Why Fresh Cornish Mackerel Is So Hard to Find Right Now

Fresh Cornish mackerel is becoming increasingly hard to find. We explain the science behind the mackerel shortage, what it means for seafood lovers, and why frozen mackerel is an excellent alternative.

If you've been trying to buy fresh Cornish mackerel recently and found it harder to track down than usual, you're not alone. Across Cornwall and the wider UK, fresh mackerel availability has dropped noticeably and the reasons behind it go far deeper than a single bad season.

What Is Causing the Mackerel Shortage in Cornwall?

The short answer: mackerel stocks across the North-East Atlantic have been in serious decline, and 2026 is shaping up to be the year that decline becomes impossible to ignore for everyday consumers.

Declining Stock Levels Across the North-East Atlantic

Mackerel has long been celebrated as one of Britain's most abundant and sustainably caught fish. For decades, Cornish handline fishermen brought in reliable summer catches, and the species was widely regarded as a responsible seafood choice. That picture has changed significantly.

In 2025, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) the leading scientific body advising on fish stock management released guidance confirming that North-East Atlantic mackerel stocks have fallen below sustainable levels. Their advice was stark: commercial landings need to be reduced by at least 70% in 2026 to begin reversing the decline.

Overfishing on an International Scale

While Cornwall's local handline mackerel fleet takes a comparatively tiny slice of the total catch, around 900 tonnes per year from the entire South West fleet, mackerel is a migratory species. What happens off the coasts of Norway, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland has a direct impact on the fish that swim into Cornish waters each summer.

For years, the international coastal states agreement designed to manage mackerel fishing has been under strain, with total landings across the North Atlantic significantly exceeding scientific recommendations. Poor recruitment, meaning fewer young fish surviving to replenish the population, has compounded the problem, leaving stocks with limited ability to recover.

The EU proposed a 77% reduction in commercial mackerel catches for 2026, directly in line with ICES guidance, yet agreement between all fishing nations has proved elusive. Without a coordinated international response, recovery will be slow.

Local Impact: Cornwall's Changing Waters

For those who fish or buy fish along the Cornish coast, the effects are felt first-hand. Shoals that once appeared with reliable regularity during the summer months have become increasingly sparse and unpredictable. 

The Cornwall Good Seafood Guide, a respected resource for sustainable seafood in the region, has now moved mackerel to a rating of 5, meaning "avoid," across all catch methods. This is a significant and sobering step for a fish that was long considered a sustainable staple of the Cornish seafood scene.

What Does This Mean for Buying Mackerel in the UK?

The Cornish mackerel shortage is beginning to have a ripple effect across the retail and food service sectors. Major retailers are responding: Waitrose became one of the first supermarkets to suspend sourcing of fresh, chilled and frozen mackerel entirely, citing its ethical and sustainable sourcing commitments, with tinned mackerel to follow once current stock has cleared.

For smaller independent fishmongers and seafood suppliers, including us, the challenge is balancing honesty with our customers against the desire to keep offering a fish that so many people love.

Why We're Now Selling Frozen Mackerel Fillets

Whilst we have frozen stock available we will offer these on our website. Once we have cleared this amount we will revisit the Mackerel situation. We want to be transparent: we've switched from fresh to frozen mackerel, and it's a decision we've made deliberately and with care.

With fresh Cornish mackerel in short supply and the sustainability picture uncertain, sourcing frozen mackerel, caught and frozen at sea at peak freshness, allows us to continue offering this brilliant fish without compromising on quality or contributing to an already strained fishery.

Our frozen mackerel fillets are individually frozen to preserve their quality, with each pack containing four fillets weighing between 430–500g generous, versatile portions ideal for grilling, smoking, pan-frying, or baking.

Will Fresh Cornish Mackerel Return?

There is cautious optimism. Mackerel is a resilient species with the potential to recover if fishing pressure is meaningfully reduced and sustained over time. Cornwall's handline fishery, one of the lowest-impact mackerel fisheries in the world, is well placed to resume once stocks improve.

The scientific community, conservation bodies, and responsible fishers are united in calling for urgent international action. If that action materialises, there is genuine hope that the reliable summer mackerel runs that have defined Cornish fishing for generations could return.

Until then, we'll continue to be honest with our customers, source responsibly, and offer the best frozen alternative we can find.