According to NOAA Fisheries the survey index is lower than expected based on the 2008 population analysis while the other is higher. But the 2009 surveys confirm that the population is low and indicate that the number of incoming young fish may be down also. Doug DeMaster, Director of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center, informed that the pollock spawning biomass was well above average for a decade starting in 1993 but has since declined to below target levels.
It is told that the new data confirm this pattern and will provide additional information on the numbers of new fish entering the fishable population. NOAA scientists this week presented the 2009 pollock survey data to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Groundfish Plan Team, which begins reviewing scientific stock assessments in September.
The Council’s Advisory Panel will then recommend a total allowable catch. Following the committee reports, the Council will consider committee recommendations and public testimony before recommending a total allowable catch for pollock for 2010. DeMaster said that the decreased biomass appears to be a cyclical fluctuation and is not a result of overfishing, which has caused problems in other fisheries worldwide.
It is opined that the 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. It is found that the pollock fishery has a very low bycatch rate, averaging one and a half percent by weight. NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.
