Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber Scombrus)

Biology and habitat

Species description
The Atlantic mackerel is a fast-swimming schooling pelagic fish, it belongs to the family of Scombridae.

Geographical distribution and habitat
The species can be found in an area spanning from Northwestern Africa up to the Barents Sea including Svalbard, and westward to Iceland and Greenland.

Resource, exploitation and management

Stock and resource status/conservation measures
Minimum conservation sizes are set at 18 cm of total length in the Mediterranean and 20 cm or 30 cm in the other fishing areas. Catches are managed through TACs and quotas.

Production methods and fishing gears
The Atlantic mackerel is caught through a diversity of gears, including driftnets, gillnets and similar nets, hooks and lines, pots and traps, purse seines, seines, trawls, and troll lines.

Source: Information system on commercial designations

Catches

Evolution of world catches

Atlantic mackerel catches reached circa 1.117.000 tonnes in 2023, i.e 1% of the global catches. The largest catching nations were the United Kingdom and Norway, together accounting for 40% of global catches in 2023. The EU constitutes the fourth largest producer (15%), behin Faroe Island (16%). During the last decade (2014-2023), Atlantic mackerel catches have decreased by 22% at global level in relation to the decrease of the British and the Norwegian catches (-19% and -23% respectively).

Source: FAO

Evolution of EU catches

In 2023, the EU catches of Atlantic mackerel reached circa 168.000 tonnes. The EU catches have decreased by 45% during the last decades. Ireland was the first producer of Atlantic mackerel in the EU with 31% of the European volume, followed by Denmark, Spain, and the Netherlands (17%, 15%, and 12% respectively). Catches from all EU fleets significantly decreased over the last decade: -50% for Ireland, -34% for Denmark, -31% for the Netherlands, -56% for Spain.

Source: FAO

Aquaculture production

No aquaculture production of Atlantic mackerel has been developed, as it would not be competitive (low sale prices).

Processing

Most of the mackerel in the EU is consumed prepared or preserved, and a large share of this is processed in the EU.

There is one PRODCOM code referring to mackerel:

     - 10 20 25 50: prepared or preserved mackerel

Prepared/preserved mackerel
The EU production of prepared/preserved mackerel was estimated to 48.634 tonnes in 2023. It has increased by 8% since 2014 despite a 7% decrease between 2022 and 2023. In 2023, Poland and France were the main EU producers with a production over 19.000 tonnes and 15.000 tonnes respectively, representing 72% of EU production in 2023.

Source: EUROSTAT/PRODCOM

Trade

Combined nomenclature

EU trade of mackerel products (tonnes –  2024)

Data concern Atlantic mackerel and other species of mackerel (ie. Scomber japonicus)

• Extra-EU imports almost reached 140.00 tonnes in 2024, of which 83% were frozen. EU imports from the United Kingdom represented 45% of total EU imports of mackerel in terms of volume in 2024 (amounting to 62.264 tonnes). The main importers in 2024 were the Netherlands (39% of the imported volume), a large share of the import to the Netherlands is re-exported to African countries such as Egypt and Nigeria. Denmark and Poland were the second and third largest importers, representing 15% and 13% of total imports volume respectively.

Source: EUMOFA

• Extra-EU exports:
  Mackerel is one of the most exported fish by EU Member States. In 2024, volumes totaled over 95.000 tonnes. Almost three quarter (76%) of mackerels were exported frozen. The Netherlands and Ireland were the main EU exporter, representing 35% and 33% respectively of the EU-exports. Other mackerel exporters included Denmark (13% of the volume exported) and Spain (8%). In 2024, Nigeria (18% of the total exported volume; 17.164 tonnes), the United Kingdom (14%; 12.933 tonnes); Ukraine (8%), Faroe Islands (7%), Japan (7%), Egypt (6%), and Canada (5%) were the main markets for EU exports.

Source: EUMOFA

Supply balance

EU supply balance (2023) – Tonnes of live weight equivalent – Mackerel:
Data concern Atlantic mackerel and other species of mackerel (excluding horse mackerel species) 

Source: FAO/ EUROSTAT-COMEXT

Supply balance is provided for the year 2023 (trade data for 2023 were taken into account). Detailed trade data provided in the slides 4 and 5 concern the year 2024. 
The conversion factors were used to convert net weight of imports and exports of fishery and aquaculture products into live weight equivalents.
Production figure used in this supply chain is different from the production figure provided in the slide on catches (i.e. slide 2) as other species of mackerel have been considered

Prices along the supply chain (EUR/kg)

First-sale (whole)
First-sale prices are provided for one of the main EU producers of Atlantic mackerel: Ireland, Denmark, Netherlands and Spain.

(*) From January to October 2025

Wholesale (fresh)
Wholesale prices are reported for France. The price difference is due to the fishing gears, mackerel caught by trawler being cheaper.

(*) From January to October 2025

Retail/consumption
Retail prices are reported for Poland and France.

(*) From January to September 2025

Data concern Atlantic mackerel and other species of mackerel

Extra-EU import (frozen whole)
EU imports from third countries concern mainly frozen mackerel. The Netherlands was the largest EU importer in 2023.

(*) From January to September 2025 

Extra-EU export (frozen whole)

The Netherlands is by far the main EU exporter of mackerel. The Dutch exports are mainly composed of frozen whole mackerel.

(*) From January to September 2025

Marketing

National lists of commercial designations

Information system on commercial designations and scientific names in all EU languages

Applicable marketing standard

Consumption

Mackerel (all species combined) is the 11th most consumed species in the EU. (source: The EU Fish Market – 2025 edition, EUMOFA).

Apparent consumption per capita of mackerel (all species) in 2023: 0,67 kg live weight equivalent, giving mackerel (all species included) a twelfth-place ranking among the most consumed fish species in the EU (source: Supply balance - 2023, EUMOFA).

Nutritional value (Atlantic mackerel, nutrition values per serving 100g)