Harvesting Info
Harvesting Wild Alaska Whitefish Varieties
Trawling
Region:
- Trawling is conducted offshore throughout the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
- Selected areas of Alaskan waters are closed to bottom trawling to protect sensitive habitats of fishes and marine mammals
Equipment/Method:
- Large, funnel-shaped nets called trawls are towed by fishing vessels
- The mouth of the trawl is kept open as it moves through the water – upon locating a school, the vessel trawls through the school and captures the fish
- The catch is either processed onboard the vessel, or delivered to shore side plants
Catch:
- Trawls are the only fishing method used to harvest Alaska Pollock and sole
- They also catch most of the Pacific cod harvest but never halibut, salmon, or crab
- The catch is processed onboard or chilled and processed within hours of harvest, preserving its high quality
