The final round of fishing talks on mackerel quotas have come to an end without any agreement.

It is the third year in a row that separate quotas have been set for two groups.

The fifth round of talks finished in Reykjavik, Iceland on Thursday with no agreement between the parties. It means the EU and Norway will set one quota for the coming year, and Iceland and the Faroes will set another one.

The Scottish Government’s fisheries secretary Richard Lochhead is disappointed by the outcome, saying it threatens the future of mackerel.

Mr Lochhead said: "It is deeply disappointing and enormously frustrating that we are facing another year without a mackerel deal. The lack of progress this week has been very worrying, with the Faroes in particular demonstrating a lack of willing to reach a deal. We now expect Faroes and Iceland will continue with grossly inflated quotas that are all about short-term selfish gain.

"We recognise mackerel stocks are currently present in seas further west and Iceland has a right to a share. However, it's unacceptable to opportunistically pursue these massive quotas. The Faroes, meanwhile, don't even have the capacity to catch so many mackerel, with foreign vessels invited into their waters to pillage the stock on their behalf.

"If overfishing continues, we face the prospect of the mackerel stock falling below safe limits by 2014. That's why we need the EU to fast-track plans for sanctions against any country engaging in unsustainable fishing outwith international agreements.

"We cannot allow a stock that Scottish fishing communities have relied upon for generations to be recklessly plundered, year and year. This impasse must come to an end by some means, to secure this fishery for decades to come."