Scientific panel recommends North Pacific council increase US pollock quota in East Bering Sea

A scientific panel is recommending the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) increase the available catch of pollock in the East Bering Sea after observer data and trawl surveys indicated a healthy biomass. An assessment found the stock was within 92 percent of its all-time peak female spawning biomass in 2022. The assessment said that the higher biomass is largely thanks to the strength of the 2018 year class of pollock, which has helped buoy the overall stock, keeping it at high levels. The Science and Statistical Committee (SSC) for the NPFMC reviewed the recommendations from the assessment and determined that the biomass is robust enough to move forward with a quota increase for 2025. The recommendations – which still need to be approved by both the NPFMC and NOAA – are for the total allowable catch to increase to 1.375 million metric tons (MT) in 2025, up from the 1.3 million MT quota that was approved for 2024. Jim Ianelli, the lead author of the pollock ...