A coalition of British seafood companies and retailers, including Young's, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi and Waitrose, has condemned the 'collective failure' of the UK, Norway and other states to reach agreement on sustainable mackerel fishing in the north-east Atlantic. The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (Napa) says the £1 billion industry is being overexploited due to repeated failures to ensure total catch aligns with scientific advice.
Conservationists warn that a lack of political agreement over a decade has led to an 'overfishing disaster of potentially epic proportions', with 44% more fish caught than is sustainable. Many Napa members, including Young's, have threatened to stop sourcing from the fisheries if sustainable management is not achieved.
This year, the Marine Conservation Society downgraded the sustainability rating of north-east Atlantic mackerel in its Good Fish Guide, and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) withdrew its blue-tick assurance in 2019. 'This is a collective failure by the coastal states,' said Neil Auchterlonie, Napa project lead.
At a meeting of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission this week, Napa called for urgent agreement or a binding dispute resolution mechanism. While countries agree in principle to catch limits set by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, lack of agreement on quota allocation has led to unilateral quotas being exceeded.
Last month, Napa wrote an open letter to government ministers urging a sustainable agreement for 2024. After consultations, states regretted they 'had not yet been able to come to an agreement' and would reconvene by early 2024. Charles Clover, co-founder of the Blue Marine Foundation, called it an 'overfishing disaster of potentially epic proportions' and criticised the UK for not leading by example.
A Defra spokesperson said the UK has 'exercised considerable restraint' in managing mackerel stock, setting quotas lower than the stock in its waters, and will continue to work with other coastal states to secure a quota-sharing arrangement.
