WALLEYE POLLOCK IN THE OPEN PART OF THE BERING SEA

Abstract

Comparison of the spatial distribution of spawning walleye pollock, eggs and larvae distribution showed that they are largely spatially close, although there was a slight drift associated with currents. The reason for the «collapse» of stocks is related to walleye pollock reproduction conditions in the open part of the Bering Sea. This is supported by the fact that, despite the insignificant commercial exploitation of walleye pollock in the Commander basin, stocks began to decline sharply after reaching the maximum. In the Bogosloff Island region of the Bering Sea, a sharp decline in stocks and catch was due to weak recruitment of the fishing stock, that is, due to natural causes. At the maximum initial number of walleye pollock spawning fish in 1984, there was a record number of swept eggs, but this did not lead to the appearance of high abundance generations, while at the initial biomass of spawning individuals in 1978, which was 1,5 times less than the average level, extremely generation is appeared. Taking into account the reduced area of the research, the research carried out by American scientists is not complete enough, so there is a need to conduct a large-scale trawl-acoustic survey. Based on the analysis of the variability of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, it is assumed that there is a high probability of a new outbreak of walleye pollock biomass in the Bogosloff Island region.