Notice of Decision Invoking Subsection 6.2(2) of the Fisheries Act

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has made a decision pursuant to subsection 6.2(2) of the Fisheries Act and has amended the rebuilding plan for the stock described below.

Stock: Atlantic mackerel

Reason: Adverse socio-economic impacts

Rationale: Atlantic mackerel is a prescribed major fish stock under Schedule IX of the Fishery (General) Regulations, and is subject to the Fish Stocks provisions (sections 6.1-6.3) of the Fisheries Act. The stock status is below its limit reference point (LRP), subsection 6.2(1) applies, requiring the development and implementation of a rebuilding to rebuild the stock above this threshold.

The Atlantic mackerel rebuilding plan, adopted in 2024, aims to achieve stock growth with a high probability (i.e., ≥75%) over a two-year period. The long-term goal is to rebuild the stock above the LRP with a high probability by 2041. However, based on the 2026 stock assessment, the short-term stock growth objective of achieving ≥75% probability of growth over two years can only be realized under a zero-fishing baseline which assumes no Canadian or U.S. fishing of this stock.

Atlantic mackerel is a transboundary stock that occurs in both Canadian and U.S. waters, and in the absence of a co-management arrangement, Canada has no control over U.S. catch levels. Given this context, the zero-fishing baseline needed to implement the rebuilding plan is not achievable, even with a Canadian Atlantic mackerel closure. The U.S. has set a 2026 commercial quota to 11,237 t, with a projected increase to 13,210 t in 2027.

A Canadian Atlantic mackerel closure would result in adverse socio-economic impacts for Canadian harvesters that are already enduring lost fishing opportunities resulting from the closure of the Canadian fishery in 2022. Most notably, this would include the direct cost impact from these lost fishing opportunities, as well as the loss of domestic mackerel bait supply for key Canadian fisheries. This results in an increased reliance on higher-cost imported bait, and risks the viability of enterprises and the communities that depend on this stock as an economic driver.

To mitigate these socio-economic impacts, the rebuilding plan has been amended by lowering the two-year stock growth objective from a high probability (≥75%) to a moderately high probability (>50%). It is expected that this amendment will mitigate the above adverse socio-economic impacts by enabling limited access to the resource, and alleviating pressure on affected fisheries and communities facing rising costs and ongoing economic pressures.

In addition, the Minister has decided to allocate a 1,500 t total allowable catch (TAC) for 2026. A 1,500 t TAC is projected to result in estimated landed value of approximately $2.8M to $6.3M. The decisions made by the Minister are expected to minimize the further decline of the stock, given that even with a 1,500 t TAC, the stock is still expected to grow.

Date of decision: 2026-06-26