Chilean jack mackerel

Chilean jack mackerel stocks in the Eastern South Pacific Ocean are abundant and harvested sustainably.Stock assessments are conducted by the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP). These assessments define reference points for fishing pressure (F) and biomass (B). For fishing pressure, the target is to keep F at or below the level that supports Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY). For biomass, there is no target, but there is a spawning stock biomass required to support MSY (SSBMSY). Both FMSY and SSBMSY are dynamically estimated each year based on changes in recruitment, landings, and selectivity patterns.Spawning biomass (SSB) has generally declined from 1970 to 2012, with strong fluctuations. A historical maximum of 20 million tonnes was recorded in 1988, while a low of 353,000 tonnes occurred in 2013. Since 2013, SSB has been increasing, and exceeded SSBMSY in 2019. Although SSBMSY is dynamically estimated, it remained relatively stable between 8 and 10 million tonnes since 1970. In 2024, SSB was estimated at 17.7 million tonnes, which exceeds the SSBMSY estimate of 8.7 million tonnes. This indicates the stock is currently underfished.Fishing pressure (F) exceeded the dynamically estimated FMSY from 1980 to 2012, with three noticeable peaks: 0.79 in 1984, 1.07 in 1997, and 0.62 in 2009. Since 2009, fishing pressure has declined and stabilised between 0.1 and 0.2 from 2012 onward. In 2024, F was estimated at 0.14, which is well below the dynamic FMSY of 0.61. Therefore, the stock is currently harvested sustainably.For 2025, catches are advised to be no more than 1.428 million tonnes, reflecting a 15% increase cap from 2024 advice. Without this cap, catch limits could rise in line with FMSY to as much as 4.9 million tonnes. However, this would cause SSB to sharply decline, and catches would stabilise around 1.2 million tonnes in five years. This is due to the stock’s age structure and recent exceptional recruitment years, which would temporarily boost biomass but later reduce spawning stock stability with these cohorts removed.

In this MSC-certified fishery, there are a range of appropriate management measures are in place, with effective monitoring and good compliance. There are no outstanding conditions, but catches have exceeded TACs in recent years.The Chilean jack mackerel fishery has been Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified since 2019, with a recent management score of 91.3 – which exceeds the best practice threshold of 80. There are 27 registered vessels operating in this fishery, and there are no conditions or requirements to improve the fishery.Management is coordinated by the South Pacific Regional fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO), which oversees a single jack mackerel stock across the South Pacific. Multiple states fish this stock, including Chile, Peru, China, the EU, amongst others. Chile implements SPRFMO conservation and control measures within its EEZ and contributes to joint stock assessments and catch limit decisions.A primary management tool is the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) set by SPRFMO, which is allocated across participating member states. Chile typically receives around 66% of the global allocation. For 2025, the overall TAC was set at 1.428 million tonnes, a 15% increase from the 2024 TAC (1.242 million tonnes). Chile sets its national TAC based on scientific advice but often before SPRFMO finalises quota distribution, which previously led to misalignment in 2024 - Chilean TAC set 5,000 tonnes above the quota given by SPRFMO.Historically, quota usage between 2013 and 2018 ranged from 81.2% to 94.4%, with removals staying within TAC limits. However, since 2019, catches have exceeded TACs by up to 10%, but stock status remains above SSBMSY. Under the Harvest Control Rule (HCR):TAC can increase annually by up to 15% if biomass exceeds SSBMSY.TAC is set to zero if spawning biomass falls below Blim.Intermediate stages are in place to maintain stable biomass.Other management measures for gear and bycatch mitigation include:Minimum Size: 26 cm fork length, which is above the estimated maturity size of 22.7 cm.Move-On Technique: Fishers must relocate and avoid repeated sets in areas with high juvenile presence – repeated presence may lead to temporary closures of an area.Mesh Requirements: Nets must have a minimum 50 mm codend mesh and 75 mm square mesh panels in extensions.Chile’s 2019 Discard Reduction Plan prohibits discarding of target and secondary species, except for safety-at-sea situations. The plan includes training, technical measures, and monitoring to minimise discards and incidental bycatch, with mandatory release of non-target species such as elasmobranchs. Discarded catch has since fallen from 9.3% in 2017, to 0.2% in 2020, and has remained below 1% since. This fishery also is highly selective (monospecific), with 99.8% of catch being jack mackerel, according to observer data.Monitoring is robust, with observer programmes covering around 33.5% of operations in the Chilean EEZ, both at sea and in port, which includes the recording of incidental catches of seabirds, marine mammals, turtles, and sharks. Since January 2020, the fleet has used Image Recording Devices (DRI) for bycatch and discard monitoring, alongside SIBE electronic logbooks for real-time reporting. Vessels are also equipped with Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and Automatic Location and Communication (ALC) systems, and are subject to enforcement and scientific oversight by IFOP and national authorities.

