Atlantic Mackerel

Also Known As

Mackerel, Common mackerel, Boston mackerel, Caballa

Quick Facts

Location

New England/Mid-Atlantic, Southeast

Picture of a school of Atlantic mackerel.

About The Species

U.S. wild-caught Atlantic mackerel is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Population Level

Significantly below target population levels. Rebuilding plan is under development.

Fishing Status

Reduced to end overfishing.

Habitat Impacts

Fishing gears used to harvest Atlantic mackerel have minimal impacts on habitat.

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.

Status

According to the 2018 stock assessment, Atlantic mackerel are overfished, and are subject to overfishing.
Atlantic mackerel previously had an unknown status, but the 2018 stock assessment indicated the stock has been overfished for nearly a decade.

Appearance

Atlantic mackerel are iridescent blue green on the back with a silvery white underbelly.
They have 20 to 30 wavy black bars that run across the top half of their body, and a narrow dark streak that runs below these bars along each side.
Their body is spindle-shaped, tapering at both ends.
Their two large dorsal fins are gray or dusky. The pectoral fins are black or dusky at the base, and the tail fin is gray or dusky.
Their distinctive coloring fades quickly after they die.

Biology

Atlantic mackerel grow fast, up to 16 ½ inches and 2.2 pounds.
They can live up to 20 years and are able to reproduce by the time they reach age 2 to 3.
There are two major spawning groups of Atlantic mackerel in the western Atlantic:
- The southern group spawns primarily in the Mid-Atlantic Bight from April to May.
- The northern group spawns in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in June and July.
- Both groups typically spawn 10 to 30 miles off shore.
Depending on their size, females can have between 285,000 and almost 2 million eggs. They release their eggs in batches, between five and seven times throughout the spawning season.
Eggs generally float in the surface water and hatch in 4 to 7 ½ days, depending on water temperature.
Atlantic mackerel feed heavily on crustaceans such as copepods, krill, and shrimp. They also eat squid, as well as some fish and ascidians (sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders).
Several species of fish and marine mammals eat Atlantic mackerel.

Where They Live

Atlantic mackerel are found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean, including in the Baltic Sea. In the western Atlantic, they’re found from Labrador to North Carolina.

Management

NOAA Fisheries and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council manage the Atlantic mackerel fishery.
Managed under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan:
- Mackerel are managed in federal waters. There are no state management measures for mackerel.
- Managed using annual catch limits allocated between the commercial and recreational fisheries.
- Managers monitor commercial catch on a weekly basis and will close the fisheries if the limits are reached before the fishing season is over.
- Fishermen must have a permit to harvest Atlantic mackerel.
- Managers limit the amount of available permits to control harvests.
- Under a limited access program, permits are issued to qualifying fishermen, dividing fishermen into three tiers based on their past participation in the fishery. This program is designed to reduce the fishing capacity of the mackerel fleet while allowing qualified vessels to continue fishing for mackerel at their historical or recent level of participation.

Recreational Fishing Regulations

Commercial Fishing Regulations

Current Specifications

2019 Specifications that have rolled over from 2018*
Overfishing Limit (OFL)	Unknown
Allowable Biological Catch (ABC)	19,898
Annual Catch Limit (ACL)	11,009
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT)	9,294
Recreational ACT/Recreational Harvest Limit	614
Domestic Annual Harvest (DAH/quota)	9,177
Tier 3 Mackerel Allocation (7% of DAH)	642

* The above specifications have been rolled over from 2018. 2019 specifications will be updated when Framework 13 is effective.

Trip Limits

Permit Category	Permit Type	Possession
Tier 1	Limited Access	Unlimited
Tier 2	Limited Access	135,000 lb
Tier 3	Limited Access	100,000 lb
SMB 4	Open Access	20,000 lb

Fish Size Limits

None.

Accountability Measures

	When this percent of the quota is reached…	The possession limit will be reduced to this amount for the remainder of the fishing year…
Mackerel	95%	20,000 lb per trip
Tier 3 Mackerel Allocation	90%	20,000 lb per trip (for Tier 3 vessels only)
Mackerel	100%	5,000 lb

Commercial overage repayment: If the mackerel ACL is exceeded by the commercial fishery, then the exact amount of the overage will be deducted from the commercial DAH as a single year adjustment between March 31 and May 1 of the following year.

Recreational overage repayment: If the recreational fishery landings are responsible for the overage, then landings in overage the RHL will be deducted from the RHL in the following year.

