Alaska pollock bycatch drops dramatically

The Bering Sea pollock season keeps rolling along, at a faster pace, and with far fewer chum salmon bycatch than last year.

"We really haven't had a chum bycatch issue this year. We were shocked," said Brent Paine, executive director of United Catcher Boats, representing pollock boats delivering to shore plants and motherships.

Trawlers caught just 7,060 non-chinook salmon, mainly chums, through 17 August, compared to 114,324 last year, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Salmon bycatch is a hot issue in western Alaska, with commercial and subsistence salmon fishermen criticizing the pollock fleet when salmon harvests decline. That's led to rules that could cause pollock fishing to close early because of chinook salmon bycatch, with similar restrictions likely on the way for chums.

Click here to read the full story from Alaska Dispatch > 

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None