Pollock quota looks to stay flat

The 2014 quota for Bering Sea pollock isn't likely to change much from the current year.

And how can Deckboss say this?

A panel of government scientists, known as the Groundfish Plan Team, has issued its slate of recommendations for pollock and other fish species.

The recommended "acceptable biological catch" for eastern Bering Sea pollock is 1,369,000 metric tons, just a shade below the 2013 ABC of 1,375,000 tons.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider the numbers at its Dec. 9-16 meeting in Anchorage.

The council will make its own quota recommendations to the commerce secretary, who has final say.

Bering Sea pollock, of course, is one of the world's largest fisheries by weight. The fish are caught by trawl net and processed into such products as fish sticks and surimi.