Final North Pacific Council Motion provides for 3.4% pollock increase of 43,000 tons SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton - Dec 15, 2014 The North Pacific Management council on Sunday approved final Bering Sea groundfish TACs (total allowable catch) for 2015, and preliminary numbers for 2016. The motion shows Bering sea stocks are close to their maximum productivity, with 848,000 tons of allowable catch left untouched in 2015, compared to 572,000 tons in 2014. Alaskas groundfisheries operate under a unique 2 million ton conservation cap, which has meant that many stocks are fished at a far lower level than their total allowable catch. The TAC setting process involves a balancing act between the requirements of different fisheries, bycatch levels, and economic returns. For 2015, the council increased Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands pollock from a total TAC (Including an Aleutian allocation) of1.286 million tons to 1.329 million tons, an increase of 43,000. Pacific cod was decreased by a small 6,000 tons, to 240,000 tons which is still well above the 219,000 tons that had been caught through the end of November. The council recommends no changes to these numbers in 2016 as well, on a preliminary basis. The biggest reduction was in Yellowfin and Northern rock sole which decreased from 184,000 and 85,000 tons in 2014 to 149,000 and 69,250 tons in 2015, respectively. Other flatfish species stayed the same or had slight decreases, as did Pacific Ocean perch. The Yellowfin sole reduction will mean reduced catch, as through November total 2014 catch was 152.7 thousand tons.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 18:48:38 +0000
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