Whiting, herring and mackerel overexploited in 2021

MSC is calling for urgent action as ecologically and economically vital pelagic fish stocks in the North East Atlantic continue to be overexploited. This is because governments have failed for years to agree on catch quotas that will secure the future of the stocks.

Limits widely exceeded

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) published new advice on 30 September. This shows that by 2021, catches of mackerel, Atlanto-Scandian herring and blue whiting again exceeded the scientifically advised limits by 27%, 31% and 23% respectively. This excess puts the health of the ocean, economies and people's livelihoods at risk.   

Without an internationally agreed management framework, the future health of these stocks is at risk. In particular, the size of the Atlantic-Scandinavian herring stock has declined sharply over the past decade, with a 32% decline.

Individual decisions lead to overfishing

These Northeast Atlantic pelagic stocks represent one of the largest fish populations in Europe and are fished by some of the richest countries in the world. Problematically, these shared natural resources are fished according to quotas set unilaterally by individual nations, resulting in continued overfishing.

Call for international agreement

MSC is calling on policymakers from fishing nations in the North East Atlantic to reach a joint agreement in line with the new ICES scientific advice.