Annual Report Confirms No Overfishing of Groundfish Stocks
Alaska’s commercially important groundfish stocks remain healthy according to an annual report to Congress by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The report, The Status of Fisheries of the U.S. in 2004, was released today in which no Alaska groundfish stocks were listed as overfished. Of almost 200 Alaska fish stocks, only two crab species made that list and both are in the midst of aggressive rebuilding programs.
“Alaska’s coastal communities depend on healthy fisheries like pollock, cod, halibut and crab, and this annual report card shows that Alaska fisheries continue to make the grade,” said Dave Benton, executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance (MCA). “It shows fishery managers are doing their job regulating this vital industry and are taking the necessary action to protect fisheries when problems become apparent.”
The report covers groundfish and shellfish stocks in federal waters off Alaska that are managed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council under the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act.
“Credit Sen. Ted Stevens for his leadership in drafting legislation to responsibly manage and conserve our fish resources and then following through with the necessary support to put it into action,” Benton said. “His support of scientific research has boosted our understanding of these important fish stocks. This allows us to better manage them and take appropriate steps for conservation when needed.”
Of 197 fish stocks in Alaska’s offshore waters, 60 are considered major stocks like pollock, cod and crab with combined annual landings of over 4.8 billion pounds. That compares to landings of just over 9 billion pounds last year in the entire United States.
“Alaska produces half the nation’s seafood and this report shows we are continuing to do so in a responsible manner,” Benton said. “Our major groundfish stocks like pollock, cod and halibut are not being overfished and that’s good news for the coastal communities that depend on the sustainability of these fisheries that are a large part of their – and the state’s – economy.”
Four crab stocks in Alaska waters are listed as overfished. Scientists believe that changing oceanographic conditions were largely responsible for the decline of these stocks. Bering Sea crab stocks are managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game under a federally approved management plan. All of these stocks are in the midst of strict rebuilding plans that include restricted direct harvests, bycatch control measures and habitat protection.
The status of several stocks is listed as “unknown,” but these are primarily minor stocks like sculpins, skates, flounders and rockfish that amount to less than 1 percent of Alaska’s total landings by weight.
Most of these species are not directly targeted by fishermen but the incidental bycatch of these
stocks is closely monitored and actions are taken to protect them. Earlier this year some 274,000 square miles of waters in the Bering Sea and Aleutians were closed to trawling in part to protect critical rockfish habitat.
Thanks to continued scientific research, the number of Alaska stocks whose status was listed as “unknown” was reduced by 12 this year, including various stocks of rockfish, flatfish and skates in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. None were found to be overfished or subject to overfishing.
The Magnuson Stevens Act is up for Congressional review this year and the MCA strongly supports its reauthorization with changes to strengthen its application of science based management.
The 2004 status report shows continued progress across the country in addressing conservation
problems where they exist. Of over 900 fish stocks nationwide, 73 were listed as overfished in 2004, three fewer than the previous year. In several areas of the country rebuilding plans have been put in place to address conservation concerns.
Based in Juneau, the Marine Conservation Alliance is composed of seafood harvesters, processors, and Alaska coastal communities that include all groundfish and shellfish gear types, and promotes science driven solutions to fishery conservation issues in the North Pacific.