With over a decade of overfishing and mismanagement, it is no surprise that Canadian Atlantic mackerel remains ranked as “red”, meaning shoppers should “avoid” buying the product, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program in their recommendations. 

Justification by Seafood Watch focuses on the dire status of the species stating “the 2023 Canadian stock assessment shows the stock to be in the Critical Zone. Because the Atlantic mackerel stock is currently overfished, abundance is deemed a high concern”, as well as uncertainty for rebuilding, and its important role in the ocean ecosystem. 

This updated assessment comes at a time when the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is deciding on the management of this fishery for the 2024 season. In 2022, the dire state of mackerel led the government to close the commercial and bait fishery, but will the closure remain this year and will the government take the necessary steps to implement a robust rebuilding plan for the survival of this crucial forage fish? 

SeaChoice partner The Ecology Action Centre, who sits on the Atlantic Mackerel Advisory Committee and the Rebuilding Working Group has been advocating for a sustained closure of this fishery until the stock shows strong signs of recovery. 

If the government decides to re-open the fishery too soon, the chances of mackerel ever rebuilding are slim to none. 

An ocean without mackerel, one of the key forage species in the Atlantic, would have dire effects on the ecosystem and people. Many marine animals, including the endangered porbeagle and shortfin mako sharks, marlins, seabirds, porpoises and whales, hunt the energy rich mackerel. Indigenous peoples have fished the abundant mackerel for millennia in this region and continue to do so for food, cultural, and economic value. The commercial lobster fishery, which is the economic backbone of many of our coastal communities, has relied heavily on mackerel for bait. It remains one of the last marine fish that everyone in Atlantic Canada can access for food and recreation – a strong Maritime tradition and a favorite pastime of newcomers. Mackerel connects everyday people to marine ecosystems.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is in the final stages of publishing a revised rebuilding plan, which will outline steps to take to rebuild the stock. The Ecology Action Centre has been a prominent voice in the development of this plan and continues to communicate the importance of implementation for the government to fulfill its obligations under the Fisheries Act.

SeaChoice understands that while difficult for fisheries now, full implementation of the mackerel rebuilding plan will ensure the mackerel population can rebuild to support a commercial fishery again one day and healthy, balanced marine ecosystems. Science tells us that the Atlantic mackerel does have a chance to rebuild within a decade, but only if we take necessary and bold action now. 

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