The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group (SPSG) – which represents mackerel fishers and processors – has criticised the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) for failing to take into full account the science-based evidence and recent changes in fishery management arrangements when making their decision to downgrade the rating for Northeast Atlantic Mackerel in its ‘Good Fish Guide’.
Ian Gatt, chair of SPSG, said the new rating presented a misleading picture of the fishery and ignored the hard work being carried out by fishers, government, and scientists to ensure a sustainable Northeast Atlantic mackerel fishery.
“Whilst progress in resolving the issue of quota shares among the coastal states participating in the fishery is not going as fast as we would like, the MCS rating for mackerel fails to reflect recent developments that has included a major cut in the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and an agreement between the UK, Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands, which will deliver a significant reduction in fishing pressure,” he said.
“The enhanced management arrangement agreed by the four countries commits to setting TACs in line with International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) scientific advice under a Maximum Sustainable Yield based scenario. This arrangement is projected to increase spawning stock biomass by approximately 8.5%, which is only marginally different from the headline advice option from ICES of 11.4%, and secures a co-operative agreement that strengthens long-term sustainability.
“Worryingly, the MCS decision-making process shows a lack of rigour and attention to detail. For example, MCS highlights a decline in the mackerel stock since 2015, but fails to recognise that this should be considered in the context of exceptionally strong recruitment between 2013 and 2015, which was over 2.5 times higher than the preceding decade, and the subsequent reduction in biomass most likely reflects a rebalancing normalisation. Additionally, the ICES working group assessments recognise that several strong year classes remain present within the stock, continuing to support the fishery.
“MCS characterises the mackerel stock as being in a ‘very overfished state’. However, ICES analysis indicates that maintaining current catch levels would result in an increase in spawning stock biomass by 2027. This demonstrates that the stock retains the capacity to rebuild under current fishing levels.
“Furthermore, MCS describes management enforcement as ‘poor’- however, this does not reflect the reality of fisheries management in the Northeast Atlantic where enforcement across the pelagic fleet is extremely robust and transparent and is now further enhanced with the introduction of mandatory remote electronic reporting for all vessels operating in Scottish waters where mackerel is caught.
“With all these factors, and negotiations on a broader six-party coastal state agreement to bring onboard the EU and Greenland still ongoing, we believe MCS should have placed their rating for mackerel as being ‘under review’ until the next round of scientific assessment becomes available in September. As such, consumers should be reassured that they can continue to eat mackerel in the knowledge that there is a large amount of work going on to ensure the future sustainability of the fishery.”