Very Healthy Stocks in Bering Sea Mean TAC's for Pollock, Cod, Likely to Increase Slightly
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton - November 30, 2015
Much of the media coverage of global fisheries conveniently leaves out the experience of the North Pacific, site of the largest global groundfish fisheries in the world. Once again, as the N. Pacific Council prepares to set TAC's for the Bering Sea in 2016, the scientific surveys show biomass at near record levels.
Pollock alone is estimated to have a stock abundance in the US zone of over 11 million metric tons. From this stock, a harvest of 1.3 to 1.4 million tons is likely.
Pacific cod has a biomass of 1.83 million tons up 8% from 2015 when the TAC was set at 240,000 tons.
Yellowfin sole and arrowtooth flounder, the most abundant flatfish, have a 2016 biomass of 2.086 million tons, and .910 million tons respectively. Both stocks are up marginally from 2015.
Rock sole is at 1.08 million tons, down from 1.233 millon tons in 2015, where the TAC was set at 69250 tons, and the actual catch was 45,350 tons.
The Allowable biological catch from these species in 2016 would be 3.236 million tons, and 3.128 millon tons in 2017.....
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