Aggressive fishing has decimated jack mackerel stocks in the southern Pacific in the past two decades – from 30 million metric tons to less than 3 million.
Total BiomassSpawning BiomassCatches19711973197519771979198119831985198719891991199319951997199920012003200520072009201105101520253035Biomass in millions of metric tons1979Spawning Biomass:12,060,300 metric tons
Total stock biomass: The total weight of the fish in a stock, both juveniles and adults.
Spawning biomass: The total weight of the fish in a stock that are old enough to reproduce.
Source: South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization