Outlook for fisheries in Russia's Far East in May 2010
Start of the new pollock fishery is normally concentrated in the Navarin area on the pollock population staying there for wintering and spawning. The fishery is usually conducted by a small group of vessels as the stock biomass is also small. The average daily catches of large vessels may amount to 50-60 metric tons.
In May 2010 in the West Bering Sea zone and in the Karaginsk subarea trawl and longline catches of grenadier will be possible as the fish is moving to smaller depths with the water warming up. Bottom trawl catches may amount to 1-4 tonnes per one hour tow. Through the month the harvest is expected at up to 1000-1500 tonnes of grenadier with the fishery to be conducted by 2-3 trawlers and 3-5 longliners. The bycatch normally contains halibuts, skates, ocean perch and black cod.
In May 2010 trawlers and longliners will be able to target grenadier beyond the territorial waters in the North Kurile zone where the harvest is recommended at 1000-2000 tonnes.
On the cod grounds the fishery conditions are expected to be fairly favourble on the water area free from ice in the West Bering Sea zone, high catches of cod are possible also at the delineation line at 17930-17700 degrees West. Catches are expected at up to 9-10 tonnes per trawler daily. Longliners will be harvesting ca.5-8 tonnes per day.
Already in the beginning of the month the fishing efforts in the Karaginsk subarea have been noticeably rising in number, however the fishery efficiency in the area will be lower. More specifically, longliners are forecasted to catch 4-6 tonnes per day, while trawlers and Danish seiners will be catching up to 2-3 tonnes per ship with one third of the harvest to contain flounder.
Crabbers will also continue operating in the area.
On the shelf and in the upper part of the depths break bottomfish operations will be conducted in the Kamchatka-Kurile subarea with Danish seine gear. The share of flounder will reach 50-60% of the harvest and the total catch through the month may amount to ca.12,000 tonnes of bottomfish subject to the fishing efforts numbering 30-40 trawlers.
In May 2010 there is a possibility for the dedicated longline fishery of black halibut which is actively feeding in that period of the year and forming feeding concentrations in the North Okhotsk subarea. The share of halibuts in the harvest of netters is forecasted to reach 95%. Through the month netters are expected to harvest 1.5-2.5 tonnes of halibuts.
Conditions for the black halibut fishery with net, trawl and longline gear will be favourable in the waters of West Kamchatka. From the ocean side at the Paramushir Island cod trawl fishery will also probably be efficient. Average daily catches per vessel may amount to 4-5 tonnes and up to 7-8 tonnes including the bycatch of flounder, sculpins, pollock and other finfish species. Daily catch rates of longliners may amount to ca.3-5 tonnes per ship.
According to the scientists, taking into account the catch dynamics, satisfactory fishery situation is expected on the grounds of the B. magister squid in the both areas of the North Kuriles. Catches which are expected to be not very high in the beginning of the month will increase to 5-6 tonnes per tow and 20-25 tonnes per day by the end of the month. Bycatch of finfish on some grounds will reach 30-40%.
In the Sea of Okhotsk the group of vessels targeting snow crab opilio will be getting bigger in number as newcomers arrive at the area.
Already in the second half of May 2010 those vessels that have received commercial quotas via auctions will start harvesting salmon on some particular water grounds.