Walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus; hereafter referred to as pollock) is a semi-pelagic schooling fish widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean. Pollock in the central and western Gulf of Alaska (GOA) are managed as a single stock independently...
This is a three species stock assessment for walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) and arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), from the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS), Alaska updated from Holsman et al. (2016).
This may be the first time data collected using uncrewed surface vehicles were used to help produce an annual estimate of abundance for a commercial fish stock.
With the loss of the cold water barrier in 2017-2019, historically present in the Bering Sea in summer months, young and adult pollock are spreading out and moving north.
Alaska’s fisheries management strategy may forestall climate-driven fishery declines, providing a critical window for fisheries and communities to prepare and adapt to change.
Scientists will conduct a 3-year project using 60+ years of field observations to improve biological, oceanographic, and climate models to help resource managers and fishermen better plan for the future.
NOAA Fisheries is using ocean-going robots (saildrones) equipped with acoustic sensors to count fish. Scientists hope to use this information to understand how the pollock stock is doing in a year when there isn’t a standard research survey.
Scientists implement a contingency plan to collect valuable abundance data to support sustainable management of the largest commercial fishery in the United States.