Alaska pollock

The stocks of Alaska pollock in East Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are above target levels and fishing pressure is within sustainable limits.Two stocks are covered in this rating: East Bering Sea (EBS) and Aleutian Islands (AI). There is some interaction between the two, and the structure is not fully understood.The fishery for Alaska pollock in the EBS grew rapidly in the 1960s. Catches peaked at 1.9 million tonnes in the 1970s and have averaged 1.2 million tonnes since then. In the Aleutian Islands, catches have been smaller, peaking at 78,000t in the 1980s. In 1999, part of the fishing area was closed to protect stellar sea lion haulout sites. Catches decreased from 22,000t in 1998 to average around 1,500t since 1999.The most recent stock assessments were published by NOAA in 2024 using data up to 2024. The approach to setting targets and reference points for the stock varies depending on which tier the stock is listed as. They also vary from one year to the next, depending on the most recent stock assessment data.The EBS stock is Tier 1, indicating it is data-rich.In EBS, the biomass of the female spawning stock (Spawning Stock Biomass, SSB) was around 3.5 million tonnes throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, declined to 1.5 million t in 2008 and then showed an increase to 3.3 million t in 2017. SSB in 2024 is estimated to be 3.52 million tonnes and increase from previous years. Maximum Sustainable Yield (BMSY) for 2024 is 2.69 million tonnes, which is equivalent to 35% of unfished levels (B35%). The stock is currently at B52%. The probability that the stock is below B20% (which is when the fishery would be closed to support Steller sea lion recovery) is less than 0.1% for 2025 and 2026. Since SSB is above BMSY the stock is not in an overfished state.Fishing mortality (F) was above levels associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield prior to 1980. Since then, F has been well below FMSY, although it has recently increased. In 2024, FMSY (defined as the Overfishing Limit, OFL) was set at 0.422 (3,162,000 tonnes) increasing to 0.482 in 2025 and 2026. The Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC), which is used to decide catch limits, is calculated as a proportion of the OFL, and was 0.33 in 2024. This equates to a catch of 2,313,000 tonnes. Catches in 2024 equated to approximately 1,206,496 tonnes, this is below the OFL, ABC and Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits. Therefore, the stock is not subject to overfishing.Recruitment of young fish into the stock is uncertain, but has been low in recent years. The stock is projected to decline further in the short term if catches stay at 2024 levels, and then increase after 2026 - although this is highly uncertain.The Aleutian Islands stock is less data-rich, and is a Tier 3 stock.SSB peaked at around 320,000t in the 1980s, and then declined to a low of 60,000t in the early 2000s owing to heavy fishing pressure and poor recruitment. It has since recovered and in 2024 is projected to be 79,747t. For a Tier 3 stock, the MSY level is defined as B35%, which for 2024 is 60,976t. Therefore, the stock is not in an overfished state.In 2024, the Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY, defined as the Overfishing Limit, OFL)) was set at 0.380, which equates to 51,516t. The Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) was set at 0.305 or 42,654t. The catch in 2024 was estimated to be 4,482 tonnes, which is well below these limits. Therefore, the stock is not subject to overfishing.

