July 1, 2026 — Since 2017, NOAA Fisheries and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council have been trying to help the Atlantic mackerel population rebuild. The population has been struggling, but a recent stock assessment shows that the population is showing signs of improvement.
We manage Atlantic mackerel under the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. In 2017, a benchmark stock assessment found that the mackerel population was dangerously low and overfishing was occurring. As a result, in 2019 we developed and implemented a 5-year rebuilding plan to help the mackerel population recover. That rebuilding plan was extended to 10 years after a 2021 management track assessment indicated the stock could not rebuild within the initial 5-year window. A 2023 management track assessment revealed the stock was no longer experiencing overfishing, but the mackerel population was still struggling to rebound. As a result, commercial possession limits and fishery specifications were reduced further.
In September 2025, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center completed another management track assessment for mackerel using updated data through 2024. That assessment indicated the mackerel population is no longer low, and overfishing is still not occurring. Mackerel abundance from the 2024 spring bottom trawl survey was also near a record high. In 2024 egg production in U.S. waters was the highest since the 1980s, and estimated recruitment was the highest it’s been since 1983. While the mackerel population is showing signs of improvement, there is a substantial amount of uncertainty. Mackerel assessments have tended to overestimate terminal year recruitment in the past, and the abundance of older, larger fish in the mackerel population is low. However, the 2025 assessment results represent an improvement from the last few assessments.