Overview of fisheries in North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic as per 13 February 2011

In the Barents Sea 67 vessels carried out trawl operations including 65 vessels coming from Murmansk and 2 vessels based in Kaliningrad. In the period under analysis the Norwegian EEZ played more important role in the fishery. The number of vessels and catches in the subarea increased while that in the Russian EEZ and Spitzbergen decreased. Catch volume in the Norwegian EEZ amounted to 31,900 tonnes including 28,000 tonnes of cod and 2,600 tonnes of haddock. Catches in Spitzbergen amounted to 15,800 tonnes including 4,700 tonnes of cod and 10,400 tonnes of haddock. In the Russian EEZ coastal vessels harvested 11,100 tonnes of fish including 6,600 tonnes of cod and 4,000 tonnes of haddock.

Eleven longliners (10 vessels from Murmansk and one from Kaliningrad) harvested cod, haddock and sea cat in the Barents Sea. The vessels mainly operated in the Norwegian EEZ, grey zones and in Spitzbergen. There were single catches in the international waters and in the Russian EEZ. Average daily catch rates varied from 12 to 15 tonnes per ship.

Trawl and longline on bottomfish grounds in the Barents Sea were fairly good in the opening one and a half months of the year 2011. According to provisional figures, since the beginning of the year cod catches amounted to 41,419 tonnes (13.5% of the Russian quota), of haddock - 17,663 tonnes (12.6% of the Russian quota).

Capelin fishery was opened on 25 January 2011 (last year the season started on 23 January 2010). Capelin concentrated to the southeast of the area of the previous year season. In the first half of February 2011 the fleet followed capelin concentrations to the southwest within the Russian EEZ, namely from 7040 degree North to 6935 degree East. The capelin catches grew during the period under analysis. By the end of the period the number of fishing vessels amounted to 30 (23 trawlers from Murmansk and 7 trawlers from Kaliningrad). The fishery conditions were good. The harvest amounted to 37,100 tonnes or 35.3% of the Russian quota. During the same period last year 19,500 tonnes were harvested.

Herring operations in the Norwegian EEZ in January 2011 were carried out by 12 trawlers coming from Murmansk, but when the capelin season took off almost all the vessels moved to the Barents Sea. By the end of the period two trawlers continued operations on the fishing grounds, one from Murmansk and one from Kaliningrad. The conditions were good. The catch volume as per 13 February 2011 amounted to 18,400 tonnes of herring (12.5% of the Russian quota) in comparison with 17,500 tonnes during the same period of the year 2010.

Pelagic fisheries in the Mauritania EEZ in January 2011 were carried out by 5 Russian trawlers (2 vessels from Murmansk were left fishing). The weather conditions in January 2011 were difficult with abnormally high temperature of ocean surface (+2.7 degrees C). The conditions improved in February 2011 but the fishery situation was weak. The catch volume amounted to 4,200 tonnes (in comparison with 19,000 tonnes last year) including 1000 tonnes of horse mackerel, 200 tonnes of mackerel, 1200 tonnes of sardine and 100 tonnes of sardinella.

In Senegal waters 5-7 large Russian trawlers carried out fishing operations. The fishery conditions were satisfactory with short periods of worse weather. The catch volume amounted to 14,000 tonnes including 8,300 tonnes of horse mackerel, 1,900 of mackerel and 1,500 tonnes of sardinella.

Provisional figures of Russian catches of main commercial species in the North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic from the beginning of 2011 as per 13 February 2011