Herring and mackerel stocks are falling dangerously in the northeast Atlantic, warns a sustainable fishing organization

The Marine Stewardship Council calls for quotas at the international level, in accordance with scientific recommendations.

Stocks of herring and mackerel, two emblematic fish of the North-East Atlantic, are in clear decline, warns the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an organization issuing a sustainable fishing label. Countries fishing in the area are called upon to quickly agree on quotas to fight against “the collapse” populations. “This call follows new scientific data (…) which reveals a worrying downward trend”underlines the MSC in a press release. published Wednesday October 2.

According to the latest advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), a scientific body responsible for advising governments, stocks of mackerel, blue whiting and herring are overfished, sometimes for several years.

The herring stock in the North-East Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean has been halved in around fifteen years and “is now below the critical threshold of sustainability, i.e. the point at which the long-term health of the stock is threatened”points out the MSC. The mackerel stock has lost more than 60% of its biomass in nine years and is approaching the critical threshold below which a stock is considered to have collapsed.

For these fish, fishing catches have systematically exceeded ICES recommendations for several years. “It is urgent to ensure that quotas are set in accordance with scientific advice”estimates the MSC. “On the other hand, each nation unilaterally sets its own quotas, and the sum of these individual quotas exceeds the recommendations.” According to ICES, the countries fishing the most herring are Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Russia. For mackerel, these are the United Kingdom, Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Russia.

“Governments must urgently reach a quota sharing agreement that is consistent with scientific advice and preserves the health of these stocks for future generations”estimates Erin Priddle, MSC regional director for Northern Europe, quoted in the press release. “The next meeting of coastal states in October 2024 will be an important moment for reaching an agreement on quota sharing.”