Decline of herring and mackerel stocks: a call to urgency

alarm level red for the fish population in the northeast Atlantic! The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) opens a completely new chapter and is now asking for the fisheries to act. In the midst of alarming scientific data from the International Council for Marine Research (ICES), the crisis for herring and mackerel is becoming increasingly clear. Instead of watching quietly, the states have to become active and finally find a common solution!

species of fish in free fall: a dramatic decline!

The numbers are terrifying! The existence of Atlanto-Scandic herrings has almost halved since 2008-from 6.9 million tons to devastating 3.1 million tons! Shocking: This year the crowd is even below the critical border for sustainable fishing. The mackerel are also severely affected and have decreased from 7.26 million tons to only 2.8 million tons since 2015. These stocks, which are among the most important economic reserves in Europe, are in acute danger!

scientific warnings ignored: the consequences are devastating!

The latest reports show that the withdrawals of herring and mackerel exceed the scientifically recommended boundaries by massive 33% or 35%! This is not only alarming for the fishermen and the maritime ecosystems, but also endangers the livelihoods of many people. Over the past seven years, the total catch has overtaken the professionally recommended amount by around 5.3 million tons - a shocking number that shows directly how many fish could be lost for the future!

What is the reason for this dilemma? Missing agreements! Despite the fact that herring, mackerel and blue wittling are fished by some of the richest countries in the world, government negotiations for the distribution of fishing quotas have failed for years. Each country determines its own contingent, and this leads to catastrophic overfishing - a real drama for the oceans and its residents!

Erin Priddle, regional director for the MSC in Northern Europe, gets the matter to the point: " The latest data scares! These fish species are extremely important for the maritime ecosystem, for the market and for the fishermen. Governments must finally achieve a sustainable quota agreement! " To the moment - a turning point that the world urgently needs!

consumer affected: the end of safe fish products?

But not only the fishermen feel the consequences of the lack of economy! The lack of progress in the fishing rates have led to the fishing for herring, mackerel and blue Wittling lost their MSC certification. This has a direct impact on the shelves in the shops: there are hardly any sustainable mackerel products available in Germany, and the proportion certified sustainable herring products fell from 83% in 2020 to pathetic 40% in 2024. An alarm sign for all fish lovers!

It is high time to take the warning signals seriously and stop the overfishing before it is too late!