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Vol. 53 - Alaska Resources Library and Information Services

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Bering Sea stocks during the early 1960's caused severe depression <strong>and</strong><br />

slow recovery of stocks <strong>and</strong> there has been no significant fishery since<br />

1966 (Paul Anderson - NOAA Cruise Results, Cruise No. 79-02, R/V Sunset<br />

Bay).<br />

In 1975 <strong>and</strong> 1976 3,500 <strong>and</strong> 1,700 MT of shrimp were taken by the<br />

Japanese from along the 100 m isobath on the continental shelf edge.<br />

Biomass estimates in 1978 stood at 30,600 MT (69 million lb) for an area<br />

of 24,000 square nautical miles (nm 2 ) northwest of the Pribilofs (NPFMC<br />

1978). The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) from this population was<br />

estimated to be 11,000 MT but the current Allowable Biological Catch<br />

(ABC) has been set at 1,000 MT.<br />

This low quota reflects the current<br />

management goals of giving these stocks time to rebuild, <strong>and</strong> encouraging<br />

the maintenance of a healthy resource at historic levels which then<br />

could promote the development of a strong domestic shrimp fishery.<br />

The<br />

current ABC level will allow the management agency to assess annual<br />

catch-per-unit-effort <strong>and</strong> collect biological specimens to construct ageclass<br />

structure of the population.<br />

Stock estimates for P. borealis surveyed in 1979 over an extended<br />

area of 30,400 nm² (Pribilofs to St. Matthew Isl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> out to the U.S.-<br />

U.S.S.R. convention line) indicate a mean biomass estimated at 63.56 x<br />

10[superscript]6<br />

kilograms (140 million lb with an 80% confidence interval of 120.5 -<br />

159 million lb; P. Anderson, NMFS, Kodiak AK correspondence, Oct. 1981).<br />

The above biomass estimates are based on an area northwest of the<br />

St. George Basin.<br />

Other estimates close to the St. George Basin come<br />

from 1979 NOAA/NMFS Cruise Results (Cruise No. OR-79-03 R/V Oregon) of a<br />

702

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