Total harvest of finfish and other aquatic species nearing 5 mln MT by early December 2018
As per 5 December 2018 the Russian fishermen harvested 4.73 million metric tons of aquatic biological resources, thus showing a 6.2% rise of catches as compared to the same period last year, according to the Federal Agency for Fisheries (FAF).
More specifically, in the Far East Fishery Basin the nation’s fleets harvested 3.3 mln tonnes, 365,000 tonnes up on year 2017. The Alaska Pollock harvest amounted to 1.6 million MT, 24,400 tonnes down on last year. The Pacific cod catch rose by 17,000 tonnes to 115,000 tonnes. The harvest of Pacific salmons soared to 676,000 tonnes, +325,000 tonnes on 2017.
In the period under analysis the fishermen of Murmansk-led North Fishery Basin harvested 563,000 metric tons, 29,000 tonnes up on last year (thanks to catches of 66,000 tonnes of capelin). The Atlantic cod harvest has declined by 41,000 tonnes to 333,000 tonnes. The haddock catch totalled 86,000 tonnes, 11,000 tonnes down on last year.
In Kaliningrad-led West Fishery Basin the total catch rose by 2,700 tonnes to 71,000 metric tons. The sprat catches amounted to 36,600 tonnes, 1,600 tonnes up on last year. The Baltic herring harvest amounted to 21,550 tonnes, +1,340 tonnes on last year.
In the Azov-Black Sea Fishery Basin the Russian fishermen harvested 64,000 tonnes of fish or 16,300 tonnes down on last year. Catches of European anchovy declined by 13,000 tonnes to 29,000 tonnes. Decreasing trends were also observed for sprat – 1,000 tonnes down to 13,700 tonnes and Black Sea sprat – 2,000 tonnes down to 3,430 tonnes.
In the Volga-Caspian Sea Fishery Basin the total harvest through to 5 December 2018 amounted to 55,000 tonnes to display an 8,200 tonnes fall on last year. Catches of small and large freshwater fish totalled 24,000 tonnes, 5,300 tonnes down on last year.
The Russian catches in foreign EEZs totalled 396,800 tonnes, 51,100 tonnes down on last year. In the convention areas and in the international waters of the World Ocean the Russian harvest amounted to 260,400 metric tons, 43,200 tonnes down on last year.