Representatives from the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), NOAA Fisheries, At-Sea Processors Association and the Marine Stewardship Council met on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, 22 May, for a briefing hosted by the Oceans Caucus Foundation.
The meeting focused on maintaining both a healthy pollock fishery and a thriving fisheries sector, according to a GAPP press release.
GAPP is an organization dedicated to the “marketing of once-frozen pollock products harvested and processed in Alaska,” and OCF, which hosted the briefing is a program of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation that “partners with leaders in multiple sectors in order to educate U.S. and international policymakers about the issues and needs of marine ecosystems and businesses that drive economic security domestically and around the world.”
Panelists at the briefing, which was also attended by congressional staff and representatives of environmental nonprofits, highlighted the fact that the Alaskan pollock fishery is the largest certified sustainable fishery in the United States and accounts for 30 percent of the fish caught in the country annually.
“Wild Alaska pollock landings average around 2.5 billion pounds per year over the past 40 years,” At-Sea Processors Association Public Affairs Director Jim Gilmore said. “Wild Alaska pollock can be found in everything from the favorite McDonalds Filet-o-Fish sandwich to [a] California roll. Over 70 percent of what we produce is exported around the world, giving our fish an important global footprint in Asia and the [European Union].”
NOAA Fisheries representative Laurel Bryant explained the successful management of the fishery, an effort she said has used “fishery observer coverage and an emphasis on an ecosystem-based approach to management.”
GAPP CEO Craig Morris celebrated the fact that pollock is now being used in more versatile ways.
“Increasingly, we are seeing wild Alaska pollock found on white tablecloth restaurant menus, featured in recipes developed by such celebrities as Martha Stewart and Netflix celebrity chef Antoni Porowski, and finding innovative products such as the recently-launched protein noodles by Trident Seafoods," he said.
