|
Walleye pollock research. Photo: NOAA Fisheries
US Proposes Steep Cut to Gulf of Alaska Pollock Quota Amid Data Lags; Bering Sea Limit Holds Steady
UNITED STATES
Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)
North Pacific Council Recommends 26% Reduction, Highlighting Stock Concerns and Broader Seafood Market Pressures.
The United States is moving to sharply reduce the catch quota for Alaska pollock in the Gulf of Alaska for 2026, a decision that underscores concerns about stock health and is compounded by delays in scientific assessments. This comes as global raw material prices for pollock, a key whitefish, are already elevated, though a modest softening was recently noted.
Photo: North Pacific Fishery Management Council /FIS
Gulf of Alaska Faces Largest Reduction in Years
 On December 4, the Advisory Committee of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) unanimously adopted a recommendation from its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) to slash the 2026 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Gulf of Alaska pollock by a significant 26%. This proposal, expected to be formally adopted by December 9, will see the TAC drop from 186,245 tons in 2025 to 139,498 tons in 2026—marking the largest decrease in recent history.
The reduction is attributed to new assessments that indicate weaker recruitment of new fish and continued low abundance in the Gulf stock. An additional contributing factor to the conservative quota setting is a data lag: a recent federal shutdown in the United States prevented fishery scientists from completing the planned assessment of groundfish resources. Consequently, the council was compelled to set the quota based on older 2024 data.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Bering Sea Quota Stabilized Despite Biological Shifts
In contrast to the steep cuts in the Gulf, federal fishery managers, meeting in Anchorage, recommended holding the catch limit for Bering Sea pollock relatively stable. The council set the 2026 Bering Sea pollock TAC at 1.375 million metric tons, nearly unchanged from 1.389 million tons in 2025. The quota for the Aleutian Islands also remains at 19,000 metric tons.
The decision to keep the Bering Sea quota flat was based on survey data indicating a decline in the number of older fish in the pollock biomass by about a third, which is being offset by a high influx of younger fish entering the stock. Managers also noted that the fishing fleet has recently struggled to fully harvest the existing quota.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
The council’s recommendations for both the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska fisheries will now proceed to the U.S. Department of Commerce for final approval. The Bering Sea fishing season is scheduled to open on January 20.
Broader Concerns: Bycatch and Global Market
The council's December meeting also saw growing pressure to reduce bycatch, particularly with heightened concern surrounding herring bycatch. While the contentious debate over chum salmon bycatch is deferred until the February meeting, the issue remains a critical operational and environmental challenge for the fleet.
The Egan Center in Anchorage, Alaska (Left) and the NPFMC 277 Day 4 - December 7, 2025/YouTube (right)
Globally, the reduction in Gulf of Alaska supply, alongside similar stock concerns in other key fisheries like Pacific cod (which is also facing a steep reduction in the Gulf), contributes to a complex market environment. Although pollock raw material prices have seen a slight softening, trading around $1,530 to $1,550 per metric tonne CFR China for Russian pollock, they remain historically high. Market reports suggest that global warming and geopolitical factors are also causing shifts in pollock stock distribution and overall decline, which could lead to further quota reductions in coming years, affecting the global supply chain for this vital source of whitefish.
Related News:
[email protected]
www.seafood.media
|
Print
