Icefish Fishery

Fishing for mackerel icefish began in South Georgia waters in the 1970s, when large catches were taken by vessels from the then Eastern-bloc. Following concerns about the depletion of stocks CCAMLR closed the fishery in 1989. The fishery was later re-opened but with a highly conservative quota and was restricted to pelagic trawling to avoid impact on non-target species. In recent years, catches have been less than 1,000 tonnes, with most fishing activity focused on an area to the north-west of South Georgia.