During the development of the fishery it is planned to continue the active work of scientific observations of the Atlantic branch of the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) on Russian fishing vessels for the purpose of collecting fishing and biological information, study the distribution, migration features, behavior and conditions for the formation of commercial fish aggregations and develop recommendations for effective fishing.
In the North-Eastern Atlanticthe main object of Russian pelagic fishery will be blue whiting until almost the middle of the year. Currently a group of the most productive large-capacity trawlers, owned by the enterprises of the North-West of Russia is concentrated in the area to the west of the British Isles, where the spawning season of this fish is expected to begin. The regulation of fishing in this area is carried out within the framework of the international regional fisheries Commission NEAFC, that the Russian Federation is an active participant of. The Regulatory measures framing is based on the scientific recommendations of the ICES. According to the latest ICES assessment, the spawning biomass of blue whiting is decreasing, although it remains above the maximum sustained catch level. Stock replenishment in 2017-2020 is estimated to be weak after a three-year period of good replenishment. The ICES recommendation on the size of the TAC in 2021 prescribes its reduction from 1161 thousand tons to 929 thousand tons. This recommendation has been accepted by all participating parties of the NEAFC. Russia's quota for the fishing in the NEAFC regulated area (the area west of the British Isles and the open part of the Norwegian Sea) is 68.9 thousand tons. A decrease in the biomass of blue whiting may complicate the wild-capture fishery situation during the upcoming fishing operations. A scientific observer Andrey Bandurov, engineer of the industrial fisheries sector of the Commercial Electronic Equipment of Marine Research and Industrial Fisheries Department, was sent to monitor the fishery and collect biological information on target species. On February 3, he went on a scientific research expedition on a vessel «Curshskaya Cosa». Collected information on the blue whiting biology and distribution will be presented at the meeting of the ICES Working Group on widely distributed stocks.
In the Central-Eastern Atlantic, five Russian large-capacity trawlers are fishing for pelagic fish in the area of Mauritania. On board the «Nikolay Telenkov», the scientific support of the Russian fishery from October 31, 2020 to the present time is carried out by a group of AtlantNIRO observers, consisting of Dmitry Yarotsky, head of the estuaries laboratory, and Alexey Fedorov, senior engineer of the laboratory of ecology and stock assessment of commercial populations. The period of February-March is one of the most difficult for fishing in this area. Accumulations of West African horse mackerel, mackerel and sardinella tend to be distributed further south, in the waters of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. Fishing in the area of Mauritania during these months is usually based on the exploitation of sardine and European horse mackerel stocks, which are displaced from the area of Morocco. However, sardines are not the preferred target for Russian shipowners, and the biomass of European horse mackerel is relatively small. This causes the instability of the fishing situation, which is currently observed. Improvement of the fishing situation is expected no earlier than in April-May, with the end of the cold season. The results of the scientific support will contribute to the clarification of its terms and the preparation of appropriate recommendations to shipowners. The materials collected by the AtlantNIRO scientific observers will be presented and reviewed at the meetings of the FAO Working Group on the Assessment of Small Pelagic Fish Stocks in North-West Africa.
The South-Eastern Pacific Ocean
In modern conditions, the fishing of horse mackerel in the waters of the high seas is regulated within the framework of an international regional organization –The South Pacific Commission (SPC). The volume of the Russian Federation's catch quota for horse mackerel is relatively small: in 2020, it was 22.3 thousand tons. Despite this, the Southwestern Federal District remains very important for Russian fisheries. The possibility of fishing for horse mackerel in the open waters of this area was revealed by Russian scientists and fishermen. The area is characterized by high biological productivity: in the 80s of the last century, it was one of the main areas of national fishing. At present, taking into account the state of the stock of horse mackerel, the value of the possible catch, determined by the South Pacific Commission, is constantly increasing, respectively, the volume of the Russian quota increases. Russia can claim an even greater increase in its share of the total catch on the basis of a large contribution to the development of fishing and research in this area.
In recent years, Russian vessels have been constantly involved in the mackerel fishery, however, the national quota is not fully developed. The main reason for this is the instability of the fishing environment, which does not allow to constantly maintain high fishing efficiency. Apparently, despite the data of the Scientific Committee of the South Pacific Commission on the growth of horse mackerel biomass, which is confirmed by the successful work of the Chilean fleet in its exclusive economic zone. It`s value remains insufficient for the widespread distribution of fish in the open part of the area. It is expected to get a more accurate idea of the prospects for the development of the mackerel fishery with a help of the results of the Russian trawler «Admiral Shabalin» fishing voyage, which is scheduled to start at the end of February. The implementation of scientific support for the mackerel fishery is provided for by the current regulatory measures of the South Pacific Commission. To implement these measures on board the vessel there will be an employee of the Hydrobiology laboratory of AtlantNIRO Nicholas Duchcov. Materials on the biology of horse mackerel and the vessel performance indicators, designed in accordance with the requirements adopted by the South Pacific Commission, will be transferred to the secretariat of the organization.
Thus, the scientific and commercial materials collected in all the listed areas of fishing scientific support will be submitted to the relevant international organizations. Their consideration and use will contribute to the development of the most rational measures for the commercial stocks exploitation, what meets the interests of Russian fisheries.
Press Service VNIRO
Наблюдатели АтлантНИРО продолжают сопровождение основных промыслов в Атлантике и ЮВТО
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