Overview of Russia's fisheries in Northwest Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic on 8-15 November 2010

In North Atlantic stormy weather contributed to lower catches. Contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels in the above harvest went to 25%. Fishing vessels operated in 4 main areas:

1. In the Barents Sea (cod and haddock with bycatches of demersal fish species, kred king crab, polar cod (Boreogadus saida). The harvest volumes of cod and haddock decreased slightly by 220 tonnes and 430 tonnes correspondingly. The harvest volumes of red king crab amounted to 72 tonnes (42 tonnes less in comparison with the first week of November 2010. The harvest volume of polar cod fell to 2400 tonnes (870 tonnes less) that was explained by the period of loading activities, market oversaturation in Murmansk and lack of interest to continue fishing activities from some vessel owner' side.

2. Norwegian Sea. The catches of herring as per the mid November 2010 in the North West of Norwegian EEZ decreased to 6100 tonnes (2,500 tonnes less, mainly due to stormy weather conditions). The contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels amounted to 54% (a part of trawlers from the North fisheries basin were moved to target polar cod). Herring continued to be the first rank in the list of species harvested in North Atlantic.

3. Central Eastern Atlantic. The harvest volume of pelagic fish species in the waters of Morocco fell to 3,900 tonnes (500 tonnes less mainly due to the decrease of horse mackerel share to 19%). The share of sardine catches as per the second week of November 2010 amounted to 67%, of mackerel - 7%.

4. Small group of trawlers (4) were operating the deep fishery of Greenland halibut in Northwest Atlantic. The harvested volume in Greenland area amounted to 116 tonnes. According to the total catches figures herring of Norwegian Sea and cod of Barents Sea were the main drivers of the fisheries with 6,100 and 23,700 tonnes of catches correspondingly. Sardine from Central Eastern Atlantic ranked the third in total catches list with 2,800 tonnes.

Barents Sea. Demersal species. The fishing vessels were located in two main areas: in the South East of the Sea in Russian EEZ the main part of the fishery was contributed by cod with large bycatches of haddock. In some areas the main part of catches was contributed by small haddock. Total harvest of cod and haddock in the Barents Sea amounted to 3,700 tonnes and 850 tonnes correspondingly. The total catch in two main areas was approximately equal amounting to 1,900 tonnes of cod and 325 tonnes of haddock in the North West part of the Sea and 1,600 tonnes of cod and 504 tonnes of haddock in the South East of the Sea. Some trawlers carried out a dedicated fishery of black halibut in the West part of Norwegian EEZ where the catches as per the second week of November 2010 amounted to 220 tonnes.

As per the mid-November 2010 Russian catches of cod in the Barents Sea amounted to 227,300 tonnes since January 2010, the quota take-up at more than 93%; of haddock - to 92,100 tonnes (quota take-up at 93%). Saithe catches increased to 114,000 tonnes.

Polar cod (Boreogadus saida).The fishing conditions of prespawning polar cod (main schools of spawning polar cod migrated to the South) were relatively good. The catches of polar cod decreased considerably. A group of 5 - 7 vessels during the week under analysis harvested 2,400 tonnes of the species (down 870 tonnes). The oversupply of polar cod harvested in October 2010 in Murmansk emerged the main reason. There was a lack of interest in fishing polar cod in the region as it was getting more difficult to sell the fish on the market. However, the total catch since the beginning of the season on 22 September 2010 exceeded 22,000 tonnes (in comparison with the total catches of 17,200 in the year 2009). At sea production as per the second week of November 2010 was limited by one product category of whole round polar cod frozen. By the beginning of the second week of November 2010 the retail price of polar cod in Murmansk varied from RUR18.00 to RUR25.00 per kilo, wholesale prices from RUR13.50 to RUR15.00 per kilo.

Red king crab. The number of vessels targeting red king crab began decreasing. The total catches of the species in the second week of November 2010 amounted to 72 tonnes (41 tonnes less in comparison with the previous week of November).

Herring

The total catch as per the second week of November 2010 amounted to 6,100 tonnes with the average size of 300gr. Kaliningrad-based vessels harvested 54% of herring. Herring continued to be the first in the total share of catches with total volume since the beginning of the year amounting to about 182,000 tonnes. The quotas were taken up at 91%.

Blue whiting

The blue whiting fishery was carried out as a bycatch in the herring fishery. As per 15 November 2010 Kaliningrad-based vessels harvested less than 80 tonnes of blue whiting.

Central Eastern Atlantic

The pelagic fishery in the waters of Morocco was carried out by 4 trawlers which harvested 3,900 tonnes of fish as per the second week of November 2010. The main species harvested was sardine which amounted to 67% or 2,700 tonnes. The share of horse mackerel decreased to 19% or 740 tonnes, of mackerel to 7% or 260 tonnes. Tuna catches amounted to 130 tonnes or 3% of the total catch. Small bycatches of anchovy (30 tonnes), bream (13 tonnes) and sardinella (5 tonnes) were reported.

Greenland halibut

In Central Eastern Atlantic 3-4 trawlers of the North basin were targeting black halibut. The total catches in Greenland area (Eastern and Western sectors) amounted to about 120 tonnes. The quota in the East Greenland area amounted to 1175 tonnes in West Greenland area - 1875 tonnes in 2010.

Russian catches in Northwest Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic on 8-15 November 2010 , tonnes