About Us
UNITED CATCHER BOATS is a Non-Profit 501 (c) trade association. We are the Owners and Operators of the majority of the trawl catcher vessels that participate in the trawl fisheries in the Eastern Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, and West Coast regions. Our primary fisheries include the Eastern Bering Sea pollock fishery, the Aleutian Islands and Eastern Bering Sea P. Cod fishery, the Western and Central Gulf groundfish fisheries, and the Mothership and Shoreside Whiting fisheries off of the West Coast. UNITED CATCHER BOATS is currently 68 Members strong.
UNITED CATCHER BOATS serves two primary functions:
* The first is to provide critical information to our vessel Owners such as real time harvest and Seasonal information including fishery openings and closure announcements, quota and bycatch management tracking and assistance, and updated fishery regulations and rule making information at the regional and national levels. Additionally we provide the management responsibilities of the American Fisheries Act catcher vessel pollock cooperatives.
* The second main function of UNITED CATCHER BOATS is to advocate governing agencies and organizations (NMFS, NPFMC, PFMC, Alaska Board of Fisheries, the States of Alaska and Washington, and United States Congress amongst others) and represent trawl vessel Owners concerns and positions regarding fisheries management and policy related issues. To this end, UNITED CATCHER BOATS provides governing agencies with information that helps them manage our fisheries and implement reasonable policies to govern them. We have a long-standing, professional presence at the North Pacific and Pacific Fishery Management Councils as well as within NMFS.
Simply, the goal of UNITED CATCHER BOATS is to ensure healthy, vibrant, and profitable fisheries located in the North Pacific and off of the West Coast.