Alaska's groundfish fisheries: a national model for sustainability for more than 30 years: fisheries off Alaska account for about half of total U.S. harvests; they are the No. 1 private-sector employer in Alaska.

• Author: Madsen, Stephanie

Commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries are critically important to cultures and economies all over the world, and nowhere more so than here in Alaska. Fisheries off Alaska account for about half of total U.S. harvests; they are the No. 1 private-sector employer in Alaska, and are second only to oil in generating revenue to the state. Alaska alone would rank in the top 10 seafood producing countries worldwide.

While salmon may be the most visible example to most consumers, in actuality, groundfish fisheries account for a preponderance of the volume and value of fish harvested from these pristine waters. These are predominately federally managed fisheries, in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska, effected through a partnership of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and including input from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, other state and federal agencies, and the affected public.

Commercial harvest of groundfish from waters off Alaska has averaged from 3 billion to 5 billion pounds annually since 1976, the year the Council management system was created and the Councils were charged with developing and maintaining fishery management plans. These management plans apply to federal waters from 3 to 200 miles offshore, where the majority of these groundfish are harvested. Primary species include pollock, Pacific cod, Atka mackerel, and various flatfish and rockfish species. Dockside value of these fisheries is currently about $1 billion annually, prior to any value-added processing and re-sale.

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

The framework for managing federal fisheries lies within the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), which is currently undergoing reauthorization and the subject of intense national debate with regard to several critical provisions which will guide federal fisheries management over the next several years. Foremost among the issues being debated are the provisions for setting annual catch limits, rebuilding overfished stocks, and incorporating more rigid scientific input into management systems. Within that debate, the fisheries management program off Alaska is being heralded by many, including a recent report from the President's Commission on Ocean Policy, as a model for sustainable fisheries. The primary basis for this recognition, and the reason that Alaska's groundfish fisheries remain vibrant...