Mackerel Massacre – the rape of the sea

27 August 2010

pelagic2 Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Scotland’s mackerel fishing is an economically important and sustainable fishery which is threatened by the reckless actions of Iceland and the Faroe Islands in unilaterally and massively increasing their quotas. This threatens the future viability of mackerel stocks, and the survival of the Scottish pelagic fishing sector (pelagic refers to shoaling, mid-water species like herring and mackerel).

The current dispute has been widely covered in the news media and the actions of Iceland and the Faroe Islands have been widely condemned, and the actions of Scottish fisherman in twice preventing a Faroese trawler landing mackerel at Peterhead have been equally widely praised. I would like to outline briefly what the issue is about and then look at the sustainability of the industry, and the significance of this sector to Scotland.

High Seas Robbery
I take the title from an article in Scotland on Sunday (where you can read the full story of the dispute). Iceland and the Faroe Islands, which are not members of the European Union and therefore subject to the Common Fisheries Policy, have previously, set their mackerel quotas in agreement with the EU. This year, though, they have unilaterally raised their quotas, Iceland’s rising from an agreed quota of 2,000 tonnes to 130,000 tonnes for this year, while the Faroes has increased its quota from 25,000 tonnes to 85,000 tonnes. If this is maintained, according to WWF Scotland, the combined 2010 mackerel quota would result in the fish being exploited 35% above the scientific recommendation set by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, and spell a "death sentence" for precious fish stock (from Guardian article). The Scottish mackerel quota, under the Common Fisheries Policy is 130,000 tonnes.

Sustainability
Scotland’s is the first large-scale mackerel fishery in Europe to be certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. This accreditation is threatened by the action of Iceland and the Faroes. With the previous agreed level of fishing effort, the Scottish fleet could look forward to landing current levels of mackerel indefinitely without threatening the sustainability of the stock while maintaining income and employment and contributing to the sustainability of fishing communities in north east Scotland. This is all now in jeopardy because of selfish, short-sighted, parochial, piratical over-fishing.

The Scottish Pelagic Sector
There are only 25 vessels in the pelagic sector but they are large and modern. The biggest of them is the 76-metre Shetland registered Altaire. The 72-metre Fraserburgh registered Christina S is the newest. Fraserburgh is the most important base for these vessels, with the rest in the Shetlands and Peterhead. (For images of all the Scottish pelagic fleet, click here.) These boats contain RSW (Refrigerated Sea Water) tanks where the catch is kept fresh until landed at the processing factory (oily fish like mackerel spoil quickly) and are often pumped directly through pipes into the plant. These boats mostly catch mackerel (with some herring and blue whiting). Because of their capacity and their quotas they are tied up at their home ports for more than half of the year (and still manage to be profitable).

In 2009 mackerel was the most valuable species landed by Scottish vessels, worth £132 million. (The next most valuable were prawns - £77 million; monkfish - £36 million; haddock - £32 million; scallops - £30 million, cod - £17 million). Actually, and without downplaying mackerel, Nephrops norwegicus (call it Norwegian lobster, langoustine, Dublin Bay prawn, scampi, it’s all the same bird – or crustacean – it’s a prawn) is the most important species for Scottish fisherman with 194 over-10-metre boats employed, and the catch being the mainstay of most Scottish fishing ports apart from Peterhead (Britain’s major fishing port with large whitefish and pelagic landings). All of the prawns are landed in Scotland while some of the mackerel are landed abroad. At the same time large quantities of pelagic fish are landed in Shetland and Peterhead from foreign trawlers (it’s all a matter of demand and price).

It is essential that action is taken by the European Union to force Iceland and the Faroes to stop their overfishing (possibly by banning landings and imports of their fish and fish products). Scotland’s sustainable mackerel fishing industry must be protected now so that it can continue fishing sustainably and profitably in the future.

Mackerel in Literature
The following extract is taken from the classic American children’s novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, 1903, by Kate Douglas Wiggin. Free download at Project Gutenberg. Puffin Classics edition, 1995, appears to be out of print.

On a certain warm day in summer Rebecca's thirst exceeded the bounds of propriety. When she asked a third time for permission to quench it at the common fountain Miss Dearborn nodded "yes," but lifted her eyebrows unpleasantly as Rebecca neared the desk. As she replaced the dipper Seesaw promptly raised his hand, and Miss Dearborn indicated a weary affirmative.
"What is the matter with you, Rebecca?" she asked.
"I had salt mackerel for breakfast," answered Rebecca.
There seemed nothing humorous about this reply, which was merely the statement of a fact, but an irrepressible titter ran through the school. Miss Dearborn did not enjoy jokes neither made nor understood by herself, and her face flushed.

What do you call a virtual fish? – An IMackerel.
What do you call a large fishburger – A Big Mackerel.
Why should a Scots girl with an allergy to Omega-3 fatty acids not eat the fish which is the subject of this article? – Because it will mak her ill.

A mackerel in a china shop is like a fish out of water. (Confucius, ancient Chinese philosopher).