An advisory panel to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) on Thursday recommended the council increase the Alaska pollock quota in the most important harvesting area next year.

The advisory panel approved researchers' recommendations for a 1.3 million metric ton total allowable catch (TAC) for the Eastern Bering Sea Alaska pollock fishery in 2023, an increase of 17 percent.

The recommendation is the last step before the council makes its final decision, which will cement the quota for companies operating in Alaska's federal waters -- one of the most important harvesting areas in world.