1999 Economic Status of the Groundfish Fisheries off Alaska
September 26, 1999
The domestic groundfish fishery off Alaska is an important segment of the U.S. fishing industry. This report presents data which summarize various aspects of the economic performance of the fishery. Generally, data are presented for the domestic groundfish fishery for 1995 through 1999. Limited catch and ex-vessel value data are reported for earlier years in order to depict the rapid development of the domestic groundfish fishery in the 1980s and to provide a more complete historical perspective on catch. Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) is not included in this report because for management purposes halibut is not part of the groundfish complex.
All but a small part of the commercial groundfish catch off Alaska occurs in the groundfish fisheries managed under the Fishery Management Plans (FMP) for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands area (BSAI). In 1999, other fisheries accounted for only 5,500 t of the total catch of the Alaska groundfish fisheries. With the exceptions of Tables 1 -3 and Figures 1 - 4, the catch, ex-vessel value, and vessel data presented in this report are for those two FMP fisheries.
In addition to data from the groundfish fisheries, this report contains data on some of the external factors which, in part, determine the economic status of the fisheries. Such factors include foreign exchange rates, the prices and price indexes of products that compete with products from these fisheries, cold storage holdings, domestic per capita consumption of seafood products, and fishery imports.
Additional Resources
- Groundfish Economic Status Reports for the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands
- Groundfish and Shellfish Assessment Surveys Sample Request Instructions
- Southeast Alaska Coastal Monitoring Survey Reports
- North Pacific Groundfish Stock Assessments
- Alaska Groundfish Survey Data Map