What will it take to stop Atlantic mackerel populations from dwindling?
Atlantic Mackerel populations have been dwindling for decades. But a 2021 fisheries assessment revealed in stark terms just how severe the decline has been, estimating that today’s stock is equal to just 8 percent of what it was in the 1980s, reports Hakai magazine. Mackerel play a crucial role within both marine food webs and the human food system alike: Indigenous harvesters catch them as part of their food and cultural ceremonies, and the fish is also commonly used as bait for recreational and commercial fisheries. Due to decades of overfishing, however, regulators are now strictly curtailing their harvest—a last-ditch effort to protect the species, with the hope that it can thrive again in the future. —Jessica Fu
