Russian fisheries in North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic on 16-23 October 2007

In the third week of October 2007 Russia's registered catch in the North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic amounted to 12,800 metric tons, 3600 tonnes down on the result of the previous week, fishery sources in Murmansk told www.fishnet-russia.com (https://www.fishnet.ru/).

In the North Atlantic the species range did not change much. The bulk of the total harvest was contributed by herring and blue whiting of the Norwegian Sea (34% and 11% correspondingly) and cod and haddock of the Barents Sea (18% and 7%).

In the Central Eastern Atlantic the dominating species were mackerel and sardine accounting for 8% and 6% of the total Russian harvest through the third week of October 2007.

The decrease of the total harvest by 3600 tonnes through the week was due to lower catches of herring in the Norwegian EEZ and sardinella in the Central Eastern Atlantic. At the same time, the owners reported a slight growth trend of mackerel and sardinella catches in the Maurinatian EEZ and cod catches in the Barents Sea where the fishermen also recorded a rise of red king crab catches by 174 metric tons.

In the Barents Sea the bottomfish operations were conducted by ca.75 vessels. The main fishing efforts (70% namely) on cod and haddock grounds concentrated within the Russian EEZ. According to the shipowners, the fishery situation was satisfactory and the catch growth could be attributed mostly to increased number of the fishing vessels. The total harvest of bottomfish species in the Barents Sea through the third week of October amounted to at least 3500 tonnes. Catches of cod totaled 2400 tonnes, 600 tonnes up on the previous week, while catches of haddock amounted to 900 tonnes, 100 tonnes down on the previous week. The Russian EEZ contributed 60% of cod and nearly 100% of haddock.

Red king crab

At least 20 vessels were harvesting red king crab with trap gear in the Russian waters to the northeast of the Kola Peninsula. The fishery conditions remained satisfactory. Thanks to slight stabilization of the average catch rates fluctuating within 5-11 tonnes per day, the total harvest of red king crab through the week grew by 170 tonnes to 700 tonnes.

Polar cod

In the second week of October fishing operations on the grounds of polar cod Boreogadus saida were conducted by the only vessel of TSM Oma owned by SPK RK Murman and in the third week of the month she was joined by the same time trawler Nikolay Repnikov owned by Murmansk Gubernsky Fleet. The fishing grounds were located at the shores of the New Land at the 76th degree North. The catch rates amounted to 50 tonnes per day contributing to the total catch of ca.300 tonnes through the week.

In the Norwegian Sea the group of vessels operating on the herring grounds decreased to 12-15 in number. The fishery conditions in the Norwegian EEZ to the west off the Lofoten Islands were described as satisfactory, though the smaller number of the fishing efforts told on the results of the fleet's operations. The total harvest through the week did not exceed 4500 tonnes thus displaying a 5700-tonne fall on the result of the previous week. Up to 5 vessels were targeting blue whiting in the waters of Spitsbergen to the south of the Bear Island with catches reported as non-stable. One of Kaliningrad-based trawlers started operating in the open part of the sea. As a result, catches of blue whiting remained on a par with the previous week and amounted to 1400 tonnes.

In the waters of the Northwest Atlantic two trawlers coming from Murmansk-led North Fisheries Basin were conducting deepwater fishery of Greenland halibut in the western sector of the Greenland zone with the catch rates reported at 5-10 tonnes per day.

In the Central Eastern Atlantic a small group of vessels, mostly four trawlers owned by Murmansk Trawl Fleet Consortium were targeting pelagic fish in the Mauritanian and Morrocan zones. The total harvest through the third week of October 2007 grew to 2200 tonnes. The catches contained mostly mackerel and sardine (44% and 33% correspondingly).

Russian catch in the North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic on 16-23 October 2007, provisional figures