Danish Pelagic Producers Organisation North East Atlantic mackerel
MSC status
Certified as sustainable on the 21st July 2009.
Summary
Species: Mackerel (Scomber scombrus)
Location: ICES areas II, III, IV, V & VI
Fishing methods: Purse seine and pelagic trawl
Vessels: 8
Number of fisheries: 1
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More about mackerel
The Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus L. is found throughout the temperate coastal–shelf waters of the North Atlantic and associated seas. In the north-west Atlantic it is found from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of St Lawrence, and from Morocco to Norway, including the Mediterranean Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and westernmost Baltic Sea in the north-east Atlantic. Periodically, and currently it appears to be such a period, it is also found in the summer off the southern coast of Iceland.
The mackerel is a shoaling fish that spends much of its time in mid water, i.e. it is a pelagic species, but during the winter it tends to form extensive shoal aggregations, typically along the edge of the continental shelf (c. 200 m). Mackerel spawning takes place in all the shelf waters from the northern North Sea, southwards and into the Mediterranean but the principal spawning ground for mackerel in the north-east Atlantic appears to be in the Celtic Sea area. Spawning commences in the southern Bay of Biscay in late January–February and progressively moves northwards reaching peak intensity in the Celtic Sea in late May–June. Peak spawning west of Scotland and in the northern North Sea is a month later.
After spawning, the mackerel disperse to form smaller summer feeding shoals. Bay of Biscay spawners disperse throughout the Bay of Biscay but some may also move into the English Channel, the Norwegian coast, west coast of Scotland and the North Sea. Fish in the Celtic Sea area also disperse locally but many migrate northwards along the west coast of Ireland, Scotland, northern North Sea and into the Norwegian Sea, including Faroese and international waters of the western Norwegian Sea. Mackerel that spawn in the northern North Sea may also disperse locally or move through to the western Baltic or north to the Norwegian Sea.
From the earliest first-feeding larvae through to adult fish, plankton forms an important part of mackerel diet but mature fish also feed on other small pelagic fish. Generally, they do not feed over winter and the largest, earliest spawning fish do not commence feeding until after they have spawned. Smaller fish that spawn later in the season are more likely to commence feeding before spawning. Whichever is the case, the feeding pattern has a distinct effect on the annual fat (oil) cycle of the fish. In the spring, once spawning is complete, a large (450+g) mackerel has less than 5% body weight as fat but towards the end of the feeding season, in autumn, this increases to 25–30% body weight. Smaller fish tend to have a lower fat content at the end of the feeding season.
More about the fishing methods
The mackerel trawls are mid-water or pelagic trawls. The trawl is towed by the fishing vessel at an appropriate level below the surface to catch the herring shoals. The depth is controlled by a combination of trawling speed and wire length. When the trawl is hauled the trawl is brought to the side of the vessel and the catch is pumped onboard into RSW tanks containing refrigerated seawater.
The pelagic trawls used are not designed to fish on the sea bed and any contact with the bottom involves risk of damage to the trawl. The skippers therefore operate the trawl so that there is no contact with the sea bed. As a result, there is no or very little impact on sea bed habitats when fishing with herring trawls.
The purse seine technique involves the setting of a large net around a shoal of fish, closing the bottom of the net to form a “purse”, and then drawing in the net to the vessel. At the time when the “purse” is sufficiently small in size to be brought to the side of the vessel, the catch is pumped onboard and kept in RSW tanks as described above.
As it is the case with the pelagic trawl the purse seine has no contact with the bottom.
Fishery tonnage
24,024 tonnes
Commercial market
The main market for the DPPO NE Atlantic mackerel is the European Union.
Actual eligibility date
The actual eligibility date for this fishery is the 1st of January 2009.
