October 17, 2022 — The latest catch-limit advice for Northeast Atlantic pelagic stocks issued by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) show that fishing pressure is above sustainable levels and that further reductions are required, according to the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA).
ICES advised the 2023 catch for Northeast Atlantic mackerel should be no more than 782,066 metric tons (MT); a 1.6 percent reduction from its 2022 advice. However, in a statement released ahead of its annual coastal states meetings, NAPA said the agreed 2022 total allowable catch (TAC) was set at 1,131,416 MT. Therefore, to follow the ICES advice in 2023, a cut of 31 percent is required, it said.