Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative

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Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative (PWCC) is a harvest and research group formed in 1997 by three catcher/processor companies: American Seafoods, Glacier Fish Company, and Trident Seafoods. They fish Pacific whiting, or hake, which is mainly used to make surimi and, more recently, hake fillets.

PWCC was created to promote responsible harvesting, optimal use of the catch, and minimal waste. By working together, PWCC members have improved product recovery, cut bycatch (including salmon and rockfish), and funded research to help the West Coast groundfish fishery.

One example of their work is an annual cooperative research survey with the National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The goal is to learn how many juvenile Pacific whiting are in the ocean, which helps judge the long-term health of the stock.

In the 1990s, the catcher/processor sector moved away from a race-for-fish approach to a cooperative that prioritizes conservation and efficiency. The Pacific Fishery Management Council split the annual whiting catch among three sectors: shoreside vessels 42%, motherships 24%, and catcher/processor vessels 34%. It also imposed license limits to limit who can participate.

PWCC members agreed on how much of the catcher/processor quota each company would get, and the deal is enforced by contracts. Since the change, the fishery has seen less fishing effort, lower bycatch and waste, and better product quality. Today, only about 6–7 of the 10 eligible vessels participate.

In addition to benefits for its members, PWCC funds research that helps the West Coast groundfish fishery, supported by a tonnage fee paid by members for stock assessments and bycatch avoidance programs.