Sablefish

About the Species

U.S. wild-caught sablefish is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.

Status

• According to the 2015 stock assessment, the West Coast sablefish stock is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing based on 2016 catch data.
• According to the 2018 stock assessment, the Eastern Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands/Gulf of Alaska sablefish stock is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing.

Appearance

• Sablefish look much like cod. They are often referred to as black cod, even though they are not actually part of the cod family.

Biology

• Females can grow more than 3 feet in length.
• Females are able to reproduce at 6 ½ years old and more than 2 feet in length.
• Males are able to reproduce at age 5 and 1.9 feet in length.
• Sablefish spawn in deeper water along the continental slope from January to April in Alaska waters, and from January to March between California and British Columbia.
• Eggs develop in deep water for about 2 weeks until they hatch, then rise to the surface.
• Hatched larvae are moved by surface currents.
• Off southeast Alaska and British Columbia, juveniles appear in nearshore waters by fall.
• Juveniles have been found to migrate more than 2,000 miles in 6 or 7 years.
• Sablefish can live to be more than 90 years old.

Where They Live

• Sablefish are found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from northern Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska, westward to the Aleutian Islands and into the Bering Sea.
• There are two populations in the Pacific Ocean:
  • Northern population inhabits Alaska and northern British Columbia waters.
  • Southern population inhabits southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California waters.
  • Both populations mix off southwest Vancouver Island and northwest Washington.
• They are most commonly found in Alaska waters.

Management

• NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the sablefish fishery in Alaska.
• Managed under the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Groundfish Fishery Management Plans:
  • Fishing season runs from approximately March 1 to November 15 (subject to change each year).
  • Fixed gear (longlines and pots) harvests 90 percent of annual quota and trawl gear harvests about 10 percent.
  • The majority of fixed gear is managed with an individual fishing quota (catch shares) program.
• The State of Alaska manages fisheries in state waters under a shared quota system and also manages separate state fisheries.
• NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the sablefish fishery on the West Coast.
• Managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
  • Coast-wide catch limits among different fishing groups and gear types.
  • Daily trip limits for some vessels.
  • Individual fishing quota (catch shares) for the trawl fishery and some of the fixed gear fishery. The West Coast groundfish trawl fishery is managed under a trawl rationalization catch share program.
  • Full observer coverage in the trawl fishery, partial coverage in the fixed gear fishery.