Overview of Russian fisheries in North and Central Atlantic in September 2011

According to estimated figures, in September 2011 the Russian harvest in the Atlantic Ocean and Southeast Pacific increased by 7,400 MT to 118,400 MT. The contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels remained on a par with the previous month - namely at 28%.

The number of vessels participating in trawl bottomfish operations in the Barents Sea in September 2011 declined to 52  trawlers and 32 small inshore boats coming from Murmansk-led North Fisheries Basin. Just like in the previous month the largest catch of 22,300 MT (-2,400 MT) was recorded in Spitsbergen, the figure including cod catches of 16,300 MT (+1,700 MT) and haddock - 5,800 MT (+4,000 MT). The harvest in the Russian waters amounted to 6,300 MT (-2,600 MT), including 3,500 MT of cod (-1,700 MT) and 2,400 MT of haddock (-700 MT). Besides, in the Russian waters 9 trawlers and 16 small trawlers continued dedicated fishery of plaice. Their harvest amounted to 1,300 MT (-300 MT), of which 82% were contributed by plaice.

Longline ground fishery of sea cats and cod in the Barents Sea was conducted by 9 vessels (7 from Murmansk and 2 from Kaliningrad). The largest catch with the best daily rates of 14 MT was recorded in the international waters of the sea. Similar results of 12 MT per day were reported by longliners operating in the Russian EEZ and in the Grey zone. The lowest daily catches were observed in the waters of Spitsbergen. In the Norwegian EEZ the fishing operations were occasional. The average daily catch rates amounted to less than 12 MT per vessel.

According to provisional figures, the remainder of the Russian quotas amounted to 20% for cod and 15% for haddock.

On 23 September 2011 one Murmansk-based vessel began hunting for halibut in the Barents Sea. The harvest amounted to 100 MT. Last year the dedicated halibut fishery began on 8 September 2011.

The crab fishery in the Barents Sea was conducted by 15 vessels. The fishery conditions were fairly good, the catch rates of SRTM middle trawlers amounted to 6 MT per day on the average.

Murmansk-based foreign-built trawler was targeting sea scallops in the Barents Sea with the catch rates being as good as 22 MT per day.

The herring fishery was conducted by up to 30 trawlers (18 from Murmansk and 12 from Kaliningrad). In the course of September 2011 the vessels were following fish schools from the open part of the sea via Spitsbergen to the Norwegian EEZ, where by the start of the closing ten days of the month all the fishing vessels were working. The fishery situation was fairly good, catches of BATM large trawlers amounted to 100-120 MT per day. On 23 September 2011 two Kaliningrad-based BATM large trawlers Pavel Batov and Porfiry Chanchibadze owned by ZAO Rybflot FOR started herring fishery in the south of the open part of the Norwegian Sea between the 66-67th degrees North and 2 degrees West - 2 degrees East. Later on another 6 vessels joined them on the grounds and the total number of trawlers reached 8. The fishery conditions were also good there. The total harvest in all the fishing areas amounted to 53,500 MT (+39,800 MT) of herring, of which 42% were contributed by Kaliningrad-based vessels. From the beginning of the year the herring harvest totaled 94,200 MT (64.4% of the Russian quota of 146,300 MT). In the year 2010 the total harvest for the same period amounted to 119,000 MT.

A group of 8 Murmansk-based trawlers and 6 trawlers coming from Kaliningrad were targeting ocean perch Sebastes mentella in the open part of the Norwegian Sea. The conditions were mostly weak and non-stable and a noticeable improvement was observed only in the closing ten days of September 2011. Catches of TSM seiner trawlers in the first 20 days of the month amounted to 9 MT per day and in the closing 10 days of the month they rose to 22 MT. The total harvest through September 2011 amounted to 3,200 MT of ocean perch, of which Kaliningrad-based fishermen contributed 50%. On 30 September 2011 due to exhaustion of the international quota the fishery was suspended. The total harvest from the beginning of the year amounted to 3,600 MT (the quota of 7900 MT was issued for all member countries, the quota to be exhausted under the Olympic system). In the first eight months of 2010 the catch amounted to 4,800 MT.

By the end of the first ten days of September 2011 Kaliningrad-based vessel targeting halibut in the waters of East Greenland exhausted her quota and left the area. Only Murmansk-based foreign-built RTIP trawler stayed on the grounds and in the closing ten days of the month 3 trawlers arrived from the NAFO to joint her on the halibut grounds. Thus, the halibut fishery was conducted by 5 vessels (4 from Murmansk and one from Kaliningrad). Catches were fairly good, the RTIP trawler reported daily catches of 12 MT on the average.

In September 2011 in the Northwest Atlantic in the NAFO zone the ocean perch and halibut operations were conducted by three Murmansk-based trawlers. All the vessels gradually left the area and moved to the waters of West Greenland. The average daily catch was recorded at 4 MT on the halibut grounds and at 23 MT on the ocean perch grounds.

Pelagic fisheries in the waters of Moroccan EEZ were still conducted by 10 vessels (6 trawlers based in Murmansk, 3 in Kaliningrad and 1 in Saint Petersburg). The vessels were working in between the 21st and 24th degrees North. The fishery situation was generally satisfactory. The average daily catch of refurbished RTMKS trawlers amounted to ca.110 MT. In September 2011 Murmansk-based vessels were mostly hunting for sardine, while Kaliningrad-based fishermen were targeting mackerel. In the month under analysis the Russian fishermen harvested 21,200 MT of fish (+600 MT), including 1,600 MT of horse mackerel, 8,300 MT of mackerel, 10,200 MT of sardine and 800 MT of sardinella. Contribution of Kaliningrad fishermen in the total harvest amounted to 31%. The total Russian catch in the Moroccan waters amounted to 49,300 MT (in the same period of 2010 the result was 42,200 MT).

The fishery in the Mauritanian EEZ was conducted by 3 Russian trawlers (1 vessel from Murmansk and 2 from Saint Petersburg). On 20 September 2011 Murmansk-based trawler suspended fishing and left the area. Just like in the previous month the fishing grounds were located in between the 18th degree North and the border with the Moroccan EEZ. The fishery situation was satisfactory, the efficiency of refurbished RTMKS amounted to 51 MT on the average. The total harvest through the period under analysis amounted to 3,000 MT (-2,000 MT), of which 1,200 MT of sardinella, 1,000 MT of horse mackerel and 600 MT of mackerel. Kaliningrad-based vessels harvested 68% of raw fish. From the beginning of the year the harvest in the Mauritanian waters amounted to 45,700 MT versus 79,900 MT in the same period last year.

The Russian operations on the toothfish grounds in the Argentinean subarea beyond the border of the economic zone were conducted by two longliners coming from the Russian Far East. In the beginning of the month one of the vessels suspended fishing operations. The conditions were stable, daily catches amounted to 0.6 MT. The total harvest amounted to 13 MT of toothfish, the catch from the beginning of the year totalled 158 MT.

On 4 September 2011 two BATM large trawlers operating in the Southeast Pacific stopped fishing for horse mackerel and left the area. The total catch for the first eight months of the year amounted to 8,300 MT.

Russian harvest of main commercial species in North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic in January-September 2011