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.

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). The FMP encompasses a range of species, which are managed using a suite of management measures to protect the stock and ecosystem. This includes a Total Allowable Catch (TAC), spatial and temporal closures and monitoring through high 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 and 100% observer coverage, with 2 observers per vessel.

In the East Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, the TAC has been set well below the acceptable biological catch (ABC) value 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.

Due to concerns that groundfish fisheries in this area may impact the rebuilding of the Stellar 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.

In this fishery, pollock is exclusively targeted by pelagic trawl gear. As the fishery is pelagic in nature, there is little impact with the seabed and the bycatch of non-target species is small (<2%) relative to the magnitude of the fishery, however, as the catch of pollock is large, this can still represent a large amount of bycatch. The catch of retained species in 2018 was the second lowest in the series since 2011 at 15,560 tonnes and well below the average during the period 2011 to 2017 of 22,221 tonnes. In recent years, Pacific cod, rock sole, flathead sole, Pacific Ocean perch, and squid were the main species caught. Alaskan fisheries are thought to have low relative bycatch while landing more target catch than all other US regions as they target a highly productive, yet less biodiverse assemblage.

Marine mammals are rarely taken as bycatch in this fishery and in 2019, it was classified as Category II (occasional incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals). From 2012-2016, 28 stellar sea lions (6 per year average) and no northern fur seals were taken in the pollock fishery. Other marine mammals at risk in this area include species of seal, porpoise and whale, however interactions are thought to be mitigated by 100% observer coverage. Sharks are sometimes taken as bycatch and the number of tonnes taken per year has ranged from 26 tonnes to 512 tonnes between 2003 and 2018, however, since 2010, there has been under 100 tonnes taken each year. Relatively few seabirds are taken in the East Bering Sea and Aleutian Island fishery using pelagic trawl and no short-tailed albatross or black-footed albatross from 2007-2017.

Bowen, D., Rice, J. and Trumble, R.J. 2015. MSC Final Report and Determination for Alaska Pollock - “ Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands. MRAG Americas Inc. Available at https://fisheries.msc.org/en/fisheries/alaska-pollock-bering-sea-and-aleutian-islands/@@assessments [Accessed on 12.06.2020].

Bowen, D., Rice, J., Wilson, E. and Bostrom, J. 2019. Alaska Pollock Fishery - “ Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands. MSC 3rd Surveillance Review of Information Report. MRAG Americas. Available at https://fisheries.msc.org/en/fisheries/alaska-pollock-bering-sea-and-aleutian-islands/@@assessments [Accessed on 12.06.2020].

Ianelli, J., Kotwichi, S., Honkalehto, T., McCarthy, A., Stienessen, S., Holsman, K., Siddon, E. and Fissel, B. 2018. Chapter 1: Assessment of the Walleye Pollock Stock in the Eastern Bering Sea. Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report for the Groundfish Resources of the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Region. North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 306, Anchorage, Alaska. Available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/webdam/download/87442184 [Accessed on 12.06.2020].

Muto, M. M., Helker, V. T., Angliss, R. P., Boveng, P. L., Breiwick, J. M., Cameron, M. F., Clapham, P. J. et al. 2018. Alaska Marine Mammal Stock Assessments. U. S. Department of Commerce. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-AFSC-393. Available at https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/20606 [Accessed on 12.06.2020].

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2020. Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Reallocation of Pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. A rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 04/01/2020. Available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/01/2020-06813/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-reallocation-of-pollock-in-the-bering-sea-and [Accessed on 12.06.2020].

North Pacific Fishery Management Council. 2019. Meeting Summary. 247th Plenary Session of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. December 2019 Council Summary. Available at https://meetings.npfmc.org/CommentReview/DownloadFile?p=653a6082-5f01-471e-b412-bab6bce03d9c.pdf&fileName=Council%20Summary%20December%202019.pdf [Accessed on 12.06.2020].

Savoca, M. S. and Brodie, S., Welch, H., Hoover, A., Benaka, L. R., Bograd, S. J. and Elliott, L. H. 2020. Comprehensive bycatch assessment in US fisheries for prioritizing management. Nature Sustainability. Available at https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.ucsc.edu/dist/e/692/files/2020/03/Savoca-et-al.-2020-NBR-NatureSust.pdf [Accessed on 12.06.2020].

Wilson, E., Bowen, D., Rice, J. and Knapman, P. 2019. Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Pollock Fishery. 4th Surveillance Report. MRAG Americas, Inc. Available at https://fisheries.msc.org/en/fisheries/alaska-pollock-bering-sea-and-aleutian-islands/@@assessments [Accessed on 12.06.2020].