Northeast Atlantic

The Northeast Atlantic (NEA) pelagic fisheries comprise Norwegian springspawning herring, Atlantic mackerel, and blue whiting. These fish stocks migrate through the Exclusive Economic Zone of NEA coastal states, supporting their large-scale fisheries, and providing a low-cost source of protein for human consumption and fish meal for aquaculture. The exploitation of the stocks in recent years has proven difficult as not all the fishing nations have reached sharing agreements on catches of these important species, e.g. with each country unilaterally setting quota, total herring quotas have reached nearly 140% of ICES advice in recent years. The resultant overfishing has threatened the sustainability of the fisheries and led the Marine Stewardship Council to revoke its certification. The impact of climate change on stock sizes, distribution, and migration may further exacerbate these challenges. In the NEA fleet, pelagic fisheries are mainly conducted by large, modern vessels equipped with the latest technology and operating pelagic trawl or purse seine. Because of the migratory behaviour of the stocks, vessels typically spend considerable time at sea, searching for large aggregations of these species. Another level of non-cooperative behaviour is found in the execution of fisheries; in later years we have seen policies restricting access to different nations’ EEZs and different forms of landing obligations. Fishing vessels may thus be prevented from operating in the most favourable fishing areas, and/or at the time when the fish is best suited for consumption. Suboptimal fishing leads to increased fuel consumption and a higher carbon footprint. Yet, the pelagic fish stocks are found to be one of the most environment-friendly and healthy fish species compared to other species and other animal-sourced protein sources, making it a vital food system under climate change.