News — Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center

MSC recertification for Russia Sea of Okhotsk Pollock fishery

The Russian Sea of Okhostsk Pollock fishery is a midwater trawl fishery composed of 30 fishing companies which land ~ 840,000 metric tonnes pollock annually. It has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) since September 2013. MSC recertification occurs every five years. 

What is the MSC you ask? The MSC is an international non-profit organization whose mission is 'to use our ecolabel and fishery certification program to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans by recognising and rewarding sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood and working with our partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis.'

In addition to the perceived environmental benefits of certification, there have been some studies demonstrating the economic benefit of MSC certification. These benefit, however, may differ substantially by species. Currently both the Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska Pollock fisheries are MSC certified while the Russia Bering Sea and Navarinsky pollock fisheries were withdrawn. 

Over the next five years there were three recommendations by the MSC panel: '(1) relating to incidental seabird mortality arising from bird interactions with fishery operations at sea, (2) relating to the perceived need for an occasional but regular review of the non-stock assessment part of the management system for the stock, to be independent and provided in English, and (3) to further enhance the independent observation database especially but not only relating to observation of endangered, threatened or protected species and other non-target species'.

The entire recertification assessment can be found on the MSC's website. 

Pollock ranging further north?

The NOAA trawl survey of the southern Bering Sea has completed and preliminary results suggest lower abundances of pollock and cod than anticipated. The Cordova times recently released an article by Margaret Bauman with an interview of Lyle Britt, a research fisheries biologist with NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. Data collected suggest a warming trend and showed pollock collected much further north than expected. Researchers believe that this may be due to the lack of a cold pool that normally functions as a barrier to dispersal. Formal results have yet to be released, but if you are interested in Alaska Research Surveys a wealth of information can be found on NOAA's website. 

PCCRC request for letters of intent (21 September 2018 deadline)

The Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks announces an opportunity for funding of marine research in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. The PCCRC funds investigators and students doing research on pollock, salmon, and other groundfish species, and the fishing of and fisheries for these species. In addition, the PCCRC funds research on habitat and ecosystems associated with these species, fishery management, marine mammals, resource utilization, marine resource economics, and policy. Total funding set aside for this competition cycle is $300,000. Proposals of any size within this limit will be considered. 

For more information regarding the LOI process and submission requirements view the full LOI solicitation. 

For more information regarding the PCCRCs funding process (deadlines, research priorities, etc) visit our request for proposal page. 

 
14-03_3.png

New work published by PCCRC research fellow Julie Nielsen

Julie Nielson recently published work on a method she and fellow researchers developed for characterizing activity and inferring survival of Pacific halibut based on accelerometer data from Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags (PSATs). The metrics developed in this project help researchers infer activity patterns and resultantly survival which may be extended to other species.

Nielsen, J.K., C.S. Rose, T. Loher, P. Drobny, A.C. Seitz, M.B. Courtney, and J. Gauvin. 2018. Characterizing activity and assessing bycatch survival of Pacific halibut with accelerometer pop-up satellite archival tags. Animal Biotelemetry 6:10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-018-0154-2

Fork & Fin - Trident's food truck showcasing Alaska pollock

In 2017 Trident seafoods launched an engaging experiment to educate people about Alaska pollock. The food truck showcases pollock in a diverse array of dishes. You can find the tried-and-true 'Alaskan Beer Battered fish tacos' to the innovative 'Peanut Butter and Jelly Ultimate Fish Sticks'. 

“Alaskan Pollock is the most abundant certified-sustainable seafood species in the world. Plus, it leaves a much lower carbon footprint on our planet than land based proteins, such as cattle and poultry. It is our mission to show the world how delicious this often over-looked, under-appreciated cousin to cod truly is – one serving at a time. ”
— Fork & Fin

The truck operates all over Seattle and relocates daily! If you want to try delicious Alaska pollock you can locate the truck at the Fork & Fin website. Also you can take a look at their beautiful food on Instagram.