Outlook for fisheries in the Russian Far East in June 2007
In the Bering Sea and in East Kamchatka Russian trawlers will continue harvesting Alaska pollock migrating during the whole June into the northwest part of the Bering Sea from the adjacent eastern part in the form of separate schools of different size and strength. According to the scientific forecasts, the fishery efficiency can change within short periods of time.
Longliners will continue harvesting cod and halibuts.
On the bottomfish grounds flounder will be the dominating species.
Crabbers will be harvesting blue king crab and snow crab opilio and bairdi.
Abundant fishery of sockeye will normally start on 9-10 June 2007 and the fishery peak will happen on 12-16 June 2007. Scientists say that the fishermen will harvest sockeye of 40-67 cm with the average length of ca.55 cm and weight of 2.5 kilos.
Spawning runs of pink salmon to the northeast coast of Kamchatka will start not earlier than the closing ten days of June. The monthly harvest is not expected to exceed 100 tonnes. That period of the month will be also noted for chum salmon runs, though in June the harvest of the species will hardly cover more than 5% of the TAC.
In the Sea of Okhotsk already in the first half of the month the fleets will finish harvesting roe herring. No substantial changes in the structure of catches are expected with cod, halibuts, flounder, sculpins, grenadier, crabs, shrimps and whelks remaining main fishing species.
Chum and pink salmon runs into the West Kamchatka subarea are not expected in June 2007. In the opening five days of the month first runs of sockeye from the Ozernovsk stock are expected in the south of West Kamchatka, though the runs will be not abundant and catches may amount to no more than 1% of the total annual catch.
Catches of squid in the North and Central Kuriles will be on a par with the multiyear average results. The fishery conditions are expected to be satisfactory.
In other fishing areas the fisheries in June will not differ much from May, but for the number of fishing vessels.