June 8, 2026 — Collaborate, Design, and Launch: SPAM, the Sampling Program for Atlantic Mackerel
Atlantic mackerel are an ecologically important forage fish and support recreational and commercial fisheries valued at approximately $23 million annually. This species, however, has been understudied for the past 50 years. To address this, we launched a new Atlantic Mackerel Cooperative Research Initiative (MackPack). Fishing community members and researchers collaboratively developed this program to improve our understanding of Atlantic mackerel population dynamics in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.
The first MackPack research component to get off the ground is the Sampling Program for Atlantic Mackerel (SPAM). SPAM seeks to bridge the data gap by partnering with recreational and commercial fishermen. Together, we collect critical biological data on mackerel. Collaborating fishermen collect whole mackerel from Maine to North Carolina that we bring back to the lab to measure and weigh individual fish, as well assess reproductive maturity, sex, and age. This creates new data points that aim to reduce assessment uncertainties and improve management.