US Congress has passed legislation that would rationalise the Pacific cod fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutians Islands. The Longline Catcher Processor Subsector Single Fishery Cooperative Act will create a Bering Sea co-operative for freezer longline fleet.
The legislation will result in a slower season for the fleet, and it has been endorsed by industry groups such as the Freezer Longline Coalition.
The companies currently operating in the fleet unanimously support the move. Minimal consolidation of the fleet is expected to occur because of the size of the fishery and the process through which it operates.
Alaska senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski co-sponsored the bill, along with Washington senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray.
President Barack Obama must now sign the bill into law.
The co-operative is expected to be formalised within the next two years.
