The fishermen can look back on an adventurous season for mackerel sturgeon. On the best days, the giant fish leapt and jumped next to the boat all day. – There have been extremely many fish. We never imagined that there would be so many fish, says Marius Haga, team manager for the fishing team Team Averøy. This is a mackerel sturgeon Photo: Iris Elin Ullvang / news The mackerel sturgeon is the largest of the mackerel fish and can be up to 4.5 meters long. It is a fast swimmer, and a swimming speed of 66 kilometers per hour has been measured. It is often called tuna or bluefin tuna. Heavy fishing has led to the stocks being overtaxed. The mackerel sturgeon does not spawn in Norwegian waters, but it is not unusual to see it along the Norwegian coast from July to September. The mackerel sturgeon is globally assessed to be threatened, primarily by overfishing. But since 2008, the stock has increased significantly. In Norway, there was a lot of fishing for mackerel sturgeon in the 1950s. The catch in the picture was taken outside Senja in 1955 and exported to Italy. Source: SNL, Institute of Marine Research Close to extinction Due to overfishing, mackerel sturgeon came close to extinction in the 1960s, but this year there have again been large shoals along the Norwegian coast. – The first observations came in 2012. Since then there has been an increase in the number of observations, says Keno Ferter, researcher at the Institute of Marine Research. – These are the largest individuals that make the journey here from the spawning and rearing areas in southern Europe, says Keno Ferter, head of the tagging project at the Institute of Marine Research. Photo: ERLEND A. LORENTZEN / MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTE Strict rules There are strict rules for the mackerel sturgeon fishing so that things don’t go wrong again. The total Norwegian quota was 315 tonnes this year. Team Averøy is one of 50 teams that have received a recreational fishing license from the Directorate of Fisheries to catch mackerel sturgeon. They have caught five fish, but three of them were released again. – The largest was 2.7 meters and weighed 292 kilograms. It took between 25 minutes and three hours to get the fish into the boat, and we waited for hours to get a bite, says Bent Bue. – But when it bites, you get an adrenaline rush, and all the waiting is forgotten, says Haga. The mackerel sturgeon have been grazing in the summer along the Norwegian coast, and the fish do not go further north than Norwegian waters. Photo: ERLEND A. LORENTZEN / MARINE RESEARCH INSTITUTET Swim exactly the same route every year But before the three fish could swim further, it was marked. These satellite tags hang on the sturgeon for a year before they fall off, float up and send data to researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. They have mapped the route of the mackerel sturgeon since 2020, and are very surprised by the findings. The sturgeons turn out to be creatures of habit. – Størja had raced through the entire Atlantic, and then returned to the same place, 365 days later. This is very exciting, says Ferter. A satellite tag is attached to a mackerel sturgeon. Photo: Erlend A. Lorentzen / Institute of Marine Research The visit of the giant fish is thus not accidental, but is something we can probably expect in the future as well. Popular sushi fish Mackerel sturgeon is the largest tuna in the world and is highly sought after on the fish market. High demand leads to crazy prices. In 2022, the fishermen received up to NOK 280 per kilos, according to Sunnmøre and Romsdal Fiskesalslag. A 300-kilogram mackerel sturgeon will be used as sushi. Photo: Valentina Baisotti / news
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Mackerel sturgeon are back on the Norwegian coast and will probably return next year – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
