The Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), aside from Russia, has adopted measures to curb mackerel fishing by Russia in the wake of it setting its own total allowable catch (TAC).
The E.U., the U.K., Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, all of which are members of NEAFC, all agreed to adopt measures that would limit Russia’s catch of mackerel in international waters to 1,495 metric tons (MT). They also agreed to prohibit NEAFC members from facilitating Russian fishing of mackerel beyond that limit, meaning vessels cannot transship from or provide fuel to Russian fishing vessels exceeding the 1,495-MT limit.
“These measures are expected to enter into force on 28 August despite Russia’s objection,” the European Commission said. “The European Commission is preparing the timely implementation of the measures into E.U. law.”
The E.U., U.K., and Iceland are also planning to apply the restrictions within their own jurisdictions, banning Russian vessels carrying mackerel quantities above the limit from entering any of their ports.
The European Commission said the new measures come in response to Russia setting a quota unilaterally, increasing it to 22.5 percent of the TAC, which it said is equivalent to 67,548 MT, or five times the share it held in 2004.
It’s unclear what TAC the European Commission is referring to.
NEAFC made its recommendation on management measures for mackerel in May, calling for restrictions on Russian fishing. However, NEAFC did not set a TAC at that time, with meetings resulting in member states failing to agree on a TAC in line with scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES). ICES has recommended steep cuts to the TAC for mackerel, cutting it by 70 percent from 576,968 MT to just 174,357 MT.
As NEAFC failed to set a TAC, four parties of the regional fishery management organization (RFMO) – the U.K., Norway, Faroe Islands, and Iceland – struck their own agreement and agreed to cuts but still set a TAC of 299,010 MT, significantly higher than scientific advice. That number would also align closer to the 67,548 MT number stated by the European Commission, but the E.U. was not a part of that deal.
The NEAFC only recommended that conservation and management measures “shall include catch limits” but did not specify what those limits should be.
Nevertheless, Russia has been moving to begin setting fishing allocations outside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to streamline those efforts, allowing Russian vessels to fish in international waters in the absence of decisions by interstate bodies.
The mackerel fishery in the Northeast Atlantic has been overfished for multiple years, and environmental organizations have downgraded the status of the stock. Companies have also vowed to stop sourcing Northeast Atlantic mackerel in light of the sustainability concerns.
