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.
Pacific cod is a transoceanic species, occurring at depths from shoreline to 500 m. The southern limit of the species’ distribution is about 34° N latitude, with a northern limit of about 63° N latitude.
At least seven species of octopus are found in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). For management purposes, all octopus species are grouped into a single assemblage.
The Gulf of Alaska northern and southern rock sole assessment is conducted on a 4-year assessment cycle following the stock assessment prioritization schedule. During years when a full assessment is not completed, a partial assessment is conducted.
Flathead sole are distributed from northern California, off Point Reyes, northward along the west coast of North America and throughout the Gulf of Alaska and the Eastern Bering Sea, the Kuril Islands, and possibly the Okhotsk Sea.
The demersal shelf rockfish complex (yelloweye, quillback, copper, rosethorn, China, canary, and tiger rockfish) is a Tier 4 complex and assessed on a biennial cycle. A full stock assessment is typically conducted every second year.
The Gulf of Alaska deepwater flatfish complex is assessed every four years and was last assessed in 2019.
In years without an assessment, we present an executive summary to recommend harvest levels for the
next two years.