Photo: NOAA/FIS

Introducing the New Pacific Cod Trawl Cooperative Program

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has finalized its plans for a new Pacific cod quota system that will require U.S. fishermen to join a cooperative to harvest cod in the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands region for most of 2024.

Under the Pacific cod trawl cooperation program, NOAA will set a common catch quota and then issue quota permits to cooperatives. The cooperatives, which must be associated with a processor, will then determine how much cod each individual member can fish under those permits. Quota shares for cooperatives will be determined based on historical supply data.

The year will be divided into three seasons: season A from January 20 to April 1; Season B from April 1 to June 10; and season C from 10 June to 1 November. Fishers will need to join a cooperative to participate in seasons A and B, but season C will remain a "restricted fishery open to all trawlers". Season C will only account for 15 percent of the annual trawl volume.

The system was adopted against the backdrop of a steady decline in cod catches, and authorities say the speed with which the trawl fleet is catching the total allowable catch has resulted in shorter fishing seasons. The Pacific cod fishery is the second largest commercial groundfish fishery in Alaska, with a commercial catch of US$87 million (€80 million) in 2021, according to NOAA.

Pacific cod. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

The program was developed to improve the prosecution of the fishery, with the intent of:

• Promoting safety and stability in the harvesting and processing sectors
• Minimizing bycatch to the extent practicable
• Increasing the value of the fishery
• Providing for the sustained participation of fishery dependent communities
• Ensuring the sustainability and viability of the resource

Predominant gear types that are used for harvesting Pacific cod include:  

• Trawl gear 
• Longline (also called hook-and-line) 
• Pots

Pacific cod trawl harvest is apportioned by seasons: 

• January 20 to April 1 (A season)
• April 1 to June 10 (B season)
• June 10 to November 1 (C season)

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