Scientific support for the Don fishery by the Azov-Black Sea branch of VNIRO

 

Fishing is conducted exclusively with casting seines from February 15 to May 31 and from September 15 to November 30. The total number of seines operating simultaneously is limited to eight, which allows for effective management of the fishery resources and ensures their rational use.

 

The Azov-Black Sea Branch of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) is the only scientific organization conducting systematic fisheries research in the Sea of ​​Azov basin and the Don River. One important aspect of their work is the analysis of commercial catches. The branch's specialists actively participate in the work of fishing brigades. This year, they actively worked with Don fishing brigades at the Veselaya, Krivaya, and Peschanaya fishing grounds (a "tonya" is a seine fishing area). For the first time, maps were compiled and fishing areas for these fishing grounds were determined.

 

The work covered the period from March 14 to May 12 and from October 15 to November 22. During this time, 35 catches, totaling over 21 tons, were recorded and analyzed. The main work was conducted at the Veselaya fishing ground, where 33 catches were analyzed. During the work, it was noted that fishermen sorted their catch in the water and released all sturgeon and pike-perch caught, as well as bream that had not reached commercial size.

 

The monitoring work yielded data on the ratio of different fish species in the Don, their size composition, distribution patterns, spawning migration patterns, and bycatch of Russian sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, and sterlet. Thus, the bulk of the catches in the spring, before the mass herring run began, consisted of bream and crucian carp. From April 20 until the end of the spring fishing season, it was herring. The herring run into the Don River began early this year, in early April. In October, vimba dominated the river's seine catches.

 

Russian sturgeon and stellate sturgeon were sampled for molecular genetic studies to identify their origin.

 

The obtained data on the density, distribution, and size-age structure of commercial fish species in the Don River will be analyzed and compared with similar data for the entire basin to determine and adjust recommended harvest volumes, primarily for bream and vimba.

 

 

VNIRO Press Service