2026 Mackerel Decision Falls Short for NL Harvesters

ST. JOHN’S, NL – FFAW-Unifor is calling for an urgent reconsideration of the 2026 mackerel management decision as federal oversight continues to fail commercial fish harvesters.

The commercial mackerel fishery closed in 2022 and since that time the FFAW has vocally opposed the current understanding of mackerel health due to visible abundance around the province. The Union has been working diligently to get the commercial fishery reopened through sampling programs, documenting and presenting harvesters’ observations, and meeting with the Minister and other DFO officials.

“At this point, we are at a loss as to what additional information can be provided to demonstrate the increase in mackerel around Newfoundland and Labrador. Harvesters are frustrated with this latest decision,” says FFAW-Unifor Inshore Director Sherry Glynn.

On Friday, DFO announced that its latest science assessment found the stock had increased by nearly 50% year over year but remains in the critical zone. As part of that announcement, Minister Thompson increased the total allowable catch to 1,500 tonnes, including 1,400 tonnes for personal-use bait.

Although the announcement increased the amount allocated to the bait fishery, this is now the third year of the personal-use bait fishery. Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters have seen very little benefit from that quota, taking just 2% and 5% of the allocation in each of the last two years.

“Mackerel is not used for bait in Newfoundland and Labrador the way it is in other regions, such as the Gulf. The Newfoundland and Labrador mackerel fishery was a commercial fishery, not a bait fishery,” explains Glynn.

Minister Thompson has cited the Fisheries Act and the mackerel rebuilding plan as limiting the decisions available to her. If the current legislation prevents the Minister from responding to clear increases in abundance, harvesters’ observations, and the realities of the fishery, then the legislation itself must be addressed. These concerns are especially relevant as provisions of the Fisheries Act have been under review by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

Further aggravating the situation, the United States has announced a 2026 mackerel quota of 11,237 tonnes, an increase of nearly 1,200% from 2025.

Northwest Atlantic mackerel is made up of Northern and Southern contingents. Canada fishes the Northern contingent, while the United States fishes a mix of both. DFO estimates that between 20% and 80% of U.S. landings are from the Northern contingent.

The United States is seeing such an abundance of mackerel that it increased its quota by almost 1,200%, and a significant portion of the mackerel it will harvest may come from the same Northern contingent that Canadian harvesters depend on.

“While Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters watch mackerel pass by, American harvesters are benefiting from Canada’s closed fishery. This is not acceptable,” says FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street. “We have seen Minister Thompson make decisions that place trust in harvesters’ observations. That did not happen with mackerel, but there is still time to make the right decision for 2026 and reopen the commercial fishery,” Street concludes.