We show that mackerel aggregate and migrate distances of up to 500 km along the continental shelf edge from mid-November to early March. In this paper we demonstrate correlation between temperature and mackerel migration/distribution as proxied by mackerel catch data from both scientific bottom trawl surveys and commercial fisheries. Previous studies have been unable to clearly demonstrate this link. It has been suggested that observed spatial variation in mackerel fisheries, extending over several hundreds of kilometers, is reflective of climate-driven changes in mackerel migration patterns.
