Pacific cod

Pacific cod in the western north Pacific is abundant and not subject to overfishing.There are four Pacific cod stocks in the north Pacific. In the east, they are: Aleutian Islands (AI), Bering Sea (BS), and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). In the west is the Bering Sea (West) and Chukotskaya, Karaginskaya & Petropavlovsko-Komandorskaya subzones stock.This rating covers the western stock. It is divided into three separate stock components: west Bering Sea, Karaginskaya subzone, and Petropavlovsk-Komandorskaya subzone.The stock as a whole is in a good state and fishing pressure is within sustainable limits. In 2020 the catch limit was set at 155,000 tons for all components combined. No cases of exceeding the total allowable catch (TAC) have been reported.Western Bering Sea and Chukotskaya subzones:In this area, research surveys and models demonstrate increasing spawning stock biomass (SSB), biomass (B) and catch per unit effort (CPUE). From 1993-2003, SSB ranged from 226–331 thousand tonnes. In 2018 and 2019, this had increased to 2.09-2.56 million tonnes. In 2021, the SSB is expected to be around 3.21 million tons, well above BMSY (1.12 million tonnes). Therefore, the stock is not in an overfished state.A figure for current fishing mortality (F) was not provided. FMSY is set at 0.105. This would equate to a catch limit of 320,000t, which would have been 2.5 times the 2020 limit. Owing to uncertainties in future stock projections, a limit of 120,000 tonnes was recommended - similar to previous years. From 2012-2019, catches have been 75% of the TACs. Therefore, the stock does not appear to be subject to overfishing.Karaginskaya subzone:Around 30% of the total fishing effort takes place in the Karaginskaya area. Research surveys and models show that the biomass has been stable in this zone, with the stock in 2019 close to the highest in the time series. Since 2000, Pacific cod biomass has consistently been above BMSY. In 2021, SSB is estimated to be at 58,780 tons, above the proxy for MSY (Btr, 52,650 tonnes). Therefore, the stock is not in an overfished state.Fishing mortality (F) was 0.294, equal to the target (Ftr) and corresponding to a catch limit of 20,000 tons. With that F, the risk of overfishing is very low, below 0.1. Therefore, the stock is not subject to overfishing.Petropavlovsk-Komandorskaya subzone:Around 10% of the total fishing effort takes place in the Petropavlovsho-Komandorskaya area. Simulations show that in this zone, Pacific cod biomass (B) and SSB are showing an upward trend, with the biomass now the highest in the time series. In 2021, SSB was estimated at 69,500 tons, above the BMSY (64.1 thousand tons).A figure for current fishing mortality (F) was not provided. FMSY is set at 0.296. This would equate to a catch limit of 15,400 tons. The fishing mortality rate in 2020 was estimated at F0.257, corresponding to a catch of 14,200 tons. Therefore, the stock does not appear to be subject to overfishing.

A number of management measures are in place and compliance is good. Catches are below scientifically recommended limits. There are some limitations on the information available from Russian fisheries.Fishing for Pacific cod in the West Bering Sea takes place within the Russian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The stock is separated into three management areas by the Russian authorities: East Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Komandor), Karaginsk, and Anadyr-Navarin. Russian fisheries management is coordinated by the Federal Fisheries Agency.Part of the longline fishery is certified to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards. It accounts for roughly 20% of total catches. Certification is conditional on monitoring and mitigating capture method impacts, and on improving management of the halibut fishery, which is part of the same certification. These certified fisheries have better monitoring and reporting than the uncertified components. A code of conduct has been also signed by the certified fisheries which include measures to reduce bycatch and discards. There are a number of fishery management tools in place. The main measure is a catch limit (Total Allowable Catch, TAC) for each area. These are based on stock assessments, which are carried out by scientific agency VINRO. TACs are set using harvest control rules, with fishing mortality being reduced when stocks fall below certain thresholds. In recent years, TACs have not been surpassed. Management therefore appears to follow scientific recommendations, and compliance with catch limits appears to be good.Since 2015, the harvest strategy has been significantly revised with new requirements including analysis of stock size, life history, fishing technologies, determination of long-term goals of exploitation, determination of target and limit reference points in terms of spawning or commercial biomass and fishing mortality. The harvest strategy in place is thought to be responsive to the status of the stock and has been designed to meet stock management objectives. There is limited information on gear specific fisheries regulations implementation for bottom trawl and demersal seine fishery in Russian waters.Other management tools include a mesh size limit on bottom trawl fishery, prohibition of target fishery for Pacific cod in Petropavlovsko-Komandorskaya subzone at depths less than 200m, and a minimum landing size 40 cm of standard length. Closure of subzones also occur on a seasonal basis due to biological activities or sensitive habitats or species in the area at specific times. All Pacific cod caught as a target species must be completely utilised.Monitoring and enforcement is carried out by the FFA through its regional offices, and the Coast Guard, which falls under the Federal Security Service (FSB). Fish caught in Russian waters must be landed in Russian ports. Other measures include random inspections at sea, electronic logbooks, and satellite tracking of boats (VMS and AIS). Quota rights are revoked if a fishing firm commits two serious infringements of regulations within one calendar year. According to FSB reports, violations were discovered in around 5% of inspections.

