The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) has formally ended its two fisheries improvement projects (FIPs) covering Northeast Atlantic mackerel, blue whiting, and Atlanto-Scandian herring.
In a recent statement, NAPA said since launching the FIPs, its membership base engaged with ministers, negotiators, fishing industry representatives, and NGOs; produced policy analyses; participated in international forums; and developed a model sharing arrangement covering all three stocks.
Despite all of the work put into the projects, NAPA said the FIPs failed to deliver the comprehensive, science-based sharing arrangements needed to limit overfishing of the species, and thus, the group would shift away from the FIP model moving forward.
“NAPA intends to continue its advocacy work,” NAPA Executive Chair Aoife Martin told SeafoodSource. “These species are still commercially important, and it is unclear who will be pushing for a resolution if NAPA steps back. However, our approach will shift in line with our view that this is not a fishing issue but rather a failing of international governance that has implications for economic growth, food security, international trade, and community resilience. The discussion needs to move firmly into this governance sphere.”
NAPA further explained that Northeast Atlantic pelagic fisheries are already supported by extensive scientific information and proposed management strategies, with the fundamental obstacle toward ending overfishing being the inability of coastal states to agree on quota allocation and cooperate on long-term management.
Historically, Northeast Atlantic coastal nations have assembled to set sharing agreements and agreed to abide by scientific catch advice, but then individually set quotas that, when combined, end up exceeding the advice. The same scenario played out for this year’s fishing season, when nations never reached a sweeping agreement in 2025 for mackerel in the Northeast Atlantic, and an agreement set by Norway, the U.K., Faroe Islands, and Iceland totaled 299,010 metric tons (MT), more than 100,000 MT above scientific advice for the species.
Emphasizing that its FIPs were designed to build political will for change, NAPA conceded the region’s coastal states “have not collectively delivered the necessary reductions in catches or agreed sharing arrangements aligned with scientific advice.” As a result, it warned the long-term sustainability of these key stocks “remains at risk.”
NAPA explained the move away from FIPs marks a change in approach, rather than an end to the group’s involvement in the fisheries, confirming that its members – comprising around 60 members and partner businesses – remain committed to securing long-term management of the three commercially important stocks; however, its strategies will now differ between species, and individual partner businesses will decide how they engage with the fisheries themselves.
“NAPA will continue to advocate for a durable, long‑term solution that recognizes the full economic and social value of these fisheries and the communities and industries that depend on them,” Martin said.
The ending of the FIPs comes as NAPA members face increasingly difficult sourcing decisions, with Martin highlighting that several members have already stepped back their sourcing from the fisheries.
She noted retail chains Lidl, Waitrose, Jumbo, and Ahold Delhaiz, as well as seafood brands Thai Union and Princes, have made public commitments, alongside strong commitments from parts of the aquafeed and salmon sectors, about no longer sourcing blue whiting fishmeal for salmon feed.
According to NAPA’s statement, such decisions “carry significant operational and economic costs,” with the effects extending beyond the fishing sector to affect processors, retailers, foodservice companies, feed producers, salmon farmers, coastal communities, and consumers. It added that the market response “now visible on supermarket shelves” is the result of efforts to avoid that outcome but warned that its member patience is not endless.
Martin also explained that sourcing blue whiting as an aquafeed ingredient is different to sourcing a product for human consumption and may require a "more nuanced approach."
“In these circumstances, sourcing decisions will be shaped not only by sustainability considerations but by whether viable alternatives exist, and in many cases, they do not. Where ready substitutes are available, companies can pivot relatively quickly, but this is more difficult when alternatives are limited,” she said. “Regardless of member sourcing changes, continued NAPA membership signals responsible behavior and a commitment to long‑term supply security. However, business patience has limits, and while coastal states continue to capitulate, businesses and consumers will eventually move on.”
The decision also comes as the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) released catch advice for multiple Northeast Atlantic pelagic stocks for next year, bumping up quotas for several species. While NAPA “cautiously welcomed” the improvement in guidance for mackerel quota, it added the stock has only moved just above the danger zone.
“While improvements in stock recovery are welcome news, care is needed as the stock is still in a precarious position – only 4.5 percent above the limit where the risk of stock collapse increases,” NAPA said.
