In the past, countries agreed on at least the principles that governed these divisions; now, with the waters around them changing, the rules for dividing resources have broken. Representatives from mackerel-fishing nations met in November; again, they failed to reach a consensus.
Although the disagreement had started more than 10 years ago, when Icelandic fishermen began trawling for mackerel, and the Faroe Islands subsequently unilaterally tripled their own quota, the puzzle became more complicated as the negotiation parties waited for Britain, one of the largest fishing nations in the region, to step further out of the European Union.
With this move, the U. Every year, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea releases an assessment of how populous a species is and how much of it can be fished.
The assessment is the basis for negotiations between its member countries. In the end, roughly 1 million tons were fished in the region. When the countries did agree in , they divided more than 2 million tons of blue whiting among them.
Just five years later, in , less than 40, tons were left. Abundance in the oceans can be fleeting and, like the northern lights, unpredictable. Even though Norway, Iceland, and the Faroes fish great amounts of mackerel, the fish is not, traditionally, beloved as food. The northern Norwegians used to believe that mackerel ate bodies lost at sea, which gave the fish its meat-like consistency. A Faroese chef once told me that freshly caught mackerel decays quickly because of its high fat content.
In these Nordic countries, some people eat mackerel on bread with a tomato sauce, or smoked and used as a spread. Growing up in the Faroes, I remember my grandfather using mackerel as bait for cod.
He would never eat mackerel. In Norway, mackerel has always been eaten in the South, but never in the North, where it is also considered bait. Several shipowners, the ship association Pelagisk Forening, and fishermen all told me that mackerel now accounts for about 40 percent of their income.
If Iceland wanted a piece of the species, it had to prove to the other countries that its waters contained mackerel. This time, the request was granted. In , their catch more than tripled, to , tons. The Icelandic government was now ready to fight the other mackerel-fishing nations for the right to the species.
At first, they refused to recognize that Iceland had the right to mackerel at all. Even after that concession, the traditional mackerel fishers thought that Iceland demanded too much of the share. Part of the problem for these countries was that Iceland had never fished mackerel before.
Halstensen, 75, has been leading the family company, K Halstensen, which his grandfather founded in , since For years he has participated in transnational negotiations for different fish species—herring, blue whiting, mackerel. According to Halstensen, Iceland has always been difficult to negotiate with.
Halstensen said that the Icelandic diplomats were extraordinarily persuasive and, to put on a show for their guests, talked only about conservation and responsibility, which dazzled the Norwegian official. But if they turn, you will have to buy me a box. From to , the EU, Norway, and the Faroe Islands agreed on a share between them and set aside But in recent years, Iceland alone has fished enough mackerel to account for about To Helgason, the percentage set aside by the three parties in the agreement for the rest was painfully inadequate.
By the time the shoals reach the Norwegian coast the mackerel is large, fatty and full of flavour. We call this the premium catch period. One of the key benefits of fishing in the autumn months is that the mackerel has a higher fat content. Not only does this transform Norwegian mackerel into a succulent fish, packed with flavour, it also increases the levels of omega-3 in the fish. This makes Norwegian mackerel a tasty and healthy choice.
To find out more about the nutritional content of mackerel from Norway, please visit the dedicated nutrition page. A blind taste test was conducted with elementary school children in Tokyo. They were asked to taste both domestic masaba and Norwegian mackerel, without being told which was which. The results were as followed:. Norwegians have been relying on the sea for centuries, so it should come as no surprise that we have the process down to an art form.
We use the latest electronic sonar equipment to locate the fish and then our expert fishermen set to work reeling them in. The most common method we use is a purse seine, a large scooped netting contraption designed to encircle a shoal of fish. A wire then pulls the purse seine inwards and draws the opening down.
The Dexter Wedge is a great lure for catching mackerel, wrasse and bass. This lure has been around a long time and is a well established mackerel and bass lure. There are a few sizes but my advice is if you're fishing from the shore don't go too big. Even the smallest of dexter wedges can catch some mighty fish. Once you cast out there are a few ways of reeling the lure back in and it's really up to you to experiment to find the one that works for you.
The few more common methods are as follows:. The big long pull Once you have a tight line after casting you simply pull the rod back in one continuous motion while keeping it at waist height. You then move the rod forward again whilst reeling in the slack. You then repeat. You will probably make 3 or 4 complete turns on the reel when you do this.
You can also pull back the rod from ground level to above your head. The first way keeps the lure at pretty much the same depth while the down-up motion will raise the lure in the water. I prefer the first method but choose which suits you. The short sharp twitch Once you have a tight line after casting you keep the rod tip low down and give small gentle pulls on the rod while slowly reeling in the line.
By small movements I mean around half an arms length at a time. This is a good method for lures with rattles. The delayed reaction Once you've cast out and you've tightened the line keep the rod still and give the reel a few turns so the lure moves a couple of metres and then pause for a few seconds 4 to 8 is good.
Then keep repeating this process. For all the above you need a light rod with a good amount of bend so every twitch you make travels down the line to the lure. Very short, light twitches mimic a fish in distress so the rod must able to carry that through to the lure. A light spinning rod is designed for exctly this so try to get a spinning rod if you enjoy using lures.
Feathers usually have 3 to 6 feathers, plastic strips or other such things attached to each hook as seen here:. The mackerel feathers are a complete rig. You will have a long line with each feather spaced about 30cm apart. You will either have a swivel either end or a loop either end. You will attach your main line coming off your rod to one end and a weight of your choosing on the other end.
People ask me what are my favourite feathers. I usually have many different types on me but these two are the ones I enjoy using the most and, for me, catch the most mackerel. If you have a light set-up then you shouldn't use more than 3 feathers. By light set up I mean if you're using equipment like a spinning rod, a very cheap rod and reel etc.
You should only use the amount of feathers your gear can handle. A large beach caster with a strong multiplier or fixed spool reel will be able to handle the weight of 6 mackerel on the line. You will often see people casting their feathers as far as they can but often the mackerel aren't way out at sea but right below your feet. You can often catch them by just dropping the line into the sea below you and simply slowly raising and lowering your rod.
Mackerel tend to not be at the bottom on the sea bed so let it drop to the bottom and then move it around half way up and then start raising and lowering your rod. Don't feather at night, the fish can't see the feathers in darkness! I'm amazed at how many times I've seen people feathering in total darkness and wondering why they can't catch anything. Also if the sea is really cloudy then the fish won't be able to see the feathers shimmer and shine in the water.
Feathering is best when the sun is out and the water is pretty clear. To start you reel in the slack line until you can feel the weight and then stop reeling in further. Now you simply pull the rod back in one continuous motion from waist height to head height. You don't reel in the line while you're pulling the rod back so the only time you reel in the slack line is when your moving the rod back down the waist height.
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