Forecast of a 70% reduction in Norway's mackerel catch.

As Norway's mackerel catch is expected to decrease, the domestic market, which relies on Norwegian mackerel for about 70-80% of its raw materials for freezing and processing, is also expected to be directly affected. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) proposed to coastal countries in September through its scientific recommendation to limit the total catch of Atlantic mackerel to 174,000 tons by 2026. This is a reduction of about 70% compared to the 2025 recommendation (577,000 tons). Jan Eirik Jonsen, the mackerel manager of the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), said at the "2025 Norway Seafood Seminar" that "the natural mortality rate of the mackerel population is higher than previously estimated and the influx of new resources has been sluggish for several years." He added, "From a sustainable management perspective, we have no choice but to reduce the catch intensity, and the resulting price increase is inevitable." According to the Norwegian Seafood ...