The Pacific cod fishery B season in federal waters got under
way September 1 for the western and central Gulf of Alaska, as commercial
fishermen at Kodiak’s bustling harbor also geared up for harvests of pollock,
Dungeness crab, shrimp, and more.
The P-cod B season comes on the heels of the Jan. 1 through
June 10 A season that yielded a harvest of 13,937 metric tons of P-cod for all
sectors of the Western Gulf, and 23,491 metric tons in the Central Gulf.
The B season ends on Dec. 31, except for catcher vessels,
for whom the season ends Nov. 1 in compliance with Steller sea lion protection
measures.
The biggest harvests for the A season in the Central Gulf
were 9,237 metric tons in the trawl catcher vessel sector, followed by 6,671
metric tons in the pot sector and 3,677 metric tons in the hook and line
catcher vessel sector. Statistics compiled by the National Marine Fisheries
Service showed that the trawl catcher vessels took 112 percent of their quota,
the pot sector 96 percent, and the hook and line catcher vessels 97 percent.
For the A season in the Western Gulf, the trawl catcher
vessels led with a harvest of 6,542 metric tons. The pot sector had 4,152
metric tons and the hook and line catcher processors harvested 2,774 metric
tons of P-cod. According to NMFS calculations, the Western Gulf’s trawl catcher
vessels took 106 percent of their quota,
The pot sector 94 percent, and the hook and line catcher
processors 114 percent of their quota.
The latest update on P-cod harvests in the Central and
Western Gulf of Alaska is online at http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/2014/car131_goa_non_sb.pdf
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