Outlook for fisheries in the North Basin in May 2008

In May 2008 in the Barents Sea the Russian shipowners and vessel managers hope for retaining satisfactory conditions for bottomfish operations with the harvest of cod and haddock forecasted to be not lower than in April 2008, fishery sources in Murmansk, with reference to provisional figures as per mid-May 2008, told www.fishnet-russia.com (https://www.fishnet.ru/).

In the course of the month the fleet will continue moving from the Norwegian EEZ to more eastern area - the Grey Zone and the southwest of the Russian EEZ due to which the harvest of saithe will go considerably down.

In the Norwegian Sea satisfactory conditions for the blue whiting fishery in the course of the month are expected only within the Faroese fishing zone. Taking into account continuing northwards migration to more northern feeding grounds in the Norwegian Sea, the fleet will also gradually move to the north. It is expected that due to the periodical shifts of the fleet's location the harvest of blue whiting is forecasted to remain at 47,000 tonnes.

Active expedition fishery of ocean perch Sebastes mentella with fairly good fishery conditions will develop in the Irminger Sea where in the course of May 2008 the Russian vessels are expected to send up to 20 fishing vessels. Main concentrations of the pelagic ocean perch under the western slopes of the northern part of the underwater Reykjanes Ridge in May are expected to locate at the depths of 600-700 meters at the borderline of the 200-mile zone of Iceland to the west of the 30th degree West.