TACs 2011 for Russian Far East Basin approved by nation's Federal Fisheries Agency

TACs by areas in 1000 metric tons

Note: source for 2010 figures is the Agency's order No.874 dated 30 September 2009.

The TACs of finfish species amount to 2.429 metric tons, squids - 195,000 tonnes, laminaria - 160,000 tonnes, crabs - 45,100 tonnes and shrimps - 15,500 tonnes.

Just like in the previous years, more efficient fishing operations are expected in the Sea of Okhotsk. Catches in the Sea of Okhotsk have been allowed at 1,561,100 tonnes. The dominating species will be pollock the TAC of which has been approved at 970,000 tonnes for the year 2011, on a par with the initially approved TACs 2010. However, the pollock TACs by fishing areas have been changed. More specifically, in the North Okhotsk subarea its catches declined by 55,000 tonnes, in two subareas of West Kamchatka and Kamchatka-Kurile where the fleets have been allowed to harvest pollock out of the combined TACs, the allowable catches have been raised by 53,600 tonnes on the initially approved TACs 2010 (which have been changed in the course of the year). The pollock TAC 2011 in the East Sakhalin subarea has also been increased by 1600 tonnes.

Allowable catches of the North Okhotsk herring have been considerably increased by 35,000 tonnes. Besides, the basin's fishermen have been approved to increase catches of Gizhigino-Kamchatka herring by 3000 tonnes.

Cod catches in the Sea of Okhotsk can be improved at the expense of the North Okhotsk and West Kamchatka subareas by 6400 tonnes, while the fleets operating at the south-east coast of Kamchatka will have to catch ca.2000 tonnes of cod less.

Lower TACs on the current year have been approved for wachna cod in the waters of West Kamchatka. However, the TAC losses of small and middle fleets based in Kamchatka can be compensated by flounders the TACs of which have been increased by 10,400 tonnes on 2010. Halibut TACs have been left unchanged, just like the TACs of thornyhead and grenadier.

The crab TACs in the Sea of Okhotsk have been declined by 1400 tonnes on the current year 2010, mostly at the expense of snow crab bairdi in the shelf of the southeast Kamchatka. At the same time, the red king crab TACs in the North Okhotsk subarea have been increased by 260 tonnes. The TACs of snow crab opilio, triangle crab and blue crab have been left unchanged in the area, while the deepwater shrimp TAC in the subarea has been reduced by 180 tonnes. In the meantime, in the Kamchatka-Kurile subarea the fishermen will be able to harvest nearly 160 tonnes of shrimp more than in the current year 2010.

In the Bering Sea the fishery operations will be carried out under the scenario of the current year 2010. The TACs in the West Bering Sea zone have been set at 424,300 tonnes, of which the fishermen are allowed to harvest 353,600 tonnes of pollock, 22,000 tonnes of cod and the herring TAC has been decreased by 1500 tonnes. Only the TACs of grenadier, Atka mackerel, halibut and shrimp have been left on a par with the current year 2010.

In the waters of East Kamchatka the pollock TAC has been decreased by 9600 tonnes, mostly at the expense of the Karaginsk subarea, in the same subarea the cod TAC has been reduced by 1800 tonnes. The halibut TAC has been slightly decreased. In keeping with the current TACs 2010 the new TACs have been left for Atka mackerel, grenadier and wachna cod, just like the TAC for the Karaginsk herring (10,000 tonnes). Commercial stocks of herring (based on scientific surveys) have enabled to raise the TAC 2011 of the species eight times.

In the waters of the North Kuriles the vessels owned by Kuriles-based companies will be able to improve their results on the pollock grounds. More specifically, the TACs of the species have been approved at 99,000 tonnes, 3400 tonnes up on the current year TACs. As for the other species, the fishermen will enjoy larger TACs only for flounders (+1230 tonnes). Catches of finfish in the South Kuriles will not show a large rise as the fishermen will be allowed to harvest only by 135 tonnes more, mostly thanks to bigger TAC of wachna cod (+737 tonnes on TAC 2010). At the same time, the TACs in the fishing area have been increased by 38,500 tonnes thanks to larger squid and laminaria allocations. In 2011 the fishermen have been allowed to harvest laminaria by 34,000 tonnes more than in the current year 2010. Squidders will be allowed to increase their catches by 5000 tonnes in the waters of the South Kuriles.

Most of finfish species in the Sea of Japan have been specified as non-TAC-regulated. Out of three dominating species of herring, cod and pollock, the TACs 2011 of pollock have been considerably increased by 9700 tonnes. At the same time cod catches in the Primorye subarea will go down by 1600 tonnes, the TAC of the species for the year 2011 not exceeding 650 tonnes. A considerable catch decrease of more than 5000 tonnes has been approved for crabs, because the red snow crab TAC has been reduced to 7700 tonnes. The catch decline is also forecasted for shrimps in the Sea of Japan, where the TAC of pink shrimp has been decreased by 380 tonnes and that of coonstripe shrimp - by 190 tonnes. Upward and downward deviations of the TACs of invertebrates, mollusks and seaweed will not greatly influence the total catches of Vladivostok fishermen.