The Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis Division’s North Pacific Observer Program collects, maintains, and distributes data for scientific, management, and regulatory compliance purposes in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands.
The National Standard Guidelines for Fishery Management Plans published by NOAA Fisheries require that a stock assessment and fishery evaluation report be prepared and reviewed annually for each fishery management plan.
Walleye pollock is a semi-pelagic schooling fish widely distributed in the North Pacific Ocean. Pollock in the central and western Gulf of Alaska are managed as a single stock independently of pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.