Alaska Seafood Cooperative | 13
skims just above the surface of the ocean
floor. It not only herds fish, but without
modification comes in contact with bot-
tom dwellers and their habitats. Ander-
son says AKSC has demonstrated that by
raising the trawl sweep by several inches,
it doesn’t decrease the amount of fish that
can be caught, but it does, however, sig-
nificantly reduce the impact on the habitat
below, in fact, by more than 90 percent.
Members of the cooperative have also
worked with scientists and net designers
to modify their nets and this has helped to
reduce the halibut by-catch.
In terms of the future, Anderson says
the cooperative is striving to increase ef-
ficiencies to better achieve the full quota
with respect to annual allocations, yet he
says those efforts will be augmented by
further advancements in sustainability
and environmental stewardship – and no
doubt, the cooperative nature of this com-
pany will continue to complement its ca-
pabilities.
