According to Anatoly Smirnov, chief specialist of the pollock and herring laboratory, ichthyoplankton surveys will take place in several stages in order to take into account the scale of spawning as fully as possible. The works will cover the coastal waters in Peter the Great Bay to Cape Pivotny, where pollock traditionally spawns en masse at the end of March–April. During this period, pollock forms dense accumulations and its active fishing is going on at shallow and great depths. Intensive fishing usually lasts until June, in summer pollock keeps more scattered, and fishermen switch to other objects.
The Primorsky pollock is an independent population that is distributed along the coast of the region and lives year–round within Russian waters. In recent years, its number has begun to increase naturally, which allowed us to recommend a slight increase in the volume of the total allowable catch. Conducting surveys allows scientists to estimate the number of producers and collect primary material for calculating replenishment.
In mid-April, survey is planned to continue already on board the "Dmitry Peskov". The collected information will form the basis for forecasting the total allowable catch of pollock in subsequent years.
VNIRO Press Service