Alaska pollock

The stock of Alaska pollock in the Gulf of Alaska is above target levels and fishing pressure is within sustainable limits.Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) is treated as two separate stock units for assessment and management purposes: Southeast Outside and Central / Western / West Yakutat. The latter makes up the largest proportion of the stock and is the main focus of this rating.The fishery for Alaska pollock in the GOA began in the 1960s. Catches grew rapidly to peak at over 300,000 tonnes in the 1980s. After a low of 45,000t in the 2000s, recent catches have increased to around 150,000t.The most recent stock assessment was published by NOAA in 2024 using data up to 2024. The approach to setting targets and reference points for stocks 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 Central / Western / West Yakutat GOA stock is Tier 3, indicating there are some data limitations.The biomass of the female spawning stock (Spawning Stock Biomass, SSB) peaked in the 1980s at 120% of unfished levels (B120%). It subsequently declined, reaching a low of B35% in 2003. There have been some fluctuations since then. The level associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield for a Tier 3 stock is B35%, which in 2024 is 177,000 tonnes. SSB in 2024 is projected to be 274,141 t, which is B54%. Therefore, the stock is not in an overfished state.Fishing mortality (F) was above levels associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, F has been below FMSY. In 2024, FMSY (defined as the Overfishing Limit, OFL) was set at 0.307, which equates to 269,916t. The precautionary management target (Acceptable Biological Catch, ABC) was set at 0.26, or 190,740t. Estimated catch in 2023 was 135,103t, below these thresholds. Therefore, the stock is not subject to overfishing.Recruitment of young fish into the Gulf of Alaska fishery is more variable than in the East Bering Sea stock. There was a very strong year in 2012, followed by poor recruitment until 2017. Spawning biomass has not been consistent over the last decade. It is projected to increase slightly in the coming year.The Southeast Outside GOA stock is Tier 5, indicating there are a number of data limitations.In 2024, biomass is estimated to be 43,328 tons. There are no biomass reference points available for this stock, and no estimate of whether it is in an overfished state.In 2024, the overfishing level in this area was estimated to be 0.3 or 12,998 tonnes (OFL) and the ABC/TAC set below that level at 9,749 t. The same ABC and OFL is recommended for 2025. As this component of the stock is small and the TAC is set well below the overfishing limit (and not surpassed), fishing pressure is thought to be within sustainable limits

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 Gulf of Alaska 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 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 2021, around 40% of pelagic trawling was monitored in the Gulf of Alaska and 100% in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.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 Gulf of Alaska, the TAC has been set well below ABC, and catches have stayed within these constraints. The average catch from 1977-2020 is 109,514 tonnes, and the ABC/TAC has averaged 125,820 tonnes.Since 1992, the Gulf of Alaska pollock TAC has been distributed spatially and temporally to reduce potential impacts on Steller sea lions. Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures implemented in 2001 established four seasons in the Central and Western Gulf of Alaska, with 25% of the total TAC allocated to each season. In addition, a harvest control rule was implemented that requires suspension of directed pollock fishing when spawning biomass declines below 20% of the reference unfished level. There are also measures in place to protect Chinook salmon bycatch in the pollock fishery. Area closures are implemented if bycatch is too high.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 December 2021 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 measures are in place to monitor and reduce it.The majority (96%) of the targeted pollock fishery in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) is taken by pelagic trawls.Habitat impacts are not expected from this fishery. The percentage of area disturbed by commercial fishing (pelagic and non-pelagic trawl, longline, and pot) has declined to less than 2% in the GOA. 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.On average from 2016-2020, catches of pollock represented 96% of the total catch for the GOA fishery. The most common species include arrowtooth flounder, Pacific ocean perch, Pacific cod, sablefish, shallow-water flatfish, and flathead sole.There is concern about catches of Pacific cod in the pollock fishery, however bycatch is reported to be very low and is accounted for in the TAC for indirect fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska. Chinook salmon are also of particular concern as they are the most common 'prohibited' (vulnerable) species caught as bycatch. A sharp spike in Chinook salmon bycatch in 2010 led the Council to adopt management measures to reduce it, including a cap of 25,000 individuals in the directed pollock fishery. In 2020, 11,000 individuals were caught.Marine mammals are at risk of interaction with the pollock fishery. However, they are caught as bycatch and the fishery continues to be listed as Category III (remote likelihood or no known interaction with marine mammals).Management measures have been implemented to protect the direct and indirect impact on Steller sea lion, for which pollock is a prey species. Since 1992, the Gulf of Alaska pollock catch limit has been apportioned spatially and temporally to reduce potential impacts on Steller sea lions. In addition, a harvest control rule was implemented that requires suspension of directed pollock fishing when spawning biomass declines below 20% of the reference unfished level.No seabirds have been recorded as bycatch in the GOA since 2012. Sharks are occasionally caught, and catches averaged at 100 tonnes per year between 2016 and 2020.

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