Pollock Fishing Description

The 1999 Bering Sea pollock fishing season marked the first year of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative (PCC). Alaskan Pollock Under the PCC agreement, pollock catcher/processor companies agree to limit their individual catches to a specific percentage of that sector's overall quota allowance, thereby allowing the fishery to be conducted at a more rational, deliberate pace. Since its inception, the PCC has helped reduce over capacity in the catcher/processor fleet and enabled participants to produce 50 percent more fish products on a per pound basis than the fleet produced in 1998 under an "Olympic-style," race for fish.

The PCC was modeled after the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative (PWCC); a cooperative formed in 1997 by at-sea processing companies participating in the whiting fishery off the West Coast.

The Alaska pollock fishery meets the MSC’s environmental standard for a well-managed and sustainable fishery. For information about Alaska pollock products, please contact APA member companies directly or visit the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers website at www.alaskapollock.org.

> Ecosystem-Based Management

> Fishing Cooperations

> Glossary of Fishing Terms

> Bering Sea Map

> Illustration of Catcher/Processor