Alaska pollock catchers remain committed to salmon bycatch plan

The U.S. Department of Commerce this week approved a plan to reduce salmon bycatch among Alaska’s pollock fleet, which will harvest 813,000 metric tons of fish this year.

The pollock fishery accounts for about 95 percent of king salmon accidentally caught in Alaska waters.

“While I can speak only for At-sea Processors Association (APA) members, who harvest 40 percent of the Bering Sea/Aleutian Island pollock fishery, I believe all sectors of the BSAI pollock fishery are committed to making implementation of the chinook salmon bycatch reduction plan work,” Jim Gilmore, the association’s director of public affairs, told IntraFish on Thursday.

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