The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group (SPSG) has produced a new ‘Mackerel Briefing Document’ for stakeholders outlining the current facts behind the ongoing failure to reach a comprehensive agreement on international quota shares, as well as the key points of differentiation between the UK and other coastal states involved in the fishery.
The document outlines the determination of the UK to seek a resolution to the mackerel quota shares impasse and highlights the sustainability projects that the country’s pelagic sector is currently engaged in.
These include the recent trilateral agreement between Norway, the Faroe Islands and the UK that has significantly reduced fishing pressure and catches, as well as the many industry initiatives, including industry-science data collection, that have been instigated to enhance our knowledge of the mackerel stock to ensure a sustainable future.
Ian Gatt, chairman of SPSG, said: “The current failure to reach a comprehensive international agreement on mackerel quota shares has gone on for too long and a fair and equitable solution to the current impasse must be found. This new document highlights the current state of play and how the UK pelagic sector is playing a leading role in ensuring a sustainable future for the mackerel fishery.”
The document can be viewed at: https://spsg.co.uk/mackerel-briefing-document/