2016 Gulf of Alaska TACs for Pollock up 30%, Cod Down by 4%
SEAFOODNEWS.COM By Peggy Parker - December 21, 2015
Total allowable catches of Gulf of Alaska groundfish were set last week for 2016 and showed a strong uptick in pollock and a modest decrease in Pacific cod.
Gulf pollock limits were set at 247,952 metric tons, an increase of nearly 30 percent over 2015 TACs of 191,300 mt.
Catch reports as of December 12 show about 10 percent of the 2015 quota in the Shumagin, Chirikof, and Kodiak Areas left to harvest.
2016 TACs for Pacific Cod were set at 71,925 metric tons compared to 75,181mt last year. A further cut to 62,150mt is projected for 2017. The Council sets TACs in a two-year cycle with annual reviews by the advisory bodies.
In the western and central Gulf, the hook-and-line Pacific cod fishery met its halibut bycatch cap and closed on December 15.
Sablefish TACs for 2016 in the Gulf dropped to 9,087mt from 13,657mt...
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