BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union (EU) protested on Tuesday at a fishing agreement between Britain, Norway, the Faroes and Iceland, saying it could irreversibly damage the dwindling mackerel population in the North Atlantic.

“This decision was taken without prior consultation with the European Union,” the 27-nation bloc’s executive commission said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse concerning the deal announced on 16 December.

The accord signed by authorities in the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands — an archipelago administered by EU member Denmark — “sets a total allowable catch of more than 299,000 tons” for 2026, “which is 72 percent higher than scientific advice issued for that year,” the commission said.

“This comes at a time when the stock is already below biological limits and at risk of collapse, thereby increasing the problem of overfishing.

“Such excessive exploitation threatens irreversible damage to the mackerel population,” it continued.

It said the bloc would “seek further clarification from the parties involved.”

French fishermen’s representatives earlier complained the deal meant the four nations could overfish a fragile stock and still export their produce to the EU, undermining fair competition.