- Pribilof Islands. NMFS.
The Bering Sea contains the world's largest continental shelf-an elevated underwater plain-and the most productive fisheries in North America. As ocean currents move north from the Pacific Ocean and the Aleutian basin toward the Arctic Ocean, they bring nutrients from the deep sea toward the surface. This upwelling creates thriving seafloor habitat and plankton productivity that are the foundation of the entire ecosystem. Most of the hard corals in the Bering Sea are found on the slope at the edge of the shelf and in canyons, but an array of other seafloor habitats enrich this fertile ocean ecosystem. On the shelf, soft corals, sponges, and other deep sea invertebrates provide living structure on sandy or muddy seafloor.
An underwater sea salad?
With names like sea raspberry, sea onion, sea potato, and sea peach, the invertebrates of the Bering Sea sound pretty tasty. These are living animals that provide essential habitat for the abundant marine life in the Bering Sea. Oceana is identifying areas in the Bering Sea that contain dense aggregations of these important animals so they will be protected for the benefit of the ocean ecosystem.
- Seabirds on Pribilof Islands. NFMS.
This rich shelf is a key U.S. fishing ground worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Trawling in the Bering Sea is done at a massive industrial scale. Huge 300 foot factory trawlers crush and destroy the sensitive corals and other important seafloor habitats in their quest for pollock, Pacific cod, and flatfish, among others. While some efforts have been made to convert to "pelagic trawling", no regulations ensure that this gear stays off the bottom. In fact, NMFS has many records of coral and sponge bycatch from "pelagic trawls". Slope areas of the Bering Sea, which take the longest to recover from damage, are being hit hard by trawling with some of the highest bycatch rates of corals and sponges occurring between Bristol Bay and the Pribilof Islands. Oceana has identified three criteria for areas that warrant protection from destructive bottom trawling:
- Submarine (underwater) canyons and productive slope areas;
- Known aggregations of living seafloor habitat organisms; and
- Areas of high bycatch rates of corals and sponges (where many corals and sponges are brought up in fishing gear along with the desired targeted commercial fish.)
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is the governing body responsible for protecting Bering Sea habitat and regulating fishing. While the Council has closed some areas in the Bering Sea to rebuild overfished species, no areas have been set aside explicitly to protect habitat. Many of the most important habitat areas, such as Pribilof and Zemchung Canyons remain open to trawling. While the Council should be commended for its efforts to protect seafloor habitat in the Aleutian Islands, there is more to be done to ensure that the Bering Sea remains healthy and productive. We'll keep you informed on developments and let you know how and when action is needed to protect fragile coral and sponge habitat.