Non-landings overage repayment: If the mackerel ACL is exceeded, and the overage has not been accommodated through other landing-based accountability measures, but is attributable to either the commercial or recreational sector (such as research quota overages, dead discards in excess of those otherwise accounted for in management uncertainty, or other non-landing overages), then the exact amount, in pounds, by which the sector ACT was exceeded will be deducted from the following year.

Regulated, Closed, and Access Areas

Restricted Areas

Northeast multispecies regulations include four regulated mesh areas (RMAs) that regulate which gear can be used in each of the following areas: Gulf of Maine (GOM), Georges Bank (GB), Southern New England (SNE), and Mid-Atlantic (MA).

Exemption Areas

In these areas and fisheries Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish can be retained.

Exempted Areas within the GOM/GB RMAs	Exempted Areas within the SNE RMA	Exempted Areas within the MA RMA
Cultivator Shoal Whiting Fishery EA*†	SNE Exemption Area (includes part of GB RMA)	Mid-Atlantic EA (includes part of SNE RMA)
Small Mesh Areas 1 & 2†	SNE Little Tunny Gillnet Exemption Area	Mid-water trawl gear Exempted Fishery
Raised Footrope Trawl Exempted Whiting Fishing Area*†	* Requires a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to participate. LOAs can be obtained from the Greater Atlantic Region Permit Office at (978) 281-9370. † Atlantic mackerel, squid, and/or butterfish species are considered an incidentally caught species in these EAs. These EAs require the use of small mesh to target whiting.
GOM Grate Raised Footrope Trawl Whiting Fishery EA†

See the small mesh exemption information sheet for more information on retaining Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish in exempted fisheries.

A vessel fishing for mackerel, squid, and/or butterfish in federal waters must also comply with closed areas for other fisheries, including Northeast multispecies, unless using gear defined as not capable of catching Northeast multispecies. Exempted gear includes the following: Pelagic hook and line, pelagic longline, spears, rakes, diving gear, cast nets, tong, harpoons, weirs, dipnets, stop nets, pound nets, pelagic gillnets, pots and traps, shrimp trawls (with properly configured grates), and surfclam/ocean quahog dredges.

These include seasonal and year-round closures, Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) closures, and transiting/gear stowage requirements.

More information regarding multispecies regulations is available on the Northeast Multispecies page.

Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Restricted Areas

Oceanographer Canyon	Lydonia Canyon	Northern Scup Gear Restricted Area (GRA)	Southern Scup Gear Restricted Area (GRA)
January 1 – December 31	January 1 – December 31	November 1 – December 31	January 1 – March 15
Bottom trawl gear prohibited	Bottom trawl gear prohibited	Minimum mesh size of 5.0 inch diamond mesh	Minimum mesh size of 5.0 inch diamond mesh
Transit allowed if bottom trawl gear is stowed and not available for immediate use.	Transit allowed if bottom trawl gear is stowed and not available for immediate use.	Transit allowed if codends less than 5.0 inches are stowed and not available for immediate use.	Transit allowed if codends less than 5.0 inches are stowed and not available for immediate use.

Oceanographer Canyon Coordinates

N. Lat.	W. Long.
40°10.0'	68°12.0'
40°24.0'	68°09.0'
40°24.0'	68°08.0'
40°10.0'	67°59.0'
40°10.0'	68°12.0'

Lydonia Canyon Coordinates

N. Lat.	W. Long.
40°16.0'	67°34.0'
40°16.0'	67°42.0'
40°20.0'	67°43.0'
40°27.0'	67°40.0'
40°27.0'	67°38.0'
40°16.0'	67°34.0'

Scup Gear Restricted Areas (GRA)

Southern GRA		Northern GRA
N. lat.	W. long.	N. lat.	W. long.
39°20'	72°53'	41°00'	71°00'
39°20'	72°28'	41°00'	71°30'
38°00'	73°58'	40°00'	72°40'
37°00'	74°43'	40°00'	72°05'
36°30'	74°43'	41°00'	71°00'
36°30'	75°03'
37°00'	75°03'
38°00'	74°23'
39°20'	72°53'

Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Areas

See the maps and coordinates.

Reporting a Commercial Catch

What are the requirements for slipped catch?

Vessels carrying an observer with a limited access Atlantic mackerel (Tier 1, 2, and 3) and/or a longfin squid/butterfish moratorium permit cannot slip their catch except for one of the following reasons: 1) safety concern; 2) mechanical failure, including gear damage; or 3) excessive catch of spiny dogfish. For vessels carrying an observer with a limited access Atlantic mackerel permit, if catch is slipped for one of the reasons listed above, the vessel operator must move and remain 15 nautical miles from where the slippage event occurred.

