Climate change exacerbates challenges for countries sharing mackerel and herring in the Northeast Atlantic, Marine Stewardship Council warns

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has voiced concerns over the impact of climate change on the sustainability of mackerel and Atlantic-Canadian herring in the Northeast Atlantic. Climate change-induced ocean warming is driving fish to migrate to cooler or deeper waters, potentially leading to simultaneous stock changes that could require coordinated management efforts across political boundaries. However, governments have set quotas for pelagic fish in the Northeast Atlantic, resulting in total catches exceeding scientific advice by up to 50% for mackerel and by smaller margins for other species, as recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea for 2023.

According to SeafoodMedia, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) warns that the impacts of climate change on the oceans are exacerbating the challenges of managing iconic Northeast Atlantic fish species, mackerel and Atlantic-Canadian herring, jeopardizing their long-term sustainability. Ocean warming causes fish to shift to cooler northern or deeper waters, a pattern that is expected to increase in the future. In this case, stock changes may occur synchronously, so governments must work together to ensure that effective long-term management plans are in place to protect these economically and ecologically important resources across political boundaries. In recent years, the governments of Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Russia have Each has set quotas for pelagic fish in the Northeast Atlantic, with total catches of mackerel, Atlantic-Canadian herring and blue whiting exceeding scientific advice. While signatories to the ...