Saving Seafood

Northeast Science Center wants fishermen for mackerel cooperative research

May 29, 2026 — The Northeast Fisheries Science Center held a two-hour webinar May 22 kicking off a new season of mackerel cooperative research and looking for fishermen to share their skills and knowledge with scientists.

According to Anna Mercer, chief of the NEFSC’s cooperative research branch, fishermen bring valuable experience to collecting and interpreting data, which will help fill research gaps and improve models of reproduction, migration, and the effects of environmental drivers on population dynamics. 

Mercer notes that for the purposes of the stock assessment, the most critical information gaps include: how mackerel move between US and Canadian waters; when and where mackerel spawn; whether mackerel exhibit spawning site fidelity; how mackerel abundance and varies from year to year; and what environmental factors—such as temperature, plankton, predators, and others—drive the distribution and abundance of Atlantic mackerel. 

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries Announces $2.3 Million to Study Atlantic Mackerel with the Northeast Fishing Industry

May 28, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is beginning a cooperative research initiative, partnering with the Northeast fishing industry to learn more about Atlantic mackerel population dynamics. The initiative will receive $2.3 million in the current fiscal year.

The project will engage more than 50 fishing vessels to collect and analyze data to improve our understanding of the Atlantic mackerel stock. Fishing vessels will be involved in:

  • Developing acoustic technologies to detect and quantify mackerel, including active acoustics
  • Collecting mackerel samples for biological analysis
  • Tagging mackerel to understand movement between US and Canadian waters
  • Participating in mackerel egg surveys to better understand spawning
  • Developing and testing hypotheses about the ecosystem drivers of mackerel

This research initiative builds upon the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s 20-year model of success with cooperative research. This research includes working with the fishing industry to identify research needs, collect data, and support sustainable management of resource species.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Atlantic mackerel quotas slashed as 2026 catch cuts issued

October 7, 2025 — The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) is recommending big cuts to quotas of pelagic species in the Northeast Atlantic, continuing a downward trend amid continued overfishing.

ICES recommended the blue whiting catch in the Northeast Atlantic should be dropped to no more than 1.88 billion pounds (851,344 MT) in 2026, a 41 percent decrease from the 3.20 billion pounds (1.45 million MT) quota it recommended for 2025. The drop for Northeast Atlantic mackerel was even more severe, with ICES recommending a nearly 70 percent drop from the 1.27 billion pounds (576,958 MT) recommended for the 2025 season to a quota of just 384 million pounds (174,357 MT) in 2026.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA closes US Atlantic mackerel fishery for the rest of 2024

December 10, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries has closed the U.S. Atlantic mackerel fishery for the rest of 2024 after determining that 100 percent of the allowable annual harvest has already been caught.

The closure comes amid concern over the sustainability of the Atlantic mackerel stock, which is listed as overfished by NOAA Fisheries and has been managed under a rebuilding program since November 2019.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MSC calls on coastal states to “act decisively” on Northeast Atlantic mackerel quotas

March 26, 2023 — The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is calling on coastal states that harvest Northeast Atlantic mackerel to secure a long-term quota-sharing agreement as the deadline to make a decision approaches.

A number of fisheries in the North Atlantic have had their MSC certifications suspended due to coastal states in the region failing to set quotas low enough to align with scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES). North Atlantic mackerel was one of the species that lost MSC certification due to ongoing management issues.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Fisheries minister angling for joint Canada-U.S. management of depleted Atlantic mackerel stock

December 8, 2022 — Canada is lobbying the United States to add Atlantic mackerel to transboundary fish stocks jointly managed by the two countries on the East Coast — but so far has not landed an agreement.

The appeal comes after Canada imposed a total moratorium on all commercial mackerel fishing in 2022  to rebuild the depleted shared stock. The Americans kept fishing, albeit with a reduced quota.

Minister raised concern with U.S. counterpart

“We don’t support the fact that we had closures because the stock was in critical condition and the United States were fishing essentially that same stock,” Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joyce Murray told a parliamentary committee Friday.

Murray’s remarks are a more public stance on what has been a quiet effort by Canada to persuade the United States to jointly manage a species both countries say is in trouble.

Murray said she expressed her concerns in a virtual meeting earlier on Dec. 2 with her U.S. counterpart, Richard Spinrad, who leads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA.

Murray said Spinrad was sympathetic.

“He wants to invoke the precautionary principle, which in my view, wasn’t happening adequately. We agreed that we share our approach to this and in two months there will be meetings between NOAA and DFO to discuss our assessments and build a better approach to rebuilding mackerel.”

Read the full article at CBC

Mid-Atlantic Council Approves Revised Stock Rebuilding Plan for Atlantic Mackerel

June 15, 2022 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved a revised rebuilding plan and 2023 specifications for Atlantic mackerel. The first rebuilding plan for the stock was implemented in November 2019. However, an updated 2021 stock assessment found that, although the stock size almost tripled between 2014 and 2019, the stock was only 24% rebuilt in 2019 and unlikely to complete rebuilding as anticipated.