Chilean jack mackerel is caught by industrial purse seiners in this MSC-certified fishery. Habitat impacts are minimal in this fishery, and bycatch is low.Purse seines have minimal impact on the seabed as they operate in mid-water and do not contact the seafloor – unless an anchor is used in setting. The gear consists of a long wall of netting framed by floats on the top line and sinkers on the bottom. A strong cable passes through rings on the lower edge, which when hauled, closes the net into a ‘purse’, which prevents fish escaping downwards. Nets are typically set around a school of fish – making purse seining highly monospecific – or around Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). Once the fish are crowded into the net, they are harvested with a brailer (smaller net).In this MSC-certified fishery, Chilean industrial purse seiners range from 50 to 75m in length, and can deploy nets up to 173m high and 1,760m long. Around 8% of the jack mackerel catch occurs in the first half of the year. Undersized jack mackerel (<26cm) are rarely caught, though at least one individual may occur per haul If high densities of undersized fish are encountered, fishers must relocate and avoid repeated sets in the area – ongoing presence of undersized fish can lead to temporary closures. These fish cannot be discarded, except for safety-at-sea reasons, which poses some risk of removing fish stock before their chance to spawn. However, the population currently remains stable above SSBMSY, and undersized catches are low.Although purse seining is largely monospecific, non-target species such as fish, seabirds, marine mammals, marine reptiles, and elasmobranchs may be caught by this gear type. In Chile, chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) is a minor secondary species of this fishery, averaging 1.3% of catch (2019-2022). This fishery is unlikely to affect chub mackerel populations with low catch rates, and for chub mackerel on the Peruvian coast, biomass is above sustainable levels and fishing mortality is below reference points.Endangered, Threatened, or Protected (ETP) species interactions are rare and generally low impact. Seabird bycatch includes Peruvian pelican and sooty shearwater, both Near Threatened in Chile, but catches are minimal and populations are globally increasing or abundant. South America sea lion (Otaria byronia) is listed as Least Concern globally, but due to the harvesting ban in Chilean waters until January 2031, it is considered an ETP species for this fishery. Observer data recorded 266 interactions (2019–2023) with no mortalities, though it is noted that incidental capture likely causes stress to the sea lions. Marine mammals caught in purse seines are typically released alive using the slipping technique, minimizing gear contact and reducing harm. Cetacean interactions are possible but extremely rare. Overall, observer data and recent research indicate low impact on ETP species, but interactions with sea lions specifically must continue to be monitored.In Chile, several Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem (VMEs) have been identified, including Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park, Juan Fernández Ridge, and the Chilean Fjords. These areas are known for unique biodiversity, endemic species, seamount habitats, and cold-water corals and sponges. These Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are protected to prevent significant adverse impacts from activities such as bottom trawling. That said, this purse seine fishery does not interact or overlap with these VMEs, so no impacts occur.To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, MCS would like to see remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras implemented, used and enforced.