Progressing of fisheries in the Russian Far East as per mid-July 2009

In the first half of July 2009 Alaska pollock was the dominating species targeted by the fleets in the Russian Far East Basin, but during several weeks the fishery situation on the pollock grounds was extremely weak in the main fishing area of the Bering Sea, reports www.fishnet-russia.com (https://www.fishnet.ru/) with reference to NCMC and fishery sources in Vladivostok.

Bering Sea and East Kamchatka

The daily catches of pollock by the end of the week decreased to 830 tonnes with up to 35 middle and large fishing vessels operating on the grounds. The fleet very often switched to spotting for pollock concentrations. The average daily harvest per large vessel amounted to 35.3 tonnes. The vessels harvested 13-18 tonnes per tow on the average.

In the week from 6 to 12 July 2009 the scientists introduced potential increase of the pollock TAC in the West Bering Sea zone for public discussion by the fishermen. The increase of the TAC covers the pollock population of the Komandor waters where there is a reserve area with the fishery operations prohibited within the 30-mile zone of the Komandor state reserve. However, according to the trawl surveys made by the research vessels, this pollock population has grown as strong as to sustain catches of up to 74 tonnes. From spring to autumn the Komandor pollock feeds in the Karaginsk subarea and moves to the south of the West Bering Sea zone where the fishery of the species is possible in a sparing mode with the total harvest not to exceed 10,000 tonnes. The fishermen have supported the scientists' appeal to the respective institutions on introducing the Komandor pollock population into commercial fishery operations.

The dedicated pollock fishery was conducted in the Kuriles, in other areas it was harvested as bycatch in trawl, Danish seine and longline fisheries.

In the West Bering Sea zone the trawl fishery of halibuts was conducted by two Kamchatka-based vessels harvesting ca.70 tonnes of halibuts through the week. In the same zone beyond the territorial waters the Russian longliners were targeting cod with 9 ships daily handling more than 200 km of longline. They harvested 330 tonnes of cod, halibut was harvested only as bycatch accounting for 13%. In the Karaginsk subarea also beyond the inshore waters the cod fishery was conducted by two longliners with the fleet's weekly harvest not exceeding 70 tonnes.

Alaska pollock was the main commercial species in the trawl and Danish seine fisheries of mixed bottomfish for human consumption in the inshore waters of the Karaginsk subarea and its share in the harvest reached 97%.

Kamchatka-based crabber operating in the subarea harvested ca.7 tonnes of snow crab opilio through the week.

North and South Kuriles

Only Vladivostok-based vessels owned by NBAMR plc continued the dedicated squid fishery in the Kurile waters as Kamchatka-based vessels left the area in order to switch to the salmon fishery in Kamchatka. A little more than 1100 tonnes of squid were harvested through the week from 6 to 12 July 2009.

The trawlers coming from Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Vladivostok continued stable and efficient operations on the grenadier grounds. The group's daily harvest was reported at 130-135 tonnes and the total catch of 7 ships amounted to ca.990 tonnes through the week.

In the waters of the North and South Kuriles the vessels were harvesting pollock quotas both in the inshore waters and in the Russian EEZ. The pollock harvest in the area amounted to 2800 tonnes including the bycatch from the bottomfish operations (cod, flounder, halibut, wachna cod and sculpins).

Sea of Okhotsk

In the Sea of Okhotsk there were several local expeditions targeting crabs, whelks, halibuts and bottomfish species. The longliners were catching mostly halibut the share of which amounted to 92-97% of the harvest. The catches from trawl and Danish seine operations on the grounds of mixed bottomfish for human consumption were more various with flounder being the dominating species with 60-62%, followed by pollock (20-22%), wachna cod (8-10%) and sculpins.

A group of 20 crabbers was operating on the grounds of snow crab opilio in the North Okhotsk subarea. The fleet daily handled from 860 to 10,800 traps. The harvest amounted to ca.340 tonnes. From the beginning of the year the harvest of snow crab opilio approximated 10,000 tonnes. In the same subarea one vessel was harvesting golden king crab, the harvest of which did not exceed 5 tonnes. The crabber fleet operating on the grounds of red king crab grew to 9 ships who all together harvested 105 tonnes of crab through the week. One ship harvested up to 14 tonnes of snow crab bairdi in the Kamchatka Kurile subarea.

A group of 8 vessels was targeting whelks in the North Okhotsk subarea beyond the territorial waters, the daily harvest of the fleet reached 40 tonnes and the fleet daily handling from 9000 to 12000 traps. One ship set the traps in the inshore waters handling 1000 traps per day and harvesting 1 tonnes of whelks. The total harvest in the subarea amounted to 305 tonnes of whelks through the week.

