Austin Esterbrooks
26:06 - 26:47
"we had 13 different Chinook bycatch avoidance areas that were identified across the 2025 fishing year."
“we had 13 different Chinook bycatch avoidance areas that were identified across the 2025 fishing year.”
- Speaker
- Austin Esterbrooks
- Timestamp
- 26:06 – 26:47
- Community
- Alaska News
- Captured at
- June 5, 2026
From the transcript
This gives you a look at where we had 13 different Chinook bycatch avoidance areas that were identified across the 2025 fishing year. And again, as a reminder, our fleet does incorporate the catcher vessel data into identification of rolling hotspot program, and therefore some bycatch avoidance areas do get identified based on catcher vessel catch alone and aren't necessarily reflective of where the CPs are fishing at the time. And, and therefore you see some weeks in which no catcher processor vessels are excluded from bycatch avoidance areas.
Related Coverage
Pollock fleet's groundfish bycatch fell below 1% in 2025, but salmon bycatch rose as warm water pushed fish onto the shelf
The Bering Sea pollock fleet posted a groundfish bycatch ratio below 1 percent in 2025, well under the 1.7 percent long-term average, but Chinook and chum salmon bycatch both rose compared to 2024 as record-low sea ice pushed salmon distributions onto the shelf and into direct overlap with the fishery, Austin Esterbrooks told the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on Friday.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
NPFMC directs NOAA to update pollock roe rules after seizure highlighted regulatory gap
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council passed two motions directing NOAA Fisheries to update product recovery rate regulations that no longer match how AFA catcher-processors and motherships measure catch, and to clarify rules governing prohibited species catch disposition, including whether bycatch can be converted to fishmeal.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAISablefish fleet faces compliance gap as approved release rule sits in federal limbo until 2028
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council approved a small sablefish release rule in April 2025, but NMFS implementation is not expected until 2028, leaving vessels subject to fines if they release small sablefish under current rules. Industry asked the council to seek NMFS assistance to advance implementation to the 2027 season.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI