Tunisia secures increase in red shrimp quota
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Presse de Tunisie
Tunisia and the European Union have reached an agreement to increase Tunisia’s fishing quota for deep-sea red shrimp in the Mediterranean. The agreement was finalised during the 49th session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, held in Rome from 26 to 30 October 2026, according to La Presse de Tunisie.
Tunisia and the European Union have agreed to increase Tunisia’s quota for deep-sea red shrimp fishing in the Mediterranean, following negotiations in Rome, La Presse de Tunisie reports. The compromise provides for a volume between Tunisia’s request and the previously authorised quota, according to diplomatic sources cited by the Italian agency Agenzia Nova.
The agreement was reached during the 49th session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, held at the FAO headquarters from 26 to 30 October 2026. Tunisia’s embassy in Rome confirmed the agreement. The EU ambassador to Tunisia, Giuseppe Perrone, described the agreement as the result of bilateral dialogue and highlighted the visit to Tunis on 15 October by the European Commission’s director-general for maritime affairs and fisheries.
The initial quota was set at 36 tonnes for 2026 and had been exhausted by 15 May. Catch certificates recorded in the European system totalled at least 50.96 tonnes, an excess of more than 41%. The Italian authorities then called on operators in their country to suspend purchases of Tunisian red shrimp for the rest of the year. In return, the compromise provides for a Tunisian commitment to prevent the overexploitation of fishery resources.
The agreement comes after the red shrimp quota was exceeded in October, followed by the opening of talks between Tunis and the EU on an increase in the quota, reported on 6 and 23 October 2026.
