Pacific salmon season taking off in Russian Far East
On June 1, the Pacific salmon fishery took off in the Russian Far East. The targeted species will mostly include pink salmon, chum salmon, sockeye and coho as well as less important quantities of chinook and sima, reports Megafishnet.com.
According to the Federal Agency for Fishery (FAF), the catch of Pacific salmon in 2021 is possible in the range of 459 thousand metric tons. This forecast is comparable to the average annual values for the last 10 years. Thus, the fishery should be able to meet the needs of the Russian market both in wild salmon and red caviar.
The basis of the fishery, as in previous years, will be formed by pink salmon expected to account for about 70% of the catch. The contribution of chum salmon and sockeye to the total catch is estimated at 20% and 7%, respectively.
In particular, the pink salmon harvest is expected to reach 322 thousand tons, which is 1.8 times higher than the level of the actual catch last year. The catch of chum salmon for 2021 is projected at 93 thousand tons, which is 11% higher than last year. The catch of sockeye salmon is projected to be 5% higher with 32 thousand tons while coho harvest may grow by 11%, up to 11 thousand tons.
The catch of chinook salmon is expected to reach 370 tons while sima may yield a mere 60 tons against 319.5 tons and 10.3 tons in 2020, respectively. These are species of small abundance caught mainly by anglers.
Fishing for Pacific salmon traditionally opens in Kamchatka Territory from June 1. This year, Kamchatka, as before, will be the main fishing region with 359 thousand tons of Pacific salmon expected to be caught in its waters. Harvest volumes in the Sakhalin Region and the Khabarovsk Territory are expected to reach 45 and 37 thousand tons, respectively. The total catch in the Magadan Region, in the Chukotka Autonomous District and the Primorsky Territory (Capital Vladivostok) may amount to 17.7 thousand tons.
Forecasts that are given at the beginning of the season are not final and will be regulated during the season by regional commissions for the harvesting of anadromous fish based on the recommendations of the fishery science.
FAF declared 2021 the Year of Salmon. Accordingly, the stocks surveys have been expanded to assess the abundance more accurately. In particular, international studies of the conditions of winter fish habitat in the North Pacific Ocean were conducted to form a more accurate forecast of salmon catch in 2021.