Federal fisheries scientists have begun annual and biennial bottom trawl surveys in the Bering Sea for stock assessments of species including walleye Pollock, Pacific cod, yellowfin sole, northern rock sole, red king crab and snow and tanner crab.
They will be collecting information on relative abundance, size and age compositions for groundfish and crab species.
Commercial fishermen depend on this data to determine the maximum amount they will be allowed to catch of each species without overfishing, helping to assure the viability of these species for future generations.
The result of these surveys, some with a 40-year history, is that Alaska fisheries are known worldwide for being healthy, sustainable and among the best managed on the planet, said officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The surveys began in late May, when 12 scientists boarded the F/V Aldebaran and F/V Alaska Knight for the annual survey of groundfish and crab that inhabit the continental shelf of the eastern Bering Sea. During the 69-day journey, researchers will collect data from established stations in the Bering Sea that extend from inner Bristol Bay westward and north to the shelf edge.
Eighteen scientists left the first week of June from Dutch Harbor aboard three other fishing vessels chartered for this year's surveys, with six researchers aboard each vessel.
The bottom trawl surveys form the cornerstone for many of the stock assessment and ecosystem forecast models used for groundfish and crab harvest advice in Alaska.
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