Walleye Pollock Research
Walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) is a key species
in the Alaska groundfish complex and a target species for one of
the world's largest fisheries. Walleye pollock produce the largest catch of
any single species inhabiting the 200-mile U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone. Pollock is a semipelagic schooling
fish widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean with
largest concentrations found in the eastern Bering Sea.
Pollock are considered a relatively fast growing
and short-lived species and currently
represents a major biological component of the Bering Sea ecosystem. In the
U.S. portion of the Bering Sea including the Aleutian Islands region, three stocks of pollock are identified for management
purposes.
Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska are managed as a single stock independently of pollock
in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. The separation of pollock in Alaskan
waters into eastern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska stocks is supported by analysis
of larval drift patterns from spawning locations, genetic studies of allozyme
frequencies, mtDNA variability, and microsatellite allele variability.
During 2007, pollock made up 71.3% of the average groundfish catch off Alaska. The pollock catch for 2007 was 1.41 million metric tons (t), down approximately 9.7% from 2006.
The next major species, Pacific cod, accounted for 225,092 t or 11.0% of the total 2007 groundfish catch. The Pacific cod catch was down about 6.3% from a year earlier.
The 2007 catch of flatfish, which includes yellowfin sole, rock sole, and arrowtooth flounder was 255,931 t, up about 10.6% from 2006.
Other important species are sablefish (0.7%), rockfish (1.9%), and Atka mackerel (2.9%).
- SHEN, H., M. W., DORN, V. WESPESTAD, and T. J. QUINN.
2009. Schooling pattern of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock and its effect on fishing
behaviour. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 66:1284-1288.
- HONKALEHTO, T., N. WILLIAMSON, D. JONES, A. McCARTHY, and D. McKELVEY.
2009. Results of the echo integration-trawl survey of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) on the U.S. and Russian Bering Sea shelf in June and July 2008. U. S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo., NMFS-AFSC-194, 56 p. (.pdf, 2 MB). Online.
- MOSS, J. H., E. V. FARLEY, A. M. FELDMANN, and J. N. IANELLI.
2009. Spatial distribution, energetic status, and food habits of eastern Bering Sea age-0 walleye pollock. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 138:497-505.
- von SZALAY, P. G., and D. A. SOMERTON.
2009. A comparison of acoustic backscatter between a trawling and a free-running vessel for eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). Fish. Res. 96:223-229.
- Near Real-time Forecasting of Recruitment from Larval Surveys: Application to Walleye Pollock in the Western Gulf of Alaska
By: KEVIN M. BAILEY, STEVEN M. PORTER, SUSAN J. PICQUELLE, ANNETTE B. DOUGHERTY, TIANYANG ZHANG, KUNG-SIK CHAN Conference: Larval Fish 33rd Annual Conference, Portland, OR, July 2009 (2009 poster, .pdf, 1.77MB) Online. - Spatial Distribution, Energetic Status, and Food Habits of Eastern Bering Sea Age-0 Walleye Pollock
By: J. H. MOSS, E. V. FARLEY, A. M. FELDMANN, J. N. IANELLI Conference: Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, AK, Jan 2009 (2009 poster, .pdf, 109KB) Online. -
Spatial Distribution, Energetic Status, and Food Habits of Eastern Bering Sea Age-0 Walleye Pollock
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Winter Surveys in the Gulf of Alaska and Southeastern Bering Sea Near Bogoslof Island
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Measuring Harvesting Productivity of Pollock Catcher-Processors
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GOA Pollock (Groundfish Stock Assessment Summaries for 2009)
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EBS Pollock (Groundfish Stock Assessment Summaries for 2009)
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AI Pollock (Groundfish Stock Assessment Summaries for 2009)
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Acoustic Backscatter Measurements of Walleye Pollock: Comparisons Between a Trawling and a Free-running Vessel
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Winter Surveys in the Gulf of Alaska
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Miller Freeman and Oscar Dyson Vessel Comparison
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A Tradable Salmon Bycatch Quota System for the Pollock Fishery?
- Additional publications, posters, and reports.
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(Source: North Pacific Groundfish Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Reports.)
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