Current state of Pacific cod stocks in the northwestern part of the Bering Sea and prospects for its fishery

Abstract

The article presents data on the fishery and stock status of Pacific cod in the northwestern part of the Bering Sea for the period from 1968 to 2024. It is shown that the increase in commercial stocks of this species to an abnormally high level (1.1-1.6 million tons) was due to the warming of water masses in the north of the sea and the formation of an accessible food supply, which contributed to the emergence of several productive generations and determined a high level of fish migration from the eastern parts of the sea. The significant biomass of Pacific cod made it possible to increase its predicted and actual catches to 120.0 and 105.3 thousand tons, respectively. The process of cooling of the Bering Sea waters, which began in 2021, with a simultaneous increase in the area of the cold Laurentian spot, limiting the spread of cod aggregations to the north-west of the sea, the exit of numerous generations of 2011, 2017, 2018 from fishery and the lack of new productive generations led to a decrease in fish stocks and catches to the average long-term level. The ongoing processes in the population dynamics of Pacific cod in the northwestern Bering Sea and the accompanying consequences for the efficiency of its fishery must be taken into account when making specific management decisions regarding resource users of this species.