Results of the sprat fishery in the Caspian Sea

 

It's worth noting that the sprat fishery has been one of the leading marine fisheries in terms of catch volume throughout the history of the fishing industry, with its ups and downs. Until the 2000s, the fishery was carried out using electric-powered fish pumps and relied on stocks of anchovy and bigeye sprat, which exhibit positive phototaxis. Since the early 2000s, due to global changes in the ecosystem of the Middle and Southern Caspian—increased seismicity and the spontaneous introduction of the comb jelly Mnemiopsis—stocks of endemic sprat species have sharply declined and entered a state of deep depression. Vessel-based fishing in the open waters of the Caspian Sea has become unprofitable and has virtually ceased to exist.

 

Against the backdrop of critical biomass of endemic species, the common sprat population, due to its euryhaline nature, was less susceptible to the impact of these environmental factors, which contributed to the species' abundance increase. Stable common sprat stocks required new approaches to developing their fishery, using new gear (mid-water trawls), fishing methods, and fishing areas. The catch volume in the western Middle Caspian alone, at pre-winter and wintering concentrations (November-March), was estimated at up to 25,000 tons annually.

 

After a long hiatus, scientists from the Volga-Caspian branch of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) launched an initiative to reintroduce sprat into commercial fishing. Results were not long in coming—in 2020-2024, projected figures began to be confirmed by actual catches. This year's fishing season was no exception. An analysis of the main fishing characteristics of vessel fishing in 2025 compared to 2024 showed that, even with a decrease in the number of working days (106 versus 124) and vessels worked per day (975 versus 1,019 units), along with an increase in the fishing fleet directly involved in the fishery (from 8.2 to 9.2 units), the average catch per vessel per day increased from 23.2 to 25.0 t, indicating the sustainability of existing concentrations. The sprat catch for the season using midwater trawls amounted to 24,400 t, exceeding the previous year's figure. 755 tons.

 

Taking into account the traditional coastal sprat fishery with set nets, which totals 1,800 tons, the total catch by the end of this year will be approximately 26,200 tons, which is a significant contribution to the development of aquatic biological resources in the Volga-Caspian fishery basin.

 

 

Press Service of VNIRO