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Federal managers move 700 tons of unused Atka mackerel to Bering Sea trawlers
Federal fishery managers are moving 700 metric tons of Atka mackerel set aside for boats that catch the fish by accident to the Amendment 80 trawl fleet in the Bering Sea and Eastern Aleutians, under a temporary rule set for publication Friday, Oct. 16.
Amendment 80 vessels are trawl catcher-processors that target groundfish other than pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. This year all of them belong to a single cooperative, which holds the sector's entire allocation.
The rule raises the cooperative's 2026 Atka mackerel allocation in the Bering Sea and Eastern Aleutians from 32,819 tons to 33,519 tons. It cuts the incidental catch allowance, the share set aside for other trawl and non-trawl boats that catch Atka mackerel while targeting other species, from 800 tons to 100. The area's overall 2026 catch limit stays at 41,731 tons.
Those other boats had caught 66 tons of their 800-ton allowance, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service's latest weekly catch report. The trawl account in the area stood at 27,767 of 36,283 tons, with about 8,500 tons left and 2,527 caught in the most recent week. Trawl quotas farther west, in the Central and Western Aleutians, are effectively full.
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About Atka
Atka, also written Atx̂ax̂, is an Aleut village on Atka Island in the Aleutians West Census Area. It is the westernmost permanent population center in the United States, and the roadless community is governed by the Atka IRA Council.
Its remote location shapes daily life. Traveling medical and dental clinics bring care to the village, and the IRA Council has pursued greenhouses to grow fresh produce closer to home.
Atka lies exposed to Bering Sea weather, and high wind warnings for Atka and nearby Adak bring gusts strong enough to disrupt travel and life on the island.