Fishing Focus
Approximately 85% of North Star Fishing Co.’s production is sole and flounder caught in the Bering Sea. This consists primarily of yellowfin sole, rock sole, flathead sole, Alaska plaice and arrowtooth flounder.
Product Type
Our vessels produce mainly Headed and Gutted (H&G) product. It is Frozen-at-Sea (FAS), block frozen, packaged in paper/polylined bags. Net weight per case is 19.0 kg or 16.0 kg depending on the vessel.
Multispecies Fishery
Our vessels participate in a true multi-species fishery. We keep what we catch. With a retention rate of over 90%, discards are limited. Any given trip may have varying quantities of all of the species on the left (except for POP).
Management
In 1976, the U.S. established management for groundfish stocks out to 200 miles. Federal fishery management plans, adopted through an open and transparent public process and based on sound science, govern the harvest of groundfish. The plan has been amended numerous times to achieve continuous improvement in the performance of the fishery. Fishery managers and scientists follow a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach.
Improvements
Industry participants have worked with NMFS scientists to develop Bering Sea flatfish gear. Research by NMFS scientists has shown that use of this gear, which incorporates elevated sweeps, dramatically reduces effects of fishing on seafloor habitat and associated species such as crab and structure-forming animals called epifauna.
Click on the images to learn more about each fish species we harvest.