VNIRO scientists monitor the state of the shrimp population and fishery in the Northern Azov region

 

Among them, shrimp, rapana, scapharka and mussels can be distinguished. These species have become part of the basic catch objects in the basin. For example, over the past ten years, the amount of shrimp stock available for development by Russian fishermen has increased 30 times. At the same time, the total recommended catch has increased from 30 tons to 456 tons, which indicates a significant expansion of the raw material base for coastal fishing. In this regard, the analysis of the dynamics of shrimp fishing, the most numerous species of commercial invertebrates in the Sea of ​​Azov, is especially relevant.

 

From March 17 to 25, employees of the laboratory of commercial invertebrates of the Azov-Black Sea branch of the State Research Center of the Russian Federation "All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography" (VNIRO) conducted research on the state of commercial aggregations and the intensity of shrimp fishing in the Sea of ​​Azov in the spring. Monitoring of coastal fishing was carried out in Obitochny Bay, Utlyuk Estuary and Sivash Bay.

 

According to scientists, this year, shrimp fishing began in the first ten days of January. The earlier start of the catch was facilitated by the increased temperature background in the Sea of ​​Azov. From mid-March, with an increase in temperature to 5-8 ° C, fishing was carried out along the entire coastal zone of the sea from Temryuk to Berdyansk Bay.

 

As noted by Elena Mikhailovna Saenko, head of the laboratory of commercial invertebrates of the Azov-Black Sea branch of VNIRO, as of March 20, the largest shrimp catch was observed in the Northern Azov region, where about 89% of the total catch in the Azov Sea was caught. The largest catches are recorded in the Zaporizhzhya region in the Utlyuk estuary and Obitochny Bay. The shrimp catch in 2025 is 5-6 times higher than the catch for the same period in 2023-2024.

 

In parallel with the monitoring of the fishery, as part of the study of the possibility of expanding the production areas, VNIRO scientists carried out test catches of shrimp using venter nets in the Molochny estuary.

 

Based on the results of the scientific expedition, the collected material was delivered to the branch laboratory for further office processing.

 

Press service of VNIRO