AFSC/ABL: Origins of salmon seized from the F/V Petropavlovsk

On 25 July 2001, the Russian factory trawler Petropavlovsk was seized in the Bering Sea seven miles into the U. S. EEZ by the U. S. Coast Guard. There was approximately 75 metric tons of pink and chum salmon onboard that the captain claimed were purchased from the Russian coastal fishing fleet off the east coast of Kamchatka. Samples of both pink and chum salmon were analyzed using stock identification methods to determine whether they were of Asian or North American origin. The origins of the chum salmon samples were 92% Asian and 8% North American by the standard maximum likelihood (MLE) method, and 100% Asian by the Bayesian method. The origins of the pink salmon samples were 85% Asian and 15% North American by
the MLE method, and 99% Asian and 1% North American by the Bayesian method. Results of the analysis do not refute the F/V Petropavlovsk captainb??s statement that he purchased the salmon in Russian waters.