The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) has released catch advice for multiple Northeast Atlantic pelagic stocks, bumping up quotas for several species.
ICES’ advice for Northeast Atlantic mackerel set a total allowable catch (TAC) of 352,938 metric tons (MT), marking a big increase compared to the historically low 174,357-MT limit it recommended in 2025 for this year's fishing season.
Environmental and industry groups welcomed the positive news for the stock but also cautioned that it does not mean countries can continue the trend of overfishing they have been on for multiple years. The Northeast Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) said it “cautiously welcomed” the improvement in mackerel but 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.
Coastal states never reached a sweeping agreement across all parties that fish for mackerel in the Northeast Atlantic in 2025, and an agreement set by Norway, the U.K., Faroe Islands, and Iceland totaled 299,010 MT, more than 100,000 MT above ICES’ advice for the species. The E.U. was never party to the agreement, but in later restrictions it placed on Russian fishing for mackerel, it appeared to use that 299,010 MT number as a base for total fishing pressure in the area.
Though the agreement did not follow ICES advice, environmental NGO Oceana U.K. said it was good the agreement still meant a 60 percent reduction in mackerel catch limits year over year and the new catch advice from ICES showed that a shared effort between coastal states could allow mackerel populations to recover from the historic lows they hit.
“This is a testament to the power of the ocean to persist and recover; it is not a gold star for fisheries management,” Oceana U.K. Executive Director Hugo Tagholm said. “Since 2010, the combined quotas for Northeast Atlantic mackerel stocks exceeded scientific advice by an unbelievable 39 percent on average.”
NAPA has consistently advocated for a reduction in mackerel catch, going so far as to release videos lambasting the coastal states’ inability to properly share the quota.
Historically, coastal states have assembled and agreed to abide by ICES advice but then individually set quotas that, when combined, end up exceeding the advice. The problem has persisted for years, and Northeast Atlantic mackerel lost its Marine Stewardship Council certification in 2019, which is still hasn’t gotten back.
Other pelagic species in the Northeast Atlantic also saw increased ICES guidance.
Blue whiting received a TAC of 1.064 million MT, an increase of 25 percent over the advice of 851,344 MT for 2026. However, that advice for 2026 was itself a 41 percent decrease from the 1.45 million MT TAC recommended for blue whiting in 2025, meaning the increase still puts it at a lower level than just a few years ago.
Like mackerel, blue whiting has faced overfishing due to coastal states failing to abide by scientific advice, and the species saw its MSC certification suspended in 2020.
ICES advice for Atlanto-Scandian herring was also higher, calling for a 10 percent increase to 588,004 MT in 2027. That increase was tempered by ICES revising some of its recruitment assessments downward.
While all three pelagic stocks saw slight increases based on ICES advice, organizations like NAPA and MSC are calling on the governments of the region to continue to work to keep fishing pressure low to avoid future issues.
“NAPA is urging all seven Coastal States – Norway, Iceland, Faroes, Greenland, the U.K., the E.U., and the Russian Federation – to reach a comprehensive sharing agreement that ensures combined catches remain within scientifically advised limits,” NAPA said. “Without an effective management regime, these stocks remain at risk of falling below critical biological thresholds.”
The MSC also called on coastal states to establish quota-sharing agreements for the three pelagic species to ensure sustainable extraction going forward.
“Given the sensitivity of small pelagic species to the environment, international cooperation is essential as climate change puts pressure on marine resources,” the MSC said.
MSC said over the last decade, the combined overfishing of the three pelagic species amounts to more than 7.2 million MT of fish which “should have been left in the sea” if scientific advice had been properly followed.
“The urgent pressures from ocean warming and overfishing must serve as a wake-up call to the leaders of these wealthy, data-rich nations to put aside political deadlock, work together to agree quotas in line with science, and reach a long-awaited sharing agreement for all three small pelagic stocks,” MSC Regional Director of Northern Europe Erin Priddle said. “Safeguarding the long-term sustainability and viability of these critically important species is vital to the marine ecosystem, as well as to the communities that rely on them as sources of food and jobs.”