If the catch was slipped for any other reason, the vessel operator must immediately terminate the fishing trip and return to port. A slippage event can include the release of fish from a codend or seine prior to completion of pumping or the release of an entire catch or bag while the catch is still in the water. Vessels with a limited access Atlantic mackerel and/or a longfin squid limited access permit must complete, sign, and submit a Released Catch Affidavit following any slippage event.

Via the VMS, vessels must also complete the Atlantic mackerel and longfin squid daily catch report to report a slippage event. Vessels with a limited access Atlantic mackerel permit must complete the daily catch report at the time of the slippage event and before moving 15 nautical miles or returning to port.

Commercial Reporting

Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports

Owner/operators participating in the Atlantic mackerel, Illex squid, and Longfin squid/butterfish must submit trip reports weekly. Reports must be postmarked or received by midnight of the Tuesday following the reporting week (Sunday through Saturday). If a trip starts in one week, and offloads in the next, it should be reported in the week the catch was offloaded. Copies of fishing log reports must be kept on board the vessel and available for review for at least 1 year, and must be retained for a total of 3 years after the date the fish were last possessed, landed, and sold.

Interactive Voice Response System Requirements

The Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries do not have any IVR requirements. However, if you are participating in a research program such as research set-aside (RSA) or fishing with an exempted fishing permit (EFP), there are IVR requirements. Please refer to your RSA or EFP paperwork for instruction on using IVR.

Vessel Monitoring System Requirements

The owner or operator of a vessel issued a limited access mackerel permit must report catch (retained and discarded) of mackerel daily via VMS. Daily mackerel VMS catch reports must be submitted in 24-hr intervals for each day and must be submitted by 0900 hr on the following day. Reports are required even if mackerel caught that day have not yet been landed.

Management Overview

The Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries in the Greater Atlantic Region operate primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region of the eastern coast of the U.S, from Massachusetts to North Carolina. These fisheries primarily use single and paired mid-water trawl, bottom trawl, and purse seine throughout the entire range. Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish are jointly managed in federal waters by NOAA Fisheries in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Regulatory History

1978: Atlantic Mackerel FMP established management of Atlantic mackerel fishery

1978: Atlantic Butterfish FMP established management of Atlantic butterfish fishery

1978: Squid FMP established management of squid fisheries

1979: Atlantic Mackerel Amendment 1 continued management of the Atlantic mackerel fishery

1979: Squid Amendment 1 continued management of the squid fishery

1980: Atlantic Butterfish Amendment 1 continued management of the Atlantic butterfish fishery

1980: Atlantic Mackerel Amendment 2 continued management of the Atlantic mackerel fishery.

1980: Atlantic Butterfish Amendment 2 continued management of the Atlantic butterfish fishery.

1983: Merged FMP consolidated management of Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries under a single FMP.

1984: Amendment 1 implemented squid OY adjustment mechanism and revised the Atlantic mackerel mortality rate.

1986: Amendment 2 revised squid bycatch TALFF allowances, implemented framework adjustment process, converted expiration of fishing permits from indefinite to annual, and equated fishing year with calendar year.

1991: Amendment 3 established overfishing definitions for all four species.

1991: Amendment 4 limited the activity of directed foreign fishing and joint venture transfers to foreign vessels and allowed for specification of OY for Atlantic mackerel for up to three years.

1996: Amendment 5 adjusted Loligo MSY; eliminated directed foreign fisheries for Loligo, Illex, and butterfish; instituted a dealer and vessel reporting system; instituted an operator permitting system; implemented a limited access system for Loligo, Illex and butterfish; and expanded the management unit to include all Atlantic mackerel, Loligo, Illex, and butterfish under U.S. jurisdiction.

1997: Amendment 6 revised the overfishing definitions for Loligo, Illex, and butterfish; established directed fishery closure at 95% of DAH for Loligo, Illex and butterfish with post-closure trip limits for each species; and established a mechanism for seasonal management of the Illex fishery to improve the yield-per recruit.

1997: Amendment 7 established consistency among FMPs in the NE region of the U.S. relative to vessel permitting, replacement and upgrade criteria.

1998: Amendment 8 brought the FMP into compliance with new and revised National Standards and other required provisions of the Sustainable Fisheries Act. This action also added a framework adjustment procedure.

