Federal fishery managers are keeping the Bering sea pollock quota flat next year, even as they move to sharply reduce catch limits in the Gulf of Alaska.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council on Sunday recommended the 2026 Bering Sea pollock total allowable catch at 1.375 million metric tons, the same as this year. The catch limit for the Aleutian Islands is another 19,000 metric tons.
At its December meeting in Anchorage, which started last week, the Scientific and Statistical Committee told the council that the number of older fish in the pollock biomass is declining by about a third, but that younger fish entering the stock is high, according to survey data. Managers said that information, as well as the fleet’s recent trouble fully harvesting the quota, justified holding the line.
The council recommended steep cuts to Gulf of Alaska groundfish quotas, though. The Gulf pollock harvest is dropping by almost a third next year, and Pacific cod is being reduced by even more. That’s due to new assessments that show weaker recruitment and continued low abundance.
In the Bering Sea, the fleet has also faced rising pressure to reduce bycatch. While the council isn’t picking up the contentious chum salmon debate until its next meeting in February, this month’s meeting saw growing concern around herring bycatch.
The council’s recommendations for both the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska fisheries now head to the U.S. Department of Commerce for final approval. The Bering Sea season’s opening is scheduled for Jan. 20.
