Overview of Russian fisheries in North and Central Atlantic in July 2012

In July 2012 the Russian harvest in the Atlantic Ocean amounted to 113,900 MT, 27,200 MT up on the previous month of 2012. The contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels amounted to 28%, reports www.megafishnet.com.

The bottom trawl fishery in the Barents Sea was conducted by up to 88 Murmansk-based trawlers, including up to 25 small inshore boats. Throughout July the fishery situation was fairly good, especially in Spitsbergen where the highest catch of 35,300 MT was registered (+8,000 on June 2012), the figure including 28,000 MT of cod (+11,100 MT) and 6,900 MT of haddock (-3,200 MT). In the Russian EEZ the total harvest in July 2012 amounted to 7,500 MT (-4,300 MT on the previous month), including 4,100 MT of cod (-3,700 MT) and 2,700 MT of haddock (-600 MT). In the Norwegian EEZ the Russian fishermen harvested ca.500 MT of fish (-400 MT on June 2012), including 300 MT of cod (-200 MT) and 100 MT of haddock (-200 MT).

Several Murmansk-based vessels were conducting dedicated fishery of saithe in the Norwegian EEZ. Their harvest through July 2012 amounted to 600 MT (+300 MT) with the share of saithe remaining on a par with the previous month – at ca.90% namely.

Dedicated fishery of plaice in the inshore waters of the Russian EEZ in the Barents Sea was conducted by up to 22 Murmansk-based vessels, mostly small boats. The harvest through the month under analysis amounted to 1,000 MT (600 MT up on June 2012). Plaice accounted for ca.90% of the harvest.

Nine longliners were targeting bottomfish in all the subareas of the Barents Sea, except for the international waters. More than 75% of the harvest was contributed by the Russian EEZ (45.5%) and Spitsbergen (32%). In July 2012 Russian longliners harvested 2,100 MT (2,200 MT in June 2012) of fish. Daily catch rates remained at ca.9-15 MT on the average.

According to provisional figures, the remainder of the Russian quota as per 1 July 2012 amounted to 34.5% of cod and 30% of haddock.

Blue whiting fishery in the Faroese waters were conducted by 7 Murmansk-based vessels. In the first ten days of the month the fishery efficiency was reported at 60-90 Mt per day with the hauls at the depth of 100-200 meters. On 10-20 July 2012 the catch rates did not exceed 20-30 MT per day. On 15 July 2012 the last Russian vessels who were targeting blue whiting switched to mackerel. The total harvest through July 2012 amounted to 2,500 MT of blue whiting. From the beginning of the year the Russian fishermen harvested 13,300 MT of blue whiting in the open part of the Norwegian Sea. Besides, 21,500 MT of blue whiting were harvested in the NEAFC waters to the west of the economic zone of the British Islands.

The mackerel fishery with a small bycatch of blue whiting and herring in the open part of the Norwegian Sea was conducted by 11 Kaliningrad-based vessels and 20 vessels coming from Murmansk. The fishery was reported as mostly satisfactory. The harvest in July 2012 amounted to 37,200 MT of mackerel (32,800 MT up on June). The total catch from the beginning of the year amounted to 41,700 MT out of the quota of 62,100 MT. For comparison, in June-July 2011 the harvest was recorded at 39,100 MT.

In the Faroese fishing zone the Russian