• The factors assessed in and scoring methodology for the Productivity-Susceptibility Analysis (PSA) that is used to determine species vulnerability — to help ensure that data-poor fisheries do not score better than data-rich fisheries
• How forage species are assessed — switch from using static reference points for scoring to using the PSA and to emphasize the importance of precautionary and management of forage species as well as the ecosystem impacts of forage species management
• How data limited fisheries are assessed — to change the requirement of two data-limited methods to one method with low uncertainty or several methods with higher uncertainty that point to the same result
• How fisheries that use bait are assessed — bait species to be treated as bycatch if they meet the definition of a main species to help ensure consistent application of the standard with regard to impacts on other species
• Definition of substantial contributor — provide guidance on how to consider situations where fishing mortality has decreased significantly and is minor in relation to total mortality such that it is having minimal impact on stocks

Buyers pay a premium for sablefish from Alaska because these fish are larger (5-7 lbs.) and thus considered to have a higher oil content than smaller sablefish from the U.S. West Coast (2-3 lbs.). Some longliners typically bleed and freeze their fish at-sea, resulting in a high-quality product at a higher price. Canadian trap-caught sablefish tends to be larger and is considered very high quality. Trawl-caught sablefish is rarely bled and prone to bruising, resulting in lower quality and price.

Key sustainability sourcing notes for sablefish based on landings data from 2017-2017 and the most recent Seafood Watch assessments and MSC certifications as of August, 2019:

• ~60% of North American sablefish landings are MSC-certified (~75% from Alaska and 25% from the U.S. West Coast
• ~15% of North American sablefish landings meet a Seafood Watch "Best Choice (green)" rating (~30-35% each from California, Oregon, and Alaska)
• ~70% of North American sablefish landings meet a Seafood Watch "Good Alternative (yellow)" rating 
• ~15% of North American sablefish landings are unrated
• Sablefish landings from 2014-2017 fluctuated very little, but are down 15-20% compared to 2012 & 2013 landings
• In April, 2019, the Seafood Watch rating for longline-caught sablefish from Alaska changed from "Best Choice" to "Good Alternative" - accounting for nearly 60% of global landings