Mackerel at risk
Mackerel caught between global warming and geopolitical tensions
French The impact of global warming: Warming waters are pushing mackerel to migrate to colder areas to find a suitable habitat. This geographical shift renders old quota allocation agreements obsolete, as fish populations are no longer found where treaties had planned for their exploitation.
Geopolitical tensions and the absence of a global agreement: Since the end of the 2020 agreements following Brexit, the involved states have been unable to reach an agreement on common fishing rules. In the absence of an international consensus, several countries are now setting their quotas unilaterally. This multiplication of uncoordinated national decisions has led to massive overfishing, with catches regularly exceeding scientific recommendations.
Collapse of the resource: The consequences are critical for the species: the biomass of individuals of reproductive age has been cut by more than half in five years, reaching a level described as "critical." The renewal of the species is also threatened, with a marked drop in the number of young individuals (2-year-old mackerel).
Socio-economic impact: The fishing industry is bearing the full brunt of this crisis, with a sharp contraction in authorized volumes—the French national quota has been divided by five between 2024 and 2026. Faced with this situation, professionals and institutions are calling for a strong political response, including better "ocean diplomacy" and financial support for the most dependent fishing fleets.
Urgency of measures: To foster a recovery of the stock in 2026, scientists are advocating for drastic quota reductions. Some experts emphasize that the case of the mackerel could foreshadow similar crises for other migratory species in the face of climate change.