140 kg/kW. According to the text, the available sole quota in the North Sea is sufficient to apply this increase for the period from January to October 2026 inclusive. The modification aims for “an efficient and balanced use of the available fishing opportunities.”

What the text changes in concrete terms

• Beneficiaries: vessels of the small fleet segment active in the North Sea.
• Species concerned: sole, with an allocation expressed in kg per kilowatt of engine power.
• New value: 140 kg/kW, compared to 70 kg/kW previously.
• Entry into force: September 11, 2026.
• Period covered by the quota: January to October 2026 inclusive.
• Signing authority: the Flemish Minister of the Interior, Urban and Rural Policy, Coexistence, Integration and Civic Inclusion, Public Governance, Social Economy and Fisheries.

The doubling takes effect retroactively relative to the signature of September 17, 2026, which aligns the regulation with the date of September 11, 2026, already adopted by the administration. For Flemish coastal fishers, the measure significantly increases the authorized sole catch possibilities until the end of October 2026, without requiring a prior opinion from the Council of State.

Source : Ministerial Decree of September 17, 2026, amending the Ministerial Decree of December 22, 2025, regarding temporary complementary conservation measures for the year 2026 for fish stocks at sea, C − 2026/006900, Belgian Official Gazette of September 24, 2026, p. 51387.