Public hearings of TAC 2008 forecast in the Russian Far East

The forecast of the TACs 2008 in the Russian Far East amended by the industry's Council on Fishery Forecasts in April 2007 was submitted for public discussion in mid-June 2007. The public hearings took place in TINRO-centre in Vladivostok. Public hearings were conducted according to the federal law "On Ecological Expertise".

The hearings were aimed at putting the TAC forecast under discussion in order to collect proposals and remarks connected with compliance with ecological standards.

The TACs were discussed by scientists, representatives of large fishing companies, social organizations and the province's government.

The participants listened to the latest variant of the TACs forecast including up and down amendments for quotas of 30 species.

Alaska pollock

The Alaska pollock TAC was increased by more than 200,000 tonnes which caused mixed feelings in the industry's circles. The thing is that the advice of the allowable APO catch of the TINRO-Centre was more precautionary, while the new mathematic model based on the APO mortality rates used by the Moscow-based VNIRO research institute was criticized by some speakers as possibly overestimating the level of the stock's sustainable exploitation. Nevertheless, the following Alaska pollock TACs were forwarded to the Ecological Expertise for consideration and further approval:

• 555,700 tonnes versus 415,300 tonnes in the West Bering Sea zone;
• 67,900 tonnes (more than two-fold increase) versus 32,000 tonnes in the Karaginsk subarea;
• 204,500 tonnes (29,500 tonnes up) in the North Okhotsk subarea.

Red snow crab

The fishery insiders had questions regarding several fish species, the TACs of which would normally remain underexploited year in year out. However, despite the fact the allowed catch volumes would be set at lower levels by the government. For instance, the saury and red snow crab stocks would be usually underexploited, while the red snow crab TAC 2008 is recommended to be decreased by 3500 tonnes.

The red snow crab TAC and its take-up

In year 2008 the draft TAC amounts to 9311 tonnes. The above table shows that in the last ten years the TACs of red snow crab have remained uncovered and there have been no signs of the stock depletion. The number of companies targeting the species has dropped to 13 and that can be attributed first of all to the fishery's unprofitability even despite a decrease of the resource fees.

Sea urchins

Vladivostok-based fishermen say that the sea urchin stocks display good abundance, though the TAC forecast for the year 2008 provides for another decrease. In 2007 TINRO scientists conducted a diver survey at the depth of 20 meters. According to the results of the survey, the TAC of the species may be increased with the fishery remaining sustainable.

In the course of the debates both the scientists and the fishermen agreed that the TAC forecasts should be unbiased. When discovering alarming facts, the responsible bodies should rather take the appropriate steps, e.g. research surveys, than decrease the TACs due to the absence of those surveys. The final protocol of the hearings covered scientific recommendations of particular TACs so that the Basin's stocks would remain at the level of their sustainability.

TACs 2008

In general, in 2008 the fishing fleets of the Russian Far East Basin are recommended to harvest 3,050,000 metric tons of finfish and other aquatic species, 140,000 tonnes up from the TACs 2007.

The above mentioned TAC 2008 includes 2,364,000 tonnes of finfish, ca.70,000 tonnes of shellfish, 390,000 tonnes of mollusks, 16,400 tonnes of Echinodermata, 199,300 tonnes of seaweed and 8700 tonnes of mammals.

The TAC increase in the Bering Sea, East Kamchatka and the Sea of Okhotsk can be attributed mainly to Alaska pollock. In the North Kuriles the Atka mackerel TAC is increased by 13,000 metric tons.

The TACs in the South Kuriles and in the Sea of Japan are decreased mostly for saury and anchovy correspondingly.

TACs by fishing areas

Alaska pollock TACs by fishing areas

The red king crab TAC has been decreased by 1800 tonnes in the West Kamchatka. At the same time, the blue king crab TAC in the Bering Sea and in the Primorye subarea have been increased, and the snow crab opilio TAC has also been boosted mostly in the Bering Sea.

The TACs 2008 will be finally approved after the ecological examination according to the current legislation.