April 20, 2020 — This year’s high-volume Pacific hake fishery will open on time, but it’s already been a rocky road to set the coastwide total allowable catch for the U.S. and Canada.
Fishery managers, scientists and industry representatives from both countries met in March, as usual, to review the stock assessment and negotiate a coastwide TAC that would support fisheries in both areas. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, negotiations were held via webinar. This year, for the first time in the history of the whiting treaty, the countries couldn’t agree.