A wide range of appropriate management measures are in place, enforced and fully effective. Management accounts for impacts on the pollock stock and the wider ecosystem. This fishery has been independently certified to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards and covers nearly 100% of the catch in the area.The Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for groundfish in the East Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands is prepared by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).This fishery has been Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified since 2005. There are no conditions or requirements to make any improvements to management or capture method impacts.The FMP encompasses a range of species, which are managed using a suite of management measures to protect stocks and the ecosystem. The FMP is reviewed regularly and amended as needed to keep it appropriate to the needs of the fishery and wider ecosystem. Management includes Harvest Control Rules, catch limits, spatial and temporal closures, and monitoring through observer coverage and Vessel Monitoring Systems. The stock status is assessed regularly, with a variety of fishery-dependent and independent survey methods. All vessels in the groundfish fisheries must also have a Federal groundfish license. In BSAI, vessels have 100% observer coverage, with 2 observers per vessel.A Harvest Control Rule is used to set catch limits (Total Allowable Catches, TACs). The approach varies depending on how much confidence there is in the data for the stock. It defines what the catch would be for a Maximum Sustainable Yield, as well as a lower catch limit (Acceptable Biological Catch, ABC), which adds a buffer to allow for uncertainty in estimates and reduce the likelihood of overfishing. In the East Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, the TAC has been set well below the ABC and catches have stayed within these constraints. Allocations of the TAC include 10% to Western Alaska communities as part of the Community Development Quota (CDQ) program and the remainder is split between at-sea processors and shore-based sectors. If the TAC is not fully utilised in the Aleutian Islands, this can be reallocated to the Bering Sea fishery, in line with the FMP.There remains concern about catches of small pollock in this fishery. Estimates of discarded pollock have ranged from a high of 9.1% of total catch in 1992 to recent lows of around 0.6%. These discards are counted as part of the total catch for management purposes. Measures have been introduced to tackle undersize catches, including gear modifications and incentivising a move away from the 'race to fish' where pollock of all sizes were caught and retained.Due to concerns that groundfish fisheries in this area may impact the rebuilding of the Steller sea lion population, a number of management measures have been implemented over the years. Some of these measures were designed to reduce the possibility of competitive interactions between fisheries and sea lions. These include establishing pollock fishery exclusion zones around sea lion rookery or haul out sites, phased-in reductions in the seasonal proportions of TACS that can be taken from critical habitat and additional seasonal TAC releases to disperse the fishery in time.There are also measures in place to protect Chinook salmon bycatch in the pollock fishery. Since 2011, regulations and industry-based measures to reduce Chinook salmon bycatch have affected the spatial distribution of the fishery and to some degree, the way individual vessels operate. This includes provisions that reduce fishing in months of higher bycatch encounters and mandate the use of salmon excluders in trawl nets.There are three entities that provide enforcement for Alaska fisheries: NOAA Office of Law Enforcement (OLE), US Coast Guard (USCG) and Alaska Wildlife Troopers (AWT). Current enforcement updates and violations are reported in the OLE Report to the Council. According to the June 2024 report to the Council, there were no violations directly linked to the pollock fishery. Therefore, compliance of the Alaskan U.S. fishing fleet is considered good.

Alaska pollock is caught by towing nets through the water. There is little or no impact on the seabed. There is occasional bycatch, but the fishery is well monitored to ensure impacts are low.The majority of the targeted pollock fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) is taken by pelagic trawls.Habitat impacts are not expected from this fishery. The percent of area disturbed by commercial fishing (pelagic and non-pelagic trawl, longline, and pot) has declined to 8% in the BSAI. There are a number of habitat protection measures in this region, including Marine Protected Areas, Essential Fish Habitat protections and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, such spawning and nursery areas.In 2021, catches of pollock represented 97.98% of the total catch for the BSAI fishery. While this indicates that bycatch is low, the catch of pollock is very large so this can still represent a large amount. Bycatch in the pollock fleet is closely monitored by the NMFS observer program and managed on that basis. The largest component is jellyfish, with over 7,000t caught in 2023. Other species include arrowtooth flounder, Pacific ocean perch, flathead sole, shallow-water flatfish, and squid.There is some concern about the catch of 'prohibited species' such as herring and chinook salmon in these fisheries. Management measures have been implemented to minimise impact, including bycatch thresholds, time and area closures, and salmon excluders in trawl nets.Twelve marine mammal species are known to have interacted with the pollock fisheries in the BSAI. This includes humpback whale, seals (harbour, ribbon, and ringed), and sea lions (Arctic and Steller). All of them have bycatch limits established. Currently, the fishery is listed as a Category II, indicating occasional incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals. Interactions are thought to be mitigated by 100% observer coverage.Management measures have been implemented to protect the direct and indirect impact on Steller sea lion, for which pollock is a prey species. These include establishing pollock fishery exclusion zones around rookery or haul out sites, phased-in reductions in the proportions of the catch that can be taken from critical habitat, and additional seasonal TAC releases to disperse the fishery in time.Seabirds are caught as bycatch in the BSAI and EBS fishery. On average from 2013-2023, 175 individuals were caught. The main catch is northern fulmars (99 individuals), but fisheries result in a mortality of less than 0.1% of the population, which is not expected to have an impact on the population.Sharks can sometimes be taken as bycatch, although they are managed as a target fishery and are not protected species. In 2021, 305t were caught in the pollock fishery.

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