Before Canada’s moratorium on mackerel fishing in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, predators like seals, gannets, grey seals, dogfish, and bluefin tuna were eating a lot of mackerel—twice as much as what the commercial fishing industry was catching.
This research, done by Canadian and American scientists, showed that between 2012 and 2021, these predators were consuming between 21,000 and 29,000 tonnes of mackerel every year, while the commercial fishing industry was catching only about 11,000 tonnes per year.
Seals alone were eating around 7,000 to 13,000 tonnes of mackerel by 2020-21. Now, in 2024, Canada is likely extending the moratorium for a third year.
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Predators take big bite out of declining Atlantic mackerel population
Consumption of Northern Contingent Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) by
Various Predators
