Barents Sea cod fishery in September and outlook for October 2006

The catch rates in October are expected to go down by 10-20% due to more dispersed cod schools over a large area as compared to September.

However the overall supply should not necessarily suffer subject to the respective increase of efforts.

September

According to provisional figures, the total catch of Barents Sea cod in September amounted to ca. 8000 tonnes down by about 1000 tonnes on September 2005.

The drop has resulted from a smaller number of fishing efforts, according to fishery sources in Murmansk.

The harvest in the Russian EEZ contributed 35% of the total while Spitsbergen (Svalbard) and Barents Sea Loophole provided 30% each.

Haddock

The harvest of haddock is provisionally reported in excess of 4000 tonnes, up by 500 tonnes on September 2005.

The haddock catch was made in proportion of 40/60 % between the Russian EEZ and Bear Island- Spitsbergen area accordingly.

In September the bottom fishery was conducted by up to 60 Murmansk-based boats and 1-3 middle trawlers from Kaliningrad.

The best conditions were in the Bear Island- Spitsbergen area where the fleets were harvesting lager cod of mainly 1.5-2.5 kg.

The catch rates as high as 30-50 tonnes per day were reported by such hi tech foreign-built trawlers as M-1015 «Kapitan Gromtsev» owned by CJSC ZAO Rybprominvest,  M-0254 «Korund» owned by CJSC «MTF-4» or M-0204 «Kapitan Gugunov» owned by OAO «MTF» plc. Surprisingly, some less sophisticated boats as middle freezer trawlers (TSM and PST types) M-0053 «Opon» owned by Fishing co-op «ZARYA», M-0105 «Georgievsk» owned by OOO «Karat» ltd showed similar good rates.