The North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) has announced an extension to its fishery improvement projects (FIPs) by two years and issued a renewed call to action for coastal states to collaborate on securing sustainable catch shares.

This comes after scientists with the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas recommended a 22% cut in the landings of northeast Atlantic mackerel for 2025, with no quota-sharing agreements in place for this species or for blue whiting or Atlanto-Scandian herring.

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NAPA -- a collective of over 50 major retailers, foodservice companies, and supply-chain businesses -- has pushed the FIP deadline back to 2026, "providing a narrow window for nations to adopt sustainable management practices."

The FIPs aim to drive consensus among fishery managers on mackerel, blue whiting, and Atlanto-Scandian herring, and was originally set to conclude in 2024.

"Despite three years of relentless efforts from NAPA, the political deadlock has remained," said Aoife Martin, NAPA chair.

"Coastal states have continued to prioritize their own interests over the sustainable management of these stocks, leading to continued overfishing. This extended two-year timeline to reach a much-needed political solution marks the beginning of the next chapter for NAPA -- one that must reinforce the urgency and prioritize the science."

NAPA said it was more determined than ever to "leverage the power of the marketplace" and encourage coastal states to find a way forward to collaborate, compromise, and cut the overall catch.

Martin added: "Over the next two years, our coalition will redouble efforts to propose actionable solutions for coastal states, and we'll be developing and sharing novel research to support these initiatives. We will intensify the push for comprehensive quota-sharing agreements among the nations involved. The issue is just too critical to walk away from."

Bolstering this approach into 2026, seafood consultant Rob Blyth-Skyrme, whose career has been built on the development of environmentally and economically sustainable approaches to stock management in fisheries, has joined the NAPA team as project lead.

"NAPA is the voice of the global market for pelagic seafood, and our message is loud and clear: we must follow the science. If any of these key stocks were to become overfished, it would be hugely damaging for the credibility of the management process," he said.

"With coastal state negotiations happening this week [Oct. 14-20], we urge leaders to recognize that the only solution here is a political one. We have a collective responsibility to protect the environment, ensure long-term business security, and safeguard consumer trust in the fishing industry. It couldn't be more critical to act now."

Recommended quotas for 2025 indicate a significant need for adjustment from the expected 2024 catches, noted NAPA: a 10% reduction for herring, 23% for blue whiting and a massive 40% for mackerel, highlighting how far management has strayed from the science. From 2019-2023, average mackerel catches exceeded the advice by 23%, blue whiting by 30%, and Atlanto-Scandian herring by as much as 34%.

The group did note some progress. In 2024, the UK, Norway, and the Faroe Islands signed a catch-sharing agreement that commits to adhering to specified percentages of the recommended limits. However, this agreement does not include other coastal states: the EU, Iceland, and Greenland.