Feds Limit Allowable Catch For Alaskan Pollack

Washington, DC (AHN) - The federal government has reduced the allowable catch for Alaskan pollack, the largest commercial food fishery in the world.

The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council reduced the acceptable catch by almost 20 percent from 2008 levels, to 815,000 metric tons of the fish.

The popular white fish is used in everything from fish sandwiches to surimi. The NPFMC said in a press release that the species' population is cyclical and that the declining numbers are due to the low numbers of pollack reaching maturity between 2000 and 2005.

A strong class of young pollack from 2006 is expected to increase the population in 2009.

"This precautionary approach means the long-term health of both the fish and the ecosystem are the top priority, and is one reason why Alaska's fisheries are considered a model of sustainability for the world," the NPFMC stated in its press release.