Some western Bering Sea cod is caught by demersal longline. There is a small bycatch of seabirds. The certified fishery is taking steps to improve monitoring and mitigation.Pacific cod in the western Bering Sea (WBS) are caught by longline, otter trawl, and demersal (Danish) seine. Pacific cod is taken both as a target species and a bycatch of fisheries targeting other species, such as pollock.In recent years, catch by demersal longline has increased, reaching 46.1% of the total cod catch in the Western Bering Sea zone and 88.6% in the Chukotskaya zone. In the Karaginskaya subzone, a recent increase of catch by longliners has resulted in close to 50% being caught by either longliners or mobile gears.Longlining uses baited hooks set along a long fishing line to attract the target fish. This bait, and the fish that have been hooked, can attract other animals such as seabirds and sharks, which are also then caught on the lines. All MSC certified vessels are required to complete a bycatch logbook that covers all non-target catch and interactions, including large marine animals (marine mammals, sharks, reptiles) and birds, as well as invertebrates such as molluscs, cold-water corals, sponges and other bottom-dwelling organisms.Pacific herring is used as the bait. Roughly 10,000t of herring appears to be used annually by the certified fisheries. Catch limits for all herring fisheries combined are over 400,000 tonnes, and in recent years catches have been below this level. Therefore, the certified longline fisheries do not appear to be overexploiting this species.According to MSC reports, Pacific cod represented between 73-94% of the total catch in certified fisheries. Other species reported were Pacific halibut, which in the WBS represented up to 18% of the total catch, giant grenadier, Aleutian skate and Alaska skate. Halibut is a commercial species, managed using harvest control rules. In some areas, stocks are recovering from low levels but fishing pressure appears to be within sustainable limits. Catches of other species appear not to be overexploiting them.A number of Endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species are found in the area of operation of the fishery. There have been interactions with Pacific sleeper shark, fulmars, slaty-backed gull and short-tailed shearwaters. MSC certifications are conditional on ensuring that the fishery does not prevent sleeper shark populations from increasing. The impact of the demersal longline fishery on the seabird species seems to be minimal, but another condition on the fishery is to gather better data about seabird bycatch.The frequency of bird capture on hooks in longline fisheries is variable, and depends on various factors including the season, weather, wind and location. In the certified fishery, dead birds were found in 22.7% of longline lines. This represents a very small proportion of total populations. The main management measure in place is bird-scaring streamers, which has reduced seabird hooking incidents by a factor of 11. Their use has been mandatory since 2011. ACAP (the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels) recommends best practice for reducing seabird bycatch in longline fisheries. This includes the simultaneous use of 3 measures: weighted hooks, bird scaring lines and night setting. Alternatively, hook-shielding or underwater bait setting devices can be used.By-catch of marine mammals has not been observed in this fishery. Closed areas have been declared around rookeries of otters, Steller sea-lions and seals to protect these speciesIn general, bottom longline fishing can have a negative effect on sensitive habitats when their distribution overlaps with fishing areas, however, this effect does not cause critical damage to benthic communities. For the Bering Sea, it has been established on the basis of data from bottom surveys that the localization of epibenthos settlements has remained stable for many decades. These are shallow waters near capes with coarsely clastic and mixed soil.