The revised rebuilding plan approved by the Council has a 61% probability of rebuilding the stock by 2032. Of the five rebuilding options considered, the Council selected this approach because it has a high probability of successfully rebuilding the stock while avoiding the severe economic impacts that would likely occur with some of the other alternatives. Compared to the original rebuilding plan, the revised plan uses lower predicted recruitment in projections to reduce the chance of underperforming stock growth predictions again.

The Council also voted to implement a first-ever federal waters recreational possession limit for Atlantic mackerel for 2023. Recreational catches of Atlantic mackerel have been relatively low historically, but recreational restrictions were deemed appropriate to achieve the total catch reduction required under the rebuilding plan. The Council had initially considered possession limits in the range of 10 to 15 fish per person, but they ultimately recommended a 20-fish per person limit based on the limited historical recreational catch and the importance of mackerel for recreational fishermen (including as bait). This limit is expected to reduce recreational catch by about 17%. Coordination with states that have substantial recreational mackerel catches (MA, NH, and ME) occurred during development of the plan, and it is hoped that these states will mirror the federal rules for their state waters in 2023.

Under the selected rebuilding plan, the acceptable biological catch (ABC) will be 8,094 metric tons (MT) for 2023. After accounting for expected Canadian catch, recreational catch, and commercial discards, the Council recommended setting the 2023 commercial quota at 3,639 MT. This quota is 79% lower than the initial 2021 rebuilding quota. A new Management Track Assessment will be available next year to inform 2024-2025 specifications.

The Council also discussed potentially scaling down the river herring and shad cap, currently set at 129 MT, in response to the reduced commercial quota. However, given the challenges associated with monitoring a very small cap, including potential closures based on a few observed trips, the Council voted to maintain the cap at 129 MT for 2023.

Finally, the Council agreed to request that NOAA Fisheries provide additional outreach and compliance assistance regarding the appropriate permitting and catch reporting for both commercial and for-hire vessels. Additional outreach should address any ambiguity regarding the need to have a permit and submit electronic vessel trip reports (eVTRs) by these vessels.

The Council will submit this amendment to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation. Updates will be posted on the Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding 2.0 page. For additional information about this action, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254.

 

Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Public Hearings on Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding Amendment

April 13, 2022 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking public input on a proposed amendment to rebuild the Atlantic mackerel stock. Comments may be submitted at any of five public hearings to be held between April 25 and May 2, 2022 or via written comment through May 9, 2022.

A 2021 stock assessment found that Atlantic mackerel was overfished and that overfishing was occurring. Although a rebuilding plan was implemented in November 2019, the 2021 assessment found that the stock was unlikely to rebuild as anticipated. The stock size increased 180% between 2014 and 2019 but was still less than a quarter rebuilt. In response to this updated information, the Council is developing a new rebuilding plan.

The Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding 2.0 Amendment contains five rebuilding alternatives projected to rebuild the stock within 10 years. Potential management measures include commercial quotas, recreational bag/possession limits, a 3-inch commercial minimum mesh requirement, and permitting clarifications. The action would also set specifications and a river herring and shad cap for 2023. Please see the Overview of Rebuilding Alternatives and Public Hearing Document for additional information about the alternatives considered in this amendment. A video presentation will be available on the amendment page by Monday, April 18.

Public Hearing Schedule

1.New Bedford, MA – Monday April 25, 2022, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., Fairfield Inn and Suites – 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740, (774) 634-2000

2.Plymouth, MA – Tuesday April 26, 2022, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn – 4 Home Depot Drive, Plymouth, MA 02360, (508) 830-0200

3.Portsmouth, NH – Wednesday April 27, 2022, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Urban Forestry Center – 45 Elwyn Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801, (603) 431-6774

4.Brunswick, ME – Thursday April 28, 2022, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m., Curtis Memorial Library (Morrell Meeting Room) – 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, ME 04011, (207) 725-5242

5.Webinar – Monday, May 2, 2022, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to Shelley Spedden, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Written Comments

Written comments may be submitted through May 9, 2022 by any of the following methods:

•Online: https://www.mafmc.org/comments/mackerel-rebuilding

•Email: jdidden@mafmc.org (use subject “Mackerel Rebuilding”)

•Mail to: Chris Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope “Mackerel Rebuilding.”

Documents

•Public Hearing Document

•Overview of Rebuilding Alternatives

For more information, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org (also 302-526-5254) or visit the Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding Amendment page.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Mackerel Fishery Closure

October 14, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is closing the entire Atlantic mackerel fishery in federal waters through the end of the fishing year on December 31, 2021.

Effective at 0001 hour on October 15, 2021, vessels are prohibited from fishing for or landing more than 5,000 lb of Atlantic mackerel per trip in or from federal waters through December 31, 2021. Vessels may not land Atlantic mackerel more than once per calendar day.

The most recent management track assessment from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center concluded that the species remains overfished and overfishing increased slightly. We are implementing this closure to minimize additional catch for the remainder of the current fishing year.

If you have started a trip prior to October 15, 2021, you may offload and sell more than 5,000 lb of Atlantic mackerel from that trip, as long as the vessel entered port before 0001 hr on October 15, 2021.

For more information, please read the notice as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin posted on our website.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Alyson Pitts, Regional Office, 978-281-9352

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103