More than 450 thousand tons of Pacific salmon were harvested in the Far East
The Far East is actively fishing for Pacific salmon: 453 thousand tons were harvested by August 17, which is 14% more than the cyclical 2019 level and more than double the 2020 indicator (99% of the forecasted catch). The development of fishing and the supply of fish products to the shore was discussed at a meeting of the headquarters for organizing salmon fishing, which was chaired by the head of the Federal Agency for Fishery Ilya Shestakov via videoconference with the regions of the Far East.
According to the Federal Agency for Fishery, the level reached is the historical maximum at the reporting date. By this time, in the overwhelming year 2018 (when a record 676 thousand tons in the entire history of the world fishery was mastered), 415 thousand tons were produced, and in the cyclical 2019 - 399 thousand tons of Pacific salmon. Traditionally, the main object of fishing during the season is pink salmon: its catch has already reached 393 thousand tons. Chum and sockeye salmon catch amounted to 32 thousand tons and 27 thousand tons, respectively. The total production of other species of Pacific salmon was about 1,000 tons.
“Salmon fishing in some areas is already coming to an end, in others it is just beginning. The catch is in line with what science has predicted, even slightly better. Today we will discuss all the issues requiring additional settlement, primarily those related to transportation and delivery both for export and for the domestic market. We must clearly understand what needs to be done additionally for the next fishing season, if we are again having a hard time handling catch,” Ilya Shestakov noted.
The head of Rosrybolovstvo drew attention to the fact that enterprises must plan processing in advance, and instructed to work out the possibility of assigning obligations to users of fishing sites for preliminary planning of ensuring the acceptance of catches and further logistics.
“I propose to consider it as a measure - to secure obligations for users to ensure the acceptance of catches, and not to open fishing at the sites, if this has not been done. I think that through the regional commissions for regulating the production of anadromous species, we will be able to do this, ”stressed Ilya Shestakov.
The main salmon fishing area in 2021 is Kamchatka, where 414 thousand tons of Pacific salmon was caught, or 91% of the total catch in the Far East. The positive dynamics of the fishery is noted in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Magadan Region: more than 13 thousand tons and 9.1 thousand tons, respectively (+1.7 thousand tons and +1.1 thousand tons to the level of 2019).
Lagging behind 2019 indicators is observed among the fishermen of the Sakhalin and the Chukotka, who have caught more than 13 thousand tons and 4.6 thousand tons to date.
With a significant advance (17 times) compared to 2019, the fishing season passes through the territory of the Primorsky Territory, however, the total volume compared to other Far Eastern regions is insignificant and amounts to slightly more than 0.11 thousand tons (113 tons).
It was possible to reach the historical maximum catch in mid-August thanks to timely management decisions. In accordance with the instructions of the head of the Federal Agency for Fishery, the Scientific Headquarters for Salmon Fishing was created at VNIRO, which included leading experts. This provided a sharp reduction in the time for the adoption of scientific recommendations for the operational regulation of fish production.
Active salmon fishing in the Far East will continue for about a month and a half. If the observed fishing intensity remains the same, there is a likelihood of reaching a catch level of 560–590 thousand tonnes of Pacific salmon.
The cautious optimism of scientists is associated with the fact that in 2021, in comparison with previous years, the number of approaches and, accordingly, sockeye and chum salmon catch decreased.
Considering the high intensity of salmon approach to both eastern and western coasts of Kamchatka, Okhotsk coast of the Khabarovsk Territory and the Magadan Region, northeastern Sakhalin, 23 adjustments were made towards an increase in the projected production volume, and by now it has grown to 624 thousand tons ( + 164.6 thousand tons or 36% of the original).
During the meeting, they traditionally discussed issues of delivering fish to the shore, fish protection measures, monitoring fish entry and filling spawning grounds.
The head of the Federal Agency for Fishery drew attention to the need to control the loading of refrigeration facilities and the dynamics of sending fish cargo to the central regions of Russia.