Russia’s catch across its fisheries is averaging ahead of 2023's numbers.
Russia’s Federal Fishery Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) is reporting fishermen have, as of 28 March, caught 1.38 million metric tons (MT) across multiple species – 2.3 percent ahead of 2023.
The current catch volume, according to Rosrybolovstvo, is largely thanks to the amount caught by fishermen in Russia’s Far East. So far, fishers in the Far East basin have caught 1.15 million MT of fish, up 6.7 percent compared to 2023. Much of that catch is made up of pollock – up 5.4 percent to 904,000 MT – and herring – up 28 percent to 138,000 MT.
The higher rate of catch has come during Russia’s “A” pollock season in the Okhotsk and Bering seas, which started on 1 January 2024 and is scheduled to come to an end in late April. Fishing restrictions and bans are scheduled to go into effect starting 1 April as spring spawning begins, Rosrybolovstvo said.
The fishing authority said 100 vessels have been fishing in the region, and 22 transport vessels have been supplementing their activity. Rosrybolovstvo added that 35 inspectors are monitoring the transport vessels, while 10 observers from the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) are on board fishing vessels.
The productive year so far has resulted in decreased prices for pollock and herring, Rosrybolovstvo reported. Fresh frozen pollock products in the Far East have dropped in price by as much as 22 percent since the start of the year, with cod and herring dropping 4.3 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. In the central regions, pollock prices have dropped by 12 percent.
VNIRO also reported that the pollock and herring stocks have been stable in 2024, with size, weight, and sex characteristics remaining consistent, Fishnews reported.
As the “A” season winds down, Russia’s fishing industry is continuing to face widespread change in the face of ...
