Hey there, just a guy who’s been working with horse mackerel for over a decade—every week, I’m on the phone with fleets, checking catch rates, and making sure the stuff I send out meets both market demands and, you know, what’s actually sustainable. Lately, though, I’ve been getting a ton of questions from buyers about new research on this fish, like, “What’s the latest?” “Is there stuff changing about how we source it?” So I figured I’d break down what’s actually going on with horse mackerel research these days, no stuffy jargon, just the real stuff I’ve picked up from talking to scientists at conferences and working with groups I trust. Horse Mackerel
First off, let’s get one thing straight: horse mackerel isn’t just one fish. There are a bunch of different species—Atlantic horse mackerel, Japanese horse mackerel, South African, all over the place. For my business, most of what I deal with is Atlantic (we’re based in a port that’s been doing this forever) and a bit of Japanese, depending on the season. That matters because research is super specific to each region, which is why I never just take a generic “horse mackerel research” claim at face value.
One of the biggest projects I’ve been hearing about lately is stock assessment—you know, making sure we’re not overfishing the stuff. A while back, a lot of fisheries were under pressure because catches were dropping, and people were worried we’d wipe them out. Now, scientists are using way better tech than the old-school “count nets” method. Like, there’s this acoustic survey stuff—they send sonar pulses out, map where the schools are, and even tell how big each fish is, not just that there’s a bunch there. Last year, I talked to a guy from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and he said for Atlantic horse mackerel, the 2024 stock update was way more precise than 5 years ago. Turns out, we’d been underestimating how many fish are out there, not overestimating. That’s huge for us suppliers because it means we can adjust our quotas without hurting the market, and buyers don’t have to worry about supporting overfished stocks. There’s also work on data from fishing boats themselves—lots of fleets now have apps that log every catch, where they fished, water temp, all that. Scientists are pulling that data to fill in gaps that the big surveys miss, especially in areas that are hard to reach regularly. I know our fleet uses one of those apps, and the feedback from the researchers is that it’s making their models way more accurate.
Then there’s the sustainability side beyond just stock numbers—like, what happens to the ecosystem when we catch horse mackerel? Horse mackerel are a middle predator, right? They eat tiny plankton and smaller fish, and get eaten by everything from tuna to seabirds to big sharks. So if their numbers get off, it ripples through the whole food web. Lately, there’s research on “ecosystem-based fisheries management” (EBFM) for horse mackerel. For example, in the Bay of Biscay, scientists have been looking at how horse mackerel catches overlap with spawning grounds of other species, like anchovies. Turns out, in some areas, if we set our nets a bit deeper at certain times of year, we avoid mixing too much with other species’ spawn. Our team started testing that last season—adjusted a few of our delivery times and net depths, and the bycatch of anchovy dropped by like 18% without affecting our horse mackerel catch. That’s not just good for the ocean; buyers care because they’re pushing for lower bycatch now, especially for brands that sell to eco-conscious customers.
Another big area I’ve been seeing is fish health and quality—because at the end of the day, I’m supplying a product that people eat, so freshness and taste are everything. Researchers are studying how different environmental factors affect horse mackerel’s flesh quality. Like, water temperature: when the ocean is warmer (which has been a big thing the last few years), horse mackerel grow faster but their fat content changes. Too warm, and the flesh gets a bit softer, or the flavor is off. There’s also work on parasites—common in a lot of pelagic fish, right? Scientists are using DNA testing to identify which parasites are harmless and which are a problem, and how to catch them early without using chemicals. We started using a small portable DNA test in our processing facility last year—takes like 20 minutes, instead of sending samples to a lab that takes 3 days. That’s cut down on spoiled batches a ton. I even had a customer last month say they noticed our horse mackerel was more consistent this year, and a big part of that is the research helping us adjust our handling based on what’s going on with the fish.
Wait, and let’s not forget climate change—everyone’s talking about that, and horse mackerel are super sensitive to water temp, so they’re moving. A few years back, most of the Atlantic horse mackerel we caught was in the southern North Sea, but now a lot of it’s up near Norway, even a bit in the Barents Sea. Scientists have been tracking that movement, building models that predict where the schools will be in 5, 10 years. That’s a game-changer for my business because we don’t want to invest in fleet routes that’ll be useless in a few years. We started following their migration forecasts last year, and we were able to lock in better catch rates because we knew where to send our boats early. But there’s a catch here—some regions are fighting over the moving stocks. The horse mackerel that used to be shared between the EU and Norway is now moving into areas that other countries fish, so the research isn’t just scientific—it’s helping negotiate new fishing agreements that keep everyone from overfishing. I was at a trade summit last spring where that was the main topic, and the scientists’ data was the thing that made the talks actually happen, not just politics.
Oh, and there’s this new stuff with processing and using parts of the fish that we used to waste. Horse mackerel has a lot of byproducts—bones, skin, guts. Researchers are finding ways to turn those into things like omega-3 supplements, or even plant fertilizer. I know a group in Spain that’s testing this, and they’ve linked up with a few processing plants, including ours, to try it out. Last month, we sent a ton of fish scraps to their pilot plant, and the omega-3 oil they got from it was 98% pure. That’s not just good for reducing waste— it’s an extra revenue stream for suppliers, and it makes our business more sustainable overall. Buyers love that, too, because they can tell their customers the fish they’re buying is part of a circular economy.
Now, let’s be real—this research isn’t all perfect. There are still gaps. For example, a lot of the work is focused on commercial species in the North Atlantic, but what about horse mackerel in the Southern Hemisphere, off South Africa or Australia? Those areas have their own issues, like illegal unreported unregulated fishing, and there’s way less funding for research there. Also, climate change is moving so fast that models are playing catch-up—last year, a bunch of researchers had to adjust their stock assessments because the water warmed 0.5 degrees faster than their 2020 projections. But the good thing is, everyone involved—scientists, suppliers, buyers, even conservation groups—are working together more now than they used to. No one’s hiding data anymore, because we all have the same goal: making sure horse mackerel is a viable, sustainable fish for years to come.
For me, as a supplier, all this research isn’t just something I read about in journals. It’s something I use every day. It means I can give my buyers accurate info on where the fish is from, if it’s sustainable, what the quality will be like. It means we can adapt to changes before they become problems. If you’re a restaurant owner, a grocery chain, or a food brand looking to source horse mackerel that’s backed by the latest science and is both delicious and responsible, I’d love to chat. We’ve been working with fleets that use these research insights for years, so we can give you consistent, traceable, sustainable product at fair prices. Shoot me a message whenever—no sales pitch, just real talk about horse mackerel.
Mussel References
- ICES. (2024). Atlantic Horse Mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) Stock Assessment. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
- International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. (2023). Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Case Studies: Bay of Biscay Horse Mackerel.
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2024). Climate Impacts on Pelagic Fish Migrations: Horse Mackerel Regional Reports.
- Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology. (2023). DNA-Based Rapid Detection of Parasites in Horse Mackerel (Trachurus japonicus).
- Mediterranean Marine Science. (2024). Circular Economy Initiatives for Pelagic Fish Byproducts: Horse Mackerel Pilot Projects in Spain.
Changshion Foods Co., Ltd.
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