For the second year in a row, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is allowing a competitive personal-use bait fishery for Atlantic mackerel, but this time around, there are 30 less tonnes available to be caught.
The commercial Atlantic mackerel fishery was closed by DFO in 2022 because the stock assessment indicated Atlantic mackerel had declined further into the critical zone. The moratorium remained in place in 2023. In 2024, DFO announced a 470-tonne Atlantic mackerel personal-use bait fishery and in 2025 has done the same, but set the total allowable catch at 440 tonnes.
“The bait mackerel fishery is useless to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Our harvesters have a long history of a fully monitored, high-quality directed fishery that supported livelihoods and provided top-tier product, especially in the fall. A small commercial fishery is not just necessary—it is essential to sustain our rural communities and ensure the economic viability of our inshore fishery,” said Dwan Street, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), in a media release.
The FFAW-Unifor is urging DFO to establish a modest directed commercial mackerel fishery for the 2025 season. The Union has expressed strong concerns that the current 440-tonne personal-use bait fishery, announced for Atlantic Canada and Québec, fails to meet the needs of Newfoundland and Labrador’s harvesters and coastal communities, and is contrary to the abundance of mackerel stocks reported by N.L. harvesters.
In 2024 and 2025, FFAW-Unifor proposed that DFO allocate specific quotas to each region and allow the regions to manage their own quota; DFO failed to accept this proposal.
“Newfoundland and Labrador deserves a fishery that reflects the abundance we see on the water,” Street said. “Our harvesters are reporting big mackerel and a wide range of sizes around the province, indicating multiple age classes and a healthy stock. A modest commercial fishery would allow us to gather critical data, support our communities, and rebuild trust in DFO’s management. The bait fishery, as it stands, is a missed opportunity and an insult to our industry.”
DFO will be releasing the 440-tonne quota in in two equal parts. The first release of 220 tonnes was opened to harvesters in all four DFO regions in Atlantic Canada and Québec on May 15. The second 220-tonne release is expected in September.
Mandatory hail-out and hail-in is in place for the bait fishery. Logbooks are also mandatory. The maximum daily quantity of mackerel that fishers are authorized to catch and retain is 454 kg in total. A maximum of three gillnets with a maximum total length of 50 fathoms and a minimum mesh size of 66.7 mm or; a maximum of 36 hooks and a maximum of six lines are the permitted fishing gear.
DFO has set the total allowable catch (TAC) for Atlantic mackerel at 500 tonnes for 2025/26, which includes the 440 tonnes for the personal-use bait fishery and 20 tonnes each for live bait for the bluefin tuna fishery, scientific sampling and bycatch.
DFO has implemented two new requirements for the recreational Atlantic mackerel fishery in 2025. There is no longer a minimum size requirement when fishing Atlantic mackerel recreationally. DFO has reduced the minimum size for Atlantic mackerel from 26.8 cm to 0 cm.
“This means that recreational harvesters can retain any size fish caught up to their daily possession limit of 20 mackerel without discarding large numbers of undersized fish that typically die after release,” said DFO.
The gear allowance for the recreational Atlantic mackerel fishery has been reduced to one line and three hooks, from a maximum of five lines with six hooks each to reduce fishing effort.
“The results of the 2025 Atlantic mackerel stock assessment indicate the Atlantic mackerel stock remains in the Critical Zone of the Precautionary Approach Framework with no notable recruitment events since 2015. With fewer older fish, low recruitment and high predation pressure, the stock’s rebuilding potential is limited, which is why the commercial closure is necessary and the Government of Canada is taking the necessary steps to promote rebuilding,” said DFO.
For the 2026 season, DFO will continue working with advisory committee members on a management approach.
