Cod, Pacific (not trawl-caught)
Unlike the Atlantic cod stock, which collapsed in the early 1990s and is currently undergoing overfishing. Pacific cod are not overfished nor are they undergoing overfishing. The populations of Pacific cod are healthy in both the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska is considered healthy. To prevent depletion, the fishery is managed with seasonal closures and a total allowable catch. The management plan includes federal, state and tribal regulations, and both academics and environmental groups have been involved in its development and frequent revisal. Pacific cod are caught with trawls, longlines and pots. Pots (traps) generally result in less bycatch or habitat damage than longlines, but both are preferable to trawls, which can damage the habitat and remove or cover animals and plant life, and may also result in the catch of other marine wildlife.
