The U.S. significantly increases Pacific cod fishing quotas.

This adjustment stems from a rare long-term shutdown of the federal government in 2025. Due to the interruption in funding, the research system under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was unable to complete the trawl resource survey as planned, leading to the original quota for true cod in 2026 being set based on outdated data. In the previously announced plan, the TAC for Pacific cod in the GOA was set at 21,826 tons, a decrease of 8% year-on-year, which has caused widespread dissatisfaction in the fishing industry. With the latest trawl survey data for 2025 being supplemented and evaluated earlier this year, the NPFMC Science and Statistics Committee (SSC) confirmed that the biomass of Pacific cod is significantly higher than previously judged. Based on the updated resource assessment results, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) increased the acceptable biological catch (ABC), providing a scientific basis for the quota increase this round. The ...