DFO increases Atlantic mackerel quota, but stock remains in ‘critical zone’

The fisheries director of a marine conservation group says Ottawa’s decision to triple the total allowable catch for Atlantic mackerel is “risky” and “unfortunate.”

Katie Schleit, with Oceans North, said the quota increase from 500 tonnes in 2025 to 1,500 tonnes this year could undo the recovery of the fish, which is commonly used for bait in the lobster and tuna fisheries. 

“The improvements [of mackerel stock] are a positive step along the path to rebuilding,” Schleit said. “But we’re jeopardizing future rebuilding, which would only benefit the industry in the future.” 

The decision, announced Friday, overrides a previous one that set the amount for 2025 and 2026 at 500 tonnes primarily for the personal-use bait fishery. The 1,500 tonnes includes 1,400 for the bait fishery, 60 for bycatch and 20 each to support scientific sampling and live bait for the bluefin tuna fishery.

The commercial mackerel fishery has been closed since 2022.

In a statement to CBC News, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joanne Thompson said the decision followed feedback from industry and local fishermen, which led her to request a new stock assessment ahead of the previously agreed-upon two-year timeline. 

“The 2026 peer-reviewed stock assessment showed an increase in the Atlantic mackerel biomass,” the statement said. “This decision will improve access to bait and reduce costs for harvesters during a critical time for Canada’s fisheries.” 

DFO said the assessment showed the stock has grown year over year by nearly 50 per cent but remains in the “critical zone.” The fishery will be restricted to a daily limit of 454 kilograms for eligible fishermen. 

Schleit, who has been following the stock for a decade, criticized the stock assessment and said a plan for the fish had already been approved two years ago. 

“Precaution should have been the solution this year. And we could have left it alone and allowed the stock to continue to grow with more certainty,” she said.

The minister invoked the Fisheries Act to amend the rebuilding plan for the stock that was approved in 2024. In the amendment, DFO said it is lowering its stock growth objective from 75 per cent to 50 per cent.

DFO opened one Atlantic mackerel bait fishery in May, and two others will open this fall. 

Ben Miller, a fifth-generation fisherman from the St. Margarets Bay area of Nova Scotia, said he has watched his once-thriving mackerel fishing community struggle, first due to burgeoning seal numbers and then with the closure of the commercial fishery.

“Even though this small increase in the Bay fishery is a step in the right direction, I’m still very disappointed that we don’t have a commercial fishery,” said Miller, who’s been in the industry for over 30 years.

He said buildings sit “full of fishing gear” that he has not been able to sell because there is no industry left to buy it.

“It just put us out of business,” Miller said of the closure.

He said more proactive solutions to seal predation, such as a controlled hunt, should be implemented to ensure the health of mackerel populations. 

Herring fishery also increasing

DFO also increased the allowable catch for herring in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence from 8,500 tonnes in 2025 to 15,500 tonnes for 2026 and 2027. 

The department said the latest stock assessment showed that fall spawning is in the “healthy zone,” making it safe to expand. It is also changing the quota allocation “so that fishing opportunities better align with herring abundance across the region.”

“Together, these decisions will build a stronger fish and seafood sector in Canada,” Thompson said in her statement. 

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