2001: Framework 1 created a quota set-aside for the purpose of conducting scientific research

2002: Framework 2 extended the moratorium on entry to the Illex fishery for an additional year; established that previous year specifications apply when specifications for the management unit are not published prior to the start of the fishing year (excluding TALFF specifications); and allowed for the specification of management measures for Loligo for a period of up to three years.

2003: Framework 3 extended the moratorium on entry to the Illex fishery for an additional year.

2004: Framework 4 extended the moratorium on entry to the Illex fishery for an additional five years

2007: Amendment 12 implemented standardized bycatch reporting methodology.

2008: Amendment 9 allowed for multi-year specifications for all four managed species (mackerel, butterfish, Illex, and Loligo) for up to 3 years; extended the moratorium on entry into the Illex fishery, without a sunset provision; adopted biological reference points for Loligo recommended by the stock assessment review committee (SARC); designated EFH for Loligo eggs based on available information; and prohibited bottom trawling by MSB-permitted vessels in Lydonia and Oceanographer Canyons.

2010: Amendment 10 implemented a butterfish rebuilding program, increased the Loligo minimum mesh in Trimesters 1 and 3, and implemented a 72-hour trip notification requirement for the Loligo fishery.

2010: Amendment 13 implemented Annual Catch Limits (ACLs), Annual Catch Targets (ACTs), and Accountability Measures (AMs).

2011: Amendment 11 implemented Limited Access in the Atl. mackerel fishery, updated EFH for all mackerel, squid, butterfish species, and established a recreational-commercial allocation.

2012: Framework 5 broadened the scope of individuals who can perform hold measurements for limited access mackerel vessels

2012: Framework 6 clarified the Council's risk policy and describes the limited circumstances under which acceptable biological catch (ABC) can be increased for stocks without status determination criteria on overfishing.

2013: Framework 7 converted the butterfish mortality cap from a catch cap to a discard cap

2014: Amendment 14 implemented a variety of reporting and monitoring requirements for Atlantic mackerel and longfin squid fisheries, and implemented a river herring and shad catch cap for the Atlantic mackerel fishery (Appendices). Final Rule.

2013: Amendment 17 modified accountability measures for the Council's recreational fisheries, including Atlantic mackerel. Final Rule.

2014: Framework 8 implemented changes to improve operation of the butterfish discard cap in the longfin squid fishery and the directed butterfish fishery. Final Rule.

2015: Amendment 15 implemented Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology. Final Rule.

2015: Amendment 19 eliminated the requirement for vessel owners to submit "did not fish" reports for the months or weeks when their vessel was not fishing. This action also removed some of the restrictions for upgrading vessels listed on federal fishing permits.

2015: Framework 9 established measures to enhance catch monitoring and address slippage (catch that is discarded before it has been sampled by observers) in the Atlantic mackerel fishery.

2016: Amendment 16 - Deep Sea Corals Amendment established management measures to protect deep sea corals from the impacts of commercial fishing gear in the Mid-Atlantic region. Final Rule.

2017: Amendment 18 - Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment implemented management measures to prevent the development of new, and the expansion of existing, commercial fisheries on certain forage species in the Mid-Atlantic. Final Rule.

2017: Framework 10 - Omnibus For-Hire Electronic Trip Reporting Framework implemented a requirement for vessels that hold party/charter permits for Council-managed species to submit vessel trip reports electronically (eVTRs) while on a trip carrying passengers for hire.

2018: Framework 11 - Omnibus Acceptable Biological Catch Framework established a process for setting constant multi-year Acceptable Biological Catch (ABCs) limits for Council-managed fisheries; clarified that the Atlantic Bluefish, Tilefish, and Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMPs will now automatically incorporate the best available scientific information in calculating ABCs (as all other Mid-Atlantic management plans do) rather than requiring a separate management action to adopt them; clarified the process for setting ABCs for each of the four types of ABC control rules. Final Rule.

2018: Amendment 20 - Squid Amendment reduced latent directed permits, created limited access incidental permits, and lowered Trimester 2 post-closure trip limit to 250 pounds to discourage directed fishing after closures. Final Rule.

2018: Framework 12 - Atlantic Mackerel Closure Provisions Framework allow the possession of 5,000 lb of Atlantic mackerel after 100 percent of the domestic annual harvest is caught instead of prohibiting the possession of Atlantic mackerel for the rest of the year. Final Rule.

Documents

Document

Biological Opinion on Authorization of the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries Under the Proposed Revised Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures

Biological opinion on a modification to the federal groundfish fisheries and State of Alaska…

Alaska

Atlantic Mackerel