Mackerel landings at 75% of remaining TAC

As of Friday, Oct. 22nd, DFO reports that 1,503 tonnes of mackerel — 75% of the remaining 2,000-tonne total allowable catch (TAC) for 2021 — have been taken.

This year’s TAC was set at 4,000 tonnes (half the 2020 quota), but was divided in half to account for the migration of mackerel through Maritime/Quebec/NL waters, and to give all fleets a chance to land some.

That’s even though since 2000 NL owner-operator harvesters caught 80% of total Canadian landings.

Find that information in the mackerel rebuilding plan here.

SEA-NL wrote about mackerel price here.

SEVERE QUOTA DROP

Atlantic mackerel landings peaked at 420,000 tonnes in 1973.

Our commercial mackerel fishery pales in comparison to Europe's.

The 2021 mackerel quota for Norway, the European Union, and the Faroe Islands is 853,000 tonnes, although some countries couldn’t agree on sharing arrangements after Brexit, and unilaterally set their own. A reduction in the 2022 mackerel quota is expected after survey results revealed a 58% drop in biomass since 2020.

Ryan Cleary,

SEA-NL

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