Another issue with the decline of Yukon River chinook salmon (aka, king salmon) is bycatch from the factory trawlers targeting pollock and other groundfish in the Bering Sea. The bycatch (non-targeted species caught in the nets) levels for chinook salmon and halibut in the Bering Sea are higher than the quotas allowed in the directed fisheries. While the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council did make a reduction to allowable bycatch levels in its most recent annual meeting, the bycatch reduction was quite small compared to the number of fish caught. Making deeper cuts to the amount of allowable bycatch will go a long way toward helping restore the depleted biomass for chinook salmon and halibut in the Bering Sea. While a bycatch reduction might reduce the earnings of the trawlers, it also can lead to innovation because the fishermen will realize they have to be more strategic in how they target the pollock and other groundfish so they don’t end up with salmon and halibut in their nets.