Not giving up

Two tribal organizations — the Association of Village Council Presidents and Tanana Chiefs Conference — are appealing their recent defeat in a case challenging the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries.

A major victory for the groundfish industry

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit two tribal organizations brought against the National Marine Fisheries Service challenging the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries.

Here is U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason's 45-page decision and order dismissing the claims of the Association of Village Council Presidents and Tanana Chiefs Conference. The two groups sued in April 2023.

And here is a joint press release from the At-sea Processors Association and United Catcher Boats.

Bering Sea pollock stays strong

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council recently set the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) for Alaska groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key fisheries and the percent change from 2024.

BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

Bering Sea pollock, 1,375,000 tons, up 5.8 percent

Bering Sea Pacific cod, 133,602 tons, down 9.6 percent

Bering Sea and Aleutians sablefish, 16,436 tons, no change

GULF OF ALASKA

Pollock, 186,245 tons, down 4.8 percent

Pacific cod, 23,670 tons, down 0.4 percent

Sablefish, 22,836 tons, up 10.6 percent

Here are the council-recommended harvest specifications across all groundfish species for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska.

TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval.

Big day in court

As previously reported here on Deckboss, two tribal organizations are suing the National Marine Fisheries Service in federal court, challenging the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries.

At 9 a.m. tomorrow in federal court in Anchorage, lawyers will square off for oral arguments, each side seeking summary judgment — a knockout victory.

The tribal organizations — the Association of Village Council Presidents and Tanana Chiefs Conference — are represented by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm.

The public may listen to the hearing by dialing (571) 353-2301 and using call ID 275666327.

Trident to continue Kodiak operations

Trident Seafoods today announced it would continue operating its Kodiak processing plant through "B" season for pollock, an important Gulf of Alaska fishery.

The announcement helps allay anxiety over the status of the plant, which Trident is attempting to sell as part of a company restructuring.

"We're currently in the middle of sale negotiations for Kodiak," Trident CEO Joe Bundrant said.

The potential buyer remains confidential.

Groundfish fisheries challenged

The Association of Village Council Presidents and Tanana Chiefs Conference have sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in federal court, challenging the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries.

The 33-page lawsuit cites trawl bycatch of salmon and "rapid and unprecedented" ecosystem change.

Trouble for trawlers?

The National Marine Fisheries Service is reinitiating Endangered Species Act consultation to evaluate effects of Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries on listed species and critical habitat.

Pollock down, cod up

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council this week set the 2022 total allowable catch for Alaska groundfish, and the news is mixed.

Most notably, the Eastern Bering Sea pollock TAC is down 19 percent to 1,111,000 metric tons.

In the Gulf of Alaska, the Pacific cod TAC is up 39 percent to 24,111 tons.

For the full rundown of Alaska groundfish TACs, see the tables here:

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Gulf of Alaska

Groundfish quotas set

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set the 2019 total allowable catch (TAC) for Alaska groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key species and the percent change from 2018.

BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

Eastern Bering Sea pollock, 1,397,000 tons, up 2.4 percent
Pacific cod, 180,689 tons, down 11.4 percent
Yellowfin sole, 154,000 tons, no change
Atka mackerel, 57,951 tons, down 18.4 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 44,069 tons, up 18 percent
Sablefish, 3,497 tons, up 1.3 percent

GULF OF ALASKA

Pollock, 141,227 tons, down 15 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 28,555 tons, down 2.3 percent
Pacific cod, 12,368 tons, down 5.6 percent
Sablefish, 11,571 tons, up 0.6 percent

The TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval.

Gulf trawlers to stand down, rise up

Gulf of Alaska trawlers plan to suspend fishing so they can attend the upcoming North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Portland.

The trawlers are worried about the current direction of long-running efforts to "rationalize" the Gulf groundfish fisheries.

Pollock climbs, sablefish drops

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set the 2016 total allowable catch (TAC) for Alaska groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key species and the percent change from 2015.

BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

Eastern Bering Sea pollock, 1,340,000 tons, up 2.3 percent
Pacific cod, 251,519 tons, up 0.8 percent
Yellowfin sole, 144,000 tons, down 3.4 percent
Atka mackerel, 55,000 tons, up 0.9 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 31,900 tons, down 0.4 percent
Sablefish, 2,708 tons, down 13.6 percent

GULF OF ALASKA

Pollock, 257,872 tons, up 29.5 percent
Pacific cod, 71,925 tons, down 4.4 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 24,437 tons, up 16.3 percent
Sablefish, 9,087 tons, down 13.6 percent

The TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval.

Bering Sea pollock edges up; Gulf cod surges

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set the 2015 total allowable catch (TAC) for Alaska groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key species and the percent change from 2014.

BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

Eastern Bering Sea pollock, 1,310,000 tons, up 3.4 percent
Pacific cod, 249,422 tons, down 1.8 percent
Yellowfin sole, 149,000 tons, down 19 percent
Atka mackerel, 54,500 tons, up 68.6 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 32,021 tons, down 3.3 percent
Sablefish, 3,135 tons, down 0.5 percent

GULF OF ALASKA

Pollock, 199,151 tons, up 13.8 percent
Pacific cod, 75,202 tons, up 16.2 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 21,012 tons, up 8.8 percent
Sablefish, 10,522 tons, down 0.5 percent

The TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval.

Council to consider catch limits and much more

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will hold its most important meeting of the year this week in Anchorage.

The 11-member council, which helps regulate federal fisheries off Alaska, will set 2015 catch limits for pollock, cod and other groundfish.

The panel also has quite a few other items on its agenda.

One that caught my eye is this enforcement report from the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Pollock stays steady in Bering, leaps in Gulf

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set the 2014 total allowable catch (TAC) for Alaska groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key species and the percent change from 2013.

BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

Eastern Bering Sea pollock, 1,267,000 tons, up 1.6 percent
Pacific cod, 253,894 tons, down 2.3 percent
Yellowfin sole, 184,000 tons, down 7.1 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 33,122 tons, down 5.6 percent
Atka mackerel, 32,322 tons, up 24.7 percent
Sablefish, 3,150 tons, down 15.3 percent

GULF OF ALASKA

Pollock, 174,976 tons, up 44.6 percent
Pacific cod, 64,738 tons, up 6.8 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 19,309 tons, up 17.7 percent
Sablefish, 10,572 tons, down 15.5 percent

The TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval.

Gulf pollock and cod up, sablefish down

The outlook for Gulf of Alaska groundfish stocks is mixed for 2014.

Government scientists are recommending appreciably higher "acceptable biological catch" levels for pollock and cod.

The sablefish ABC, however, is significantly lower.

See all the numbers here.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will consider the recommendations and set catch quotas at its Dec. 9-16 meeting in Anchorage.

Council sets groundfish quotas for 2013

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set the 2013 total allowable catch (TAC) for Alaska groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key species and the percent change from 2012.

BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

Eastern Bering Sea pollock, 1,247,000 tons, up 3.9 percent
Pacific cod, 260,000 tons, down 0.4 percent
Yellowfin sole, 198,000 tons, down 2 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 35,100 tons, up 42.1 percent
Atka mackerel, 25,920 tons, down 48.9 percent
Sablefish, 3,720 tons, down 13.1 percent

GULF OF ALASKA

Pollock, 121,046 tons, up 4 percent
Pacific cod, 60,600 tons, down 7.8 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 16,412 tons, down 3 percent
Sablefish, 12,510 tons, down 3.5 percent

The TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval. For the full slate of numbers, click here.

Council bumps up Gulf of Alaska pollock quota

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set the 2012 total allowable catch (TAC) for Gulf of Alaska groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key species and the percent change from 2011.

Pollock, 116,444 tons, up 21 percent
Pacific cod, 65,700 tons, up 0.9 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 16,918 tons, down 0.5 percent
Sablefish, 12,960 tons, up 14.8 percent

The TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval.

Council trims Bering Sea pollock quota

Great for salads and sandwiches. NMFS photo

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set the 2012 total allowable catch (TAC) for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish.

Here are the TACs for key species and the percent change from 2011.

Eastern Bering Sea pollock, 1,200,000 tons, down 4.2 percent
Pacific cod, 261,000 tons, up 14.5 percent
Yellowfin sole, 202,000 tons, up 3.1 percent
Atka mackerel, 50,763 tons, down 4.4 percent
Pacific Ocean perch, 24,700 tons, no change
Sablefish, 4,280 tons, down 9.9 percent

The TACs are subject to U.S. commerce secretary approval.

Big improvement overall for Gulf catch limits

A reader asks what the North Pacific Fishery Management Council did over the weekend in setting the 2010 total allowable catch (TAC) for Gulf of Alaska groundfish.

Here's a rundown of TACs for some of the main species, as well as the percent change from the current year.

Remember, the U.S. commerce secretary can adjust these figures, as the council merely makes recommendations.

Walleye pollock — 84,745 tons, up 69.8 percent
Pacific cod — 59,563 tons, up 42.5 percent
Arrowtooth flounder — 43,000 tons, no change
Pacific Ocean perch — 17,584 tons, up 16.4 percent
Sablefish — 10,370 tons, down 7.1 percent
Northern rockfish — 5,098 tons, up 16.9 percent