According to the news report NOAA fisheries researchers presented scientific information to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Plan Team that will underpin later decisions on harvest levels for Eastern Bering Sea pollock. This paper has pointed towards a 2010 allowable biological catch of Eastern Bering Sea pollock that would be similar to the allowable biological catch that was set for 2009 — 815,000 tons.
The council is said to start the 2010 total allowable catch for Eastern Bering Sea pollock during their December meeting in Anchorage. Doug DeMaster, Director of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, opined that the 2009 survey data presented in September indicated that the 2008 two-year projection for biomass would likely be revised downwards after further analysis, and that has proven true.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Plan Team reviews, summarizes, and compiles scientific stock assessments for each species or species group. DeMaster informed that the harvest control rules explicitly consider uncertainty in setting the acceptably biological catch and overfishing levels. These rules require highly responsive management actions when the spawning stock estimates drop below the target stock biomass levels.
It is true that Alaska pollock fishery is the largest fishery, by volume, in the United States. It is known for its strong management, conservative catch levels, near real-time reporting and scientific fishery observers who track catch levels and closely monitor accidental bycatch of other marine species.
