Mackerel Meltdown: Industrial Greed Pushes Stock to 20-Year Low

[Kingfisher 126]

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Marine

 30 September 2025

Mackerel Meltdown: Industrial Greed Pushes Stock to 20-Year Low

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has delivered today shocking advice: commercial catches of Northeast Atlantic mackerel must be cut by 77% in 2026 if the stock is to stand any chance of recovery.

Mackerel populations are now at their lowest level in more than 20 years. Once one of the UK’s most iconic and accessible fish, the humble mackerel is facing a crisis caused by decades of political inaction and industrial overfishing.

A Story of Mismanagement

• Since 2010, quotas for mackerel have, on average, been set 39% higher than the scientific advice.

• In total, over one million tonnes of mackerel have been taken in excess of what scientists recommended in recent years.

• This is the direct result of coastal states failing to agree on a sharing arrangement, leaving the door open to excessive quotas and free-for-all exploitation.

Why Anglers Should Care

For recreational sea anglers, mackerel is more than just a species – it’s a symbol of summer. From jigging feathers off a pier to introducing children to their first catch on the beach, mackerel fishing is one of life’s simplest and most joyful pleasures.

But while families with a rod and line make memories along the coast, industrial-scale pelagic fleets have been scooping up vast quantities of mackerel and undermining the sustainability of local coastal communities that depend on healthy seas.

If this trajectory continues, the David vs Goliath battle between coastal communities and industrial offshore fleets will only end one way.

“It is deeply troubling that a species so iconic and accessible as mackerel has been driven to its lowest level in more than 20 years by industrial greed and political inaction. While families may soon struggle to catch a few mackerel from the beach, industrial pelagic fleets continue to fish with impunity, ignoring the science and undermining the future of this vital population. Governments must act now to deliver a fair and sustainable management agreement, cut catches in line with the science, and put the long-term health of our seas ahead of short-term profit.”
– Hannah Rudd, Head of Marine, Angling Trust

What Must Happen Next

The Angling Trust is calling for:

• Coastal states to agree on a sustainable, science-based sharing arrangement for the Northeast Atlantic mackerel.

• Governments to stop ignoring ICES advice and cut commercial catches by 77% in 2026.

• Recognition of the importance of mackerel for recreational anglers and local communities, not just industrial fleets

• Stronger international accountability mechanisms to prevent chronic commercial overfishing of shared stocks.

A Fight for the Future

Mackerel should be one of the UK’s great success stories: abundant, accessible, and vital to the marine food web. Instead, it is now a case study in what happens when short-term politics trumps long-term sustainability.

For sea anglers, the thought that a family might no longer be able to go down to the beach, cast a line, and catch a few mackerel to take home is heartbreaking. That simple pleasure is being stolen by industrial greed.

The Angling Trust will continue to fight to make sure the voice of recreational sea anglers is heard loud and clear in this debate – and to ensure future generations can still enjoy the thrill of catching mackerel from our shores. You can join the fight by becoming a member of the Angling Trust today.

 

[Maverick Martin]

59 minutes ago, Kingfisher 126 said:

For sea anglers, the thought that a family might no longer be able to go down to the beach, cast a line, and catch a few mackerel to take home is heartbreaking. That simple pleasure is being stolen by industrial greed.

 

This is something we have saying for the last 6 or 7 years.   Mackerel are a now rarity in our area and year on year becoming harder and harder to find in fact most of us, apart from a lazy line  have given up.

[great white]

How do we as a Club or individuals get behind this urgent need for change?

[plaicemat]

Unless they can bring the Russians on board who have the biggest industrial harvesting machines which seem to operate anywhere they like, very little hope.

 

Terry.

[jerry.shutter]

We cannot say that Terry, I understand where your coming from, but we must be able to do something as a club and individuals surely? I have told various non angling friends about this over the last couple of years and no one can believe it.

[great white]

Its not just the Russians though, there are Scottish super trawlers getting a million pounds a time, for their catches by taking them alive to Norway.

 

For export to Japan

[Jim]

All I know is . . . . . When I moved here in 94

We could go to the mackerel places to catch a few then go off fishing for other stuff.

Now you can fish all day for them and not find one.  😟

[plaicemat]

I'm shocked to learn that us and the Norwegians are, arguably, the biggest harvesters of Atlantic mackerel. So, perhaps we could do some good.

 

Terry.

[Greg]

It’s obviously the perfect storm for Mackerel.
The demand for human consumption as we are encouraged to eat more omega 3 foods and the increase of natural predation i.e masses of Blue Fin Tuna, dolphins and whales entering our waters and the rising sea temperatures pushing the Mackerel further north.

Difficult one!!

This is a global thing. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, When I went fishing in Barbados with my local guy I fish with, he told me that Barracuda had not entered their waters this year for the first time.
Barbados are also experiencing rising sea temperatures as well.

Not sure what effect measures we can do as a club?

Greg


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[jerry.shutter]

I am in Guernsey for a few days, obviously an island hugely dependent on fish, especially Mackerel which is in every restaurant either as a starter or main course. Perhaps we as a club and individuals we could have some copies of the above to give to restaurants on our travels and even invite a local paper or papers to a club meeting to explain what is happening to the Mackerel in our waters which could lead on to the f——g trawlers we all hate!! &nbsp
We all know how much the fishing has deteriorated over the last 10-20-30 years,  everything in the ocean is being raped and pillaged, so maybe the humble Mackerel would be a good one for us as a club and individuals to get on our soap boxes about???

[Mal Thomas]

This is my first sight of this post, it has driven an intelligent discussion and debate within the Club and no doubt beyond, in turn this generates website posts and stops us all from becoming unmotivated and not having an opinion, whilst of course entertaining Greg's during his rehabilitation.

I think you could change the title from Mackerel to a number of fish and Creel the food for fish. You should watch Natural Geographic Tv film on Tuna. Greg, it is worth a watch if you can find it.

The Environmental Scientist have done extensive research into fish stocks taking over twenty years around the world especially on valuable and most consumed and over fished. They then inform the fisheries agencies around the world what they consider sustainable quotas, the Agencies and Local Governments around the World then rip up these suggested Quotas and set the tonnage sometimes five times higher to suit the local and worldwide markets to aid them in becoming very rich, whilst they suggest the business is valuable to their local economy. Unfortunately the fish markets and selling of fish has always had a large black market operation which drives owning bigger ships and profiting on greed from a free resource. They have even bought Aircraft to fly over the Seas to spot shoals of fish and direct their fleet towards the fish.

 

This is how twisted it all is, they know it will lead to depleted stocks and no fish to catch in the very near future. But they won't stop because they risk someone else jumping in and profiting on what they see as their free resource, when in fact fish stocks are a world wide economy and should be protected by a World Wide Agency with teeth that actually control the quotas.

All these practises and mistakes have been made before with Herring and Cod to name just two, Nova Scotia was built on Cod Stocks until it emptied the waters of Cod. Now the ships are bigger, the search equipment and technology so good very little escapes a deployment of the factory ships nets. Whole shoals are wiped out never to return unless the world unites on fishing. Guess what it is unlikely to happen and on that cheery note I will end.😒 

 

[Greg]

Very interesting Mal and thanks for the referral.


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[Greg]

Very interesting Mal and thanks for the referral.


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