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North Pacific Fishery Management Council

Managing Fisheries off the Coast of Alaska

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  • Bycatch
  • Halibut
  • Salmon
  • Crab
  • Groundfish
  • Protected Species

Groundfish Bycatch

Fish that are caught but not retained (i.e., discarded) are considered bycatch. Fish are discarded for economic reasons (typically fish that are unmarketable or unprofitable to retain) or required to be discarded due to regulations (typically catch above a legal amount, or catch of prohibited species).

Overall, the amount of bycatch in the North Pacific halibut and groundfish fisheries is relatively low. In 2021 for example, only 97,000 tons were discarded of the 2.1 million tons of fish caught, giving an overall discard rate of 4.7%. This discard rate has been greatly reduced since the 1990s and is currently well below the global discard rate of 10%. The observed discard rates differ substantially by gear type, with North Pacific discard rates of about 1% for pelagic trawls, 11% for bottom trawls, 24% for bottom longlines, and 4% for pot gear targeting halibut and groundfish.

The composition of the discards and the discard rates by species provide information on where managers can focus efforts to reduce discards. Pollock has the lowest discard rate of any other species, but accounts for the highest proportion of discarded fish. Pacific cod, Atka mackerel, Pacific ocean perch and most BSAI flatfish species also have low discard rates (<10%). Some rockfish species, as well as halibut, sablefish, and skates have somewhat higher discard rates overall. Grenadiers, sculpins, and numerous other species are fully discarded.

Conservation concerns regarding groundfish bycatch are limited in that all bycatch is assumed dead and the amount accrues towards the annual catch limits. Nevertheless, the Council works to address social concerns regarding salmon bycatch and U.S. food security, and seeks to minimize all bycatch, including regulatory and economic discards, to the extent practicable.

Staff contact is David Witherell.

Resources

NPFMC
Resources

Salmon Bycatch FAQ
Halibut Bycatch Update

External Resources

NOAA: Bycatch in Alaska
NOAA: Bycatch

Search our eAgenda

More NPFMC Documents
Groundfish Bycatch Background Documents

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CALENDAR

  • Ecosystem Committee Meeting
    Sep 28, 2023
    8:30 am - 4:30 pm    
  • Individual Fishing Quota Committee
    Sep 28, 2023
    8:30 am - 4:30 pm    
  • Enforcement Trawl Performance Workshop
    Oct 2, 2023
    1:00 pm - 5:00 pm    
  • Scientific & Statistical Committee Meeting
     Oct 2, 2023, 8:00 am — Oct 4, 2023, 5:00 pm    
  • Advisory Panel
     Oct 3, 2023, 8:00 am — Oct 7, 2023, 5:00 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Oct 5, 2023, 8:00 am — Oct 10, 2023, 5:00 pm    
  • Social Science Planning Team (SSPT)
    Oct 18, 2023
    2:00 pm - 4:00 pm    
  • Charter Halibut Management Committee
    Oct 20, 2023
    12:30 pm - 4:30 pm    
  • BS FEP Climate Change Taskforce Meeting
    Nov 1, 2023
    1:00 pm - 5:00 pm    
  • BS FEP Climate Change Taskforce Meeting
    Nov 2, 2023
    9:00 am - 5:00 pm    
  • Social Science Planning Team (SSPT)
    Nov 3, 2023
    8:30 am - 4:30 pm    
  • Joint, BSAI, GOA Groundfish Plan Team Meetings
     Nov 13, 2023, 12:00 am — Nov 17, 2023, 11:59 pm    
  • IPHC Interim Meeting
     Nov 30, 2023, 12:00 am — Dec 1, 2023, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Dec 4, 2023, 12:00 am — Dec 12, 2023, 11:59 pm    
  • Scallop Plan Team
    Dec 14, 2023
    1:00 pm - 4:00 pm    
  • Crab Plan Team (T)
     Jan 8, 2024, 12:00 am — Jan 12, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • SSC Subgroup Research Priorities
    Jan 11, 2024
    11:30 am - 2:30 pm    
  • International Pacific Halibut Commission - Anchorage, AK
     Jan 22, 2024, 12:00 am — Jan 26, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Alaska Marine Science Symposium
     Jan 29, 2024, 12:00 am — Feb 2, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Feb 5, 2024, 12:00 am — Feb 12, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Apr 1, 2024, 12:00 am — Apr 9, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Crab Plan Team (T)
     May 13, 2024, 12:00 am — May 17, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Jun 3, 2024, 12:00 am — Jun 11, 2024, 11:59 pm    
 

VIEW FULL CALENDAR

Spotlight

Arctic Wilderness

October 2023 Meeting – Anchorage

Request for Information: 2024 Research Priorities Triennial Review

We respectfully acknowledge that the Council regularly meets, and its staff office resides, in Anchorage on Dena’ina homelands. The Council wants to honor the Dena’ina, the Indigenous Peoples who have stewarded this land across generations and continue to do so. We are glad to be part of this community, and to honor the culture, resilience, and tradition of the Dena’ina people.

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