The Faroe Islands Russia fishing agreement for 2026 will keep the long-running quota swap with Moscow in place, allowing Faroese trawlers to fish for key demersal stocks in the Barents Sea while Russian vessels retain access to pelagic quotas in Faroese waters. At the same time, the Faroese authorities will bar vessels linked to two Russian companies, Norebo JSC and Murman Sea Food, from operating in Faroese waters or calling at Faroese ports from 1 January 2026, citing security concerns.
What the 2026 quota swap includes
The fisheries deal is a yearly renegotiated quota exchange that dates back to 1977, originally signed with the Soviet Union and continued with Russia. The core logic remains unchanged: Faroese vessels gain access to Barents Sea groundfish, while Russian vessels receive quotas for species such as blue whiting, mackerel and Norwegian spring-spawning herring in Faroese and adjacent international waters.
In an update published by the Ministry of Fisheries, Industry and Trade (Tilfeingis- og vinnumálaráðið), the Faroese government said talks began on 22–23 December 2025, resumed after Christmas on 29 December, and the agreement was finalised by email on 30 December.
The Faroese side said the overall quotas are somewhat lower than last year because of the “biological situation” for several stocks. The Faroese quotas in Russian waters for 2026 are:
- Cod: 6,306 tonnes
- Haddock: 1,484 tonnes
- Flatfish: 900 tonnes
- Shrimp: 4,000 tonnes
The ministry said Faroese demersal quotas in the Barents Sea decrease by 655 tonnes in total, with cod down and haddock up. As in 2025, these quotas can be moved into Norwegian waters by agreement with Norway.
On the Russian side, the 2026 quotas are:
- Blue whiting: 65,000 tonnes
- Mackerel: 4,201 tonnes
- Norwegian spring-spawning herring: 7,714 tonnes
The Faroese update also notes that Russian vessels will have access in 2026 to fish up to 30,953 tonnes of Russia’s blue whiting quota in Faroese waters, a 41% reduction compared with 2025. Russian vessels will not have access to fish in the special area managed jointly by the Faroe Islands and the United Kingdom.
Why two Russian companies were banned
While the quota exchange keeps the wider Faroese–Russian fisheries relationship intact, Faroese authorities have decided to restrict access for vessels linked to Norebo JSC and Murman Sea Food. From 1 January 2026, vessels belonging to those companies will not be allowed to fish in Faroese waters, work in the Faroese zone, or enter Faroese harbours.
The move follows the European Union’s decision to list both companies under a sanctions regime targeting Russian destabilising and hybrid activities, including alleged espionage linked to critical infrastructure. In May 2025, the Council of the EU said the two fishing companies were part of a Russia state-sponsored surveillance campaign and had conducted espionage missions and sabotage against critical infrastructure, including undersea cables.
Both companies and Russian officials have rejected the allegations and said there is no evidence to support claims of intelligence activity.
The Barents Sea access that Faroese fleets rely on
For the Faroe Islands, the agreement is not just symbolic. The Barents Sea is one of the North Atlantic’s most important fishing grounds for cod and other groundfish, and access is a central part of the Faroese fishing economy.
Faroese officials framed the 2026 deal as a way to provide predictability to the sector at the start of the year. Minister of Fisheries, Industry and Trade (landsstýrismaður í tilfeingis- og vinnumálum) Eirikur í Jákupsstovu said he was satisfied an agreement had been reached “in these difficult times”, underlining that it gives the Faroese fishing industry clarity and maintains “good opportunities” to utilise Barents Sea demersal quotas in 2026.
At the same time, the Barents Sea fishery is facing tighter biological limits. That creates additional pressure on quota negotiations and raises the economic stakes of any retaliatory steps that could affect Faroese access.
Security concerns and the role of intelligence briefings
The Faroese decision to bar the two companies comes amid wider Nordic and European debate over the use of fishing vessels in hybrid operations, including surveillance of maritime infrastructure.
According to DR, Denmark’s domestic intelligence service, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET), visited the Faroe Islands to brief members of the foreign affairs committee in the Faroese parliament (Lagtingið) about Russian vessels and related security concerns.
The EU’s sanctions rationale explicitly linked the companies to activity targeting underwater infrastructure. Nordic governments have repeatedly highlighted vulnerabilities in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea, where undersea cables and pipelines are considered critical for energy and communications.
What happens next for Faroese–Russian fisheries ties
The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and are not part of the EU. That constitutional setup gives the Faroese authorities wide autonomy over fisheries policy, even as security decisions increasingly intersect with Nordic and European positions on Russia.
Russia has warned that restrictions on the two companies could lead to retaliatory measures, and has questioned Faroese commitment to the 1977 fisheries arrangement. The quota exchange is also connected to trade flows: the Faroe Islands export significant volumes of seafood, and market access can become part of broader political signalling.
For 2026, the agreement suggests a dual-track strategy: keep the quota swap that underpins Faroese access to the Barents Sea, while narrowing operational space for companies viewed as high-risk from a security perspective.
The key test will be whether the restrictions stay limited to the two listed entities or spill over into the wider fisheries relationship. Further developments are likely to depend on the enforcement of the new measures from 1 January, any Russian response, and how closely the Faroe Islands continue to align their security posture with Nordic partners and the EU.
