The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has dropped the total allowable catch for Alaska’s Eastern Bering Sea pollock by 50,000 metric tons (MT) from this season’s 1.425 million MT to 1.375 million MT. The new TAC, set recently at the NPFMC’s December meeting, is close to the number that fishermen caught this year after a rough B season saw them leave some quota in the water.
“I think in the end, we were comfortable for 50,000-ton reduction. Some of my members felt strongly it should have been higher and some felt it should have been lower, based on their anecdotal fishing experience, but all in all, we’re OK,” United Catcher Boats Executive Director Brent Paine told SeafoodSource.
Alaska’s pollock fishery is the United States’ largest fishery by volume. COVID-19 precautions hamstrung summer survey efforts that are instrumental in setting the TAC. Managers nixed traditional bottom trawl, instead opting for unmanned sail drones equipped with sonar units that left from San Francisco, California.
It was the first time sail drones have been used for surveys in the Bering Sea and, while managers thought they worked well, their high cost means it is unlikely they will be used again, according to Paine.
Smaller fish have been an issue in Bering Sea pollock, especially during the B season, which runs from 10 June to 31 October. The A season, which runs from 20 January to 30 April, yields larger fish because that is when adult pollock school to spawn.
“We’re feeling pretty good about the stock. It’s declining a bit, and I think the model that the assessment author is using is consistent with what we’re seeing on the grounds, which is a lot of small fish,” Paine said.
Paine said while total pollock biomass has maintained above-average levels, recruitment will likely have to pick up for longer-term fishing forecasts to remain robust.
“If you look at the different year-class ranks, there’s a little concern that we need a stronger recruitment event to get a stronger year-class to carry the fishery in a five-year timeframe,” Paine said.
In good news for Alaska’s pollock fishery, NPFMC ecosystem report showed water temperatures in the Eastern Bering Sea shelf returning close to historical averages. Several years of warmer temperatures meant pollock biomass was pushing north, past where U.S. fleets are allowed to fish.
“We had an average water temperature in the Eastern Bering Sea shelf this year. They had a pretty good ice event, where the Arctic ice extended down. But it was not the best quality of ice and receded very quickly,” Paine said.
NPFMC also set the Aleutian Island pollock TAC at 19,000 metric tons, the same as 2020. The Bering Sea cod TAC, however, fell around 20 percent, down to 111,380 metric tons, with another 13,796 tons set for the Aleutian Islands.
Photo courtesy of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers
