January 19, 2018 — The trawling season for Pacific cod in the Bering Sea begins 20 January, although the season will likely draw to a close earlier than mid- to late-March, when the season traditionally ends.
Analysts expect the season to close for a number of reasons. Quotas have decreased in the Bering Sea by about 15 percent to about 414 million pounds of fish. However, it’s the quota decrease in the Gulf of Alaska that is expected to cause more competition and quotas being filled quickly in the Bering Sea.
Due to a severe 80 percent cut in the cod quota in the Gulf of Alaska, the fleets that usually consider those waters their home turf will likely make their way to the Bering Sea to fish for the season, however long it lasts.
The reason for the quota cuts is a severe depletion in Alaska cod stocks which, in recent years, have posted the worst numbers for decades, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Krista Milani, who is a marine biologist at the NMFS, predicted the numbers to rebound in the coming years, since she expects water temperatures to revert to cooler temperatures.
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