Potential pink salmon catches for new season made public
Among other issues on the agenda the scientists have discussed principles of pollock quota distribution in the West Bering Sea zone for offshore and inshore operations.
New salmon season
The meeting has listened to the forecast of salmon catches in the coming season 2010, according to which the fishermen can harvest 341,000 tonnes of salmon without a risk of damaging the stocks. Main runs of salmons are expected to the west coast of Kamchatka where the fishermen will be able to harvest 123,300 tonnes, of which 90,000 tonnes of pink salmon, 14,000 tonnes of chum salmon and 17,000 tonnes of sockeye. At the eastern shores of Kamchatka in the Karaginsk and Petropavlovsk-Commander subareas possible catches of salmons amount to 42,200 tonnes, including ca.13,000 tonnes of pink salmon and 15,000 tonnes of chum salmon. In the waters of East Sakhalin the harvest of pink salmon is possible at 42,400 tonnes and that of chum salmon is forecasted at 15,200 tonnes. In the waters of the South Kuriles the catches are forecasted at 49,100 tonnes, of which 29,800 tonnes of pink salmon and 19,100 tonnes of chum salmon. At the continental slope of the Sea of Okhotsk (within Khabarovsky Krai territory) the fishermen are expected to harvest ca.14,500 tonnes of salmons, including 13,000 tonnes of pinks. About 21,000 tonnes of chum salmon are recommended for capture in the Amur River and its estuary. Under the order of the Federal Fisheries Agency the fishery management plan and forms of daily reports have been duly approved, just like the membership of the working group. Headquarters of the salmon fishery management are being formed now.
Participants of the meeting have also looked into organization of the Pacific salmon fishery and rules for online change of allowable catch volumes in 2010 by the Commission for regulation of anadromous finfish species.
Other resources
As for the second most important issue on the agenda, the Far East Research Council has expelled from the list of aquatic biological resources regulated by the TACs in 2011 such species as pollock, cod, squid in the Primorye subarea (to the north and south of the Zolotoy Cape). The TACs of the above mentioned species have remained unexhausted year by year with the commercial stocks being fairly abundant. According to vice-governor of Primorsky Krai, the decision will probably encourage the fishermen to harvest the above mentioned bioresources and positively influence the economic activity of the region.
At the same time, a decision has been made to leave in the list of TAC-regulated species such fish as flounder and wachna cod of the Karaginsk subarea, white halibut, shrimp Pandalus goniurus and coonstripe Pandalus hypsinotis in the North Okhotsk subarea, triangle tanner crab in the East Sakhalin subarea and whelks in the Primorye subarea (to the north of the Zolotoy Cape) as those stocks are not so large. Besides, scientists are recommended to develop grounds for exclusion of the South Kuriles laminaria and the West Kamchatka herring from the list of TAC-regulated species.
The approach to distribution of pollock quotas in the West Bering Sea zone between the offshore and inshore fisheries has remained unchanged. The quota distribution has been caused by a decrease of the pollock TAC 2010 in the area by 82,000 tonnes.