Management of Pelagic Fisheries in the North East Atlantic: Norwegian Spring Spawning Herring, Mackerel, and Blue Whiting

This paper gives an overview of sustainability and management of the straddling stock fisheries for Norwegian spring spawning herring, mackerel, and blue whiting. These stocks are harvested by coastal states and distant water fishing states (DWFS). Because multiple states access these stocks, reaching agreements on management has posed challenges, and some agreements have unravelled. For the blue whiting, the fishing industry itself played a major role in facilitating an agreement. A general lesson learned is that changes in fish migrations and stock distribution may destabilize international agreements.