The pollock fishery in the Gulf of Alaska is unique in many ways. The pollock fishery in Alaska’s Bering Sea is rationalized, which means each vessel/permit holder is allocated a certain amount of catch for the season. But the Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery is open access, with every vessel racing against the others for catch. The […]
NOAA Fisheries has denied a request for emergency action to close the red king crab savings area and red king crab savings subarea to all fishing gears from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023. The Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers submitted the petition on September 28, 2022 to protect Bristol Bay red king crab and their habitat […]
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is exploring technology innovations and limitations in the ongoing fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Fishing vessels can “go dark” by turning off Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders that broadcast their location to satellites and terrestrial receivers. What they do during those invisible hours has long been a mystery. […]
Amendment 123 balances interests of two largest halibut user groups in the Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands Fishery Management Area. NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would implement Amendment 123 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) management area. If approved, the proposed rule would establish abundance-based […]