Kamchatka-based vessel was harvesting halibut with bottomnet gear covering up to 12 km. The ship's daily catch was reported at 9-10 tonnes.

Provisional catch figures for the most efficient areas of the Russian Far East Basin

Salmons

The salmon fishery was at full swing in Kamchatka. The salmon harvest grew from 25,500 tonnes as per 6 July 2009 to 46,000 tonnes as per 12 July 2009. The abundant runs of pink salmon began in the Karaginsk subarea where the fishermen set 157 seines. More than 5000 tonnes of salmons were daily received by onshore processors and motherships. Due to high loading of land-based processors only one tenth of the daily harvest was landed for onshore processing. The raw fish was processed mostly onboard, with the total number of vessels participating in salmon harvesting and processing exceeded 70 ships coming both from Kamchatsky Krai and other regions of the basin. The pink salmon harvest in the Karaginsk subarea reached 40,000 tonnes. As for other salmon species, the fishermen harvested 2200 tonnes of chum salmon, 1500 tonnes of sockeye and small volumes of Chinook and Arctic char. From the beginning of the season the land-based factories received 10,500 tonnes of salmon, of which 8200 tonnes of pink salmon. The fleets all together received 29,700 tonnes of salmons, including 28,300 tonnes of pink salmon. Due to strong salmon runs in Kamchatka the respective bodies were settling distribution of additional quatas of sockeye in the Karaginsk subarea. As a result, the decision was made to distribute 11,600 tonnes of pink salmon quotas out of the reserved volume in the main fishing area of Karaginsk.

In the north part of the Sea of Okhotsk the salmon season also took off, but in the end of the week not all the seines set in the stock's migration ways were not working. In particular, for the first time three vessels were staying idle waiting for the fish. In the same waters, just like in the east of Kamchatka, fishing vessels were receiving fish for processing. Out of 19 seines set in the waters of Magadan salmon was harvested only from 7 seines. In the waters of Evensk out of three seines one would be empty. The area's total harvest from the beginning of the season as per 12 July 2009 amounted to 2500 tonnes of pink salmon and only 6000 tonnes of chum salmon.

In the west coast of Kamchatka the salmon harvest was very small with the catches of chum salmon, pink salmon and sockeye correspondingly amounting to ca.600 tonnes, a little more than 100 tonnes and ca.250 tonnes.

The fish went to the seines in the south of Sakhalin, the harvest from 1 to 12 July 2009 amounting to 2700 tonnes landed for onshore processing.

Salmons

The salmon fishery was at full swing in Kamchatka. The salmon harvest grew from 25,500 tonnes as per 6 July 2009 to 46,000 tonnes as per 12 July 2009. The abundant runs of pink salmon began in the Karaginsk subarea where the fishermen set 157 seines. More than 5000 tonnes of salmons were daily received by onshore processors and motherships. Due to high loading of land-based processors only one tenth of the daily harvest was landed for onshore processing. The raw fish was processed mostly onboard, with the total number of vessels participating in salmon harvesting and processing exceeded 70 ships coming both from Kamchatsky Krai and other regions of the basin. The pink salmon harvest in the Karaginsk subarea reached 40,000 tonnes. As for other salmon species, the fishermen harvested 2200 tonnes of chum salmon, 1500 tonnes of sockeye and small volumes of Chinook and Arctic char. From the beginning of the season the land-based factories received 10,500 tonnes of salmon, of which 8200 tonnes of pink salmon. The fleets all together received 29,700 tonnes of salmons, including 28,300 tonnes of pink salmon. Due to strong salmon runs in Kamchatka the respective bodies were settling distribution of additional quatas of sockeye in the Karaginsk subarea. As a result, the decision was made to distribute 11,600 tonnes of pink salmon quotas out of the reserved volume in the main fishing area of Karaginsk.

In the north part of the Sea of Okhotsk the salmon season also took off, but in the end of the week not all the seines set in the stock's migration ways were not working. In particular, for the first time three vessels were staying idle waiting for the fish. In the same waters, just like in the east of Kamchatka, fishing vessels were receiving fish for processing. Out of 19 seines set in the waters of Magadan salmon was harvested only from 7 seines. In the waters of Evensk out of three seines one would be empty. The area's total harvest from the beginning of the season as per 12 July 2009 amounted to 2500 tonnes of pink salmon and only 6000 tonnes of chum salmon.

In the west coast of Kamchatka the salmon harvest was very small with the catches of chum salmon, pink salmon and sockeye correspondingly amounting to ca.600 tonnes, a little more than 100 tonnes and ca.250 tonnes.

The fish went to the seines in the south of Sakhalin, the harvest from 1 to 12 July 2009 amounting to 2700 tonnes landed for onshore processing.