Overview of Russia's fisheries in Northwest Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic on 11-17 October 2010
Trawl fishery of bottomfish species in the Barents Sea was conducted by 28 Russian vessels, including 27 ships coming from the North Basin and one ship coming from Kaliningrad. Main fishing areas remained in the conservation zone of Spitsbergen and Russian EEZ. As compared to the previous period, catches in the both areas declined, though their ratio remained unchanged. In the Russian EEZ in the period under analysis the fishermen harvested 2100 tonnes (-1000 tonnes), including 1500 tonnes of cod (-300 tonnes) and 500 tonnes of haddock (-500 tonnes). The harvest in Spitsbergen waters amounted to 2000 tonnes (-700 tonnes), including 1900 tonnes of cod (-400 tonnes), but its share in the harvest grew to 93%, haddock was met only as bycatch, its harvest amounting to less than 100 tonnes (-300 tonnes).
Longline fishery of bottomfish (cod and sea cats) was conducted by 6 vessels coming from Murmansk-led North Fisheries Basin. They were operating in the waters of Spitsbergen and in the international waters of the Barents Sea. In the remaining zones (Grey Zone, Russian EEZ and Norwegian EEZ) there were single catches. Average daily catch rates on 11-17 October 2010 were on par with the previous week, namely at 8.3 tonnes.
The halibut fishery in the Barents Sea was conducted by four ships (2 longliners and 2 trawlers). The average daily rates amounted to 4.9 tonnes per longliner and 22.7 tonnes per trawler.
The remainder of the Russian quotas, according to provisional figures, amounted to ca.17% for cod and 18% for haddock (the latter remainder staying practically unchanged from the previous week).
The red king crab fishery was conducted by 15 ships based in the North Fisheries Basin, the conditions grew dramatically worse, the average harvest per day amounting to 1-4 tonnes. The total catch through the week amounted to 263 tonnes (-170 tonnes) of crabs. From the beginning of the fishery season the fleets harvested 3039 tonnes of crabs out of the quota of 4000 tonnes.
The fishery operations on the grounds of Polar cod Boreogadus saida were joined by large Murmansk-based vessels who switched from the herring fishery. The total number of fishing efforts on the grounds reached 11. The fishery conditions were good, the total harvest through the week amounted to 4793 tonnes, with the total harvest from the fishery start therefore making 8671 tonnes.
In the Norwegian Sea the herring fishery was conducted by 29 Russian vessels. Herring was targeted mostly in the Norwegian EEZ, but its share in the total herring harvest through the week under analysis went down to 76%, the remaining share was contributed by Spitsbergen waters. The conditions on the herring grounds were fairly good. The Russian herring harvest continued dwindling and amounted to 10,700 tonnes, 1400 tonnes down on the previous week of October 2010. The catch decline could be attributed to distraction of some of the vessels to landing operations. The contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels in the herring harvest amounted to a little more than 37% of the Russian herring harvest through the week. The total Russian catch from the beginning of the year amounted to 148,500 tonnes of herring, the quota remainder making 26.2%.
In the waters of East Greenland the halibut operations were conducted by one ship coming from Kaliningrad describing the fishery conditions as weak. The efforts on the halibut grounds in the waters of West Greenland grew to 4 in number as one trawler based in Murmansk left the NAFO zone and joined the halibut fleet in West Greenland. The conditions were satisfactory. The total halibut harvest in the both areas reached 175 tonnes through the period under analysis.
In the Moroccan EEZ pelagic fisheries were conducted by seven Russian large trawlers. The fishery situation in the area could be characterized as satisfactory and close to the multi annual average level. The harvest through the week amounted to 3600 tonnes, 2300 tonnes down on the result of the previous week. On 11-17 October 2010 the leading position in terms of catch volumes (58%) belonged to mackerel which harvest grew by 800 tonnes to 2100 tonnes. The harvest of horse mackerel declined by 700 tonnes to 600 tonnes, the catch of sardines amounted to 800 tonnes (-2000 tonnes). The share of Kaliningrad-based vessels dropped to 28% of the harvest (due to the ships' distraction to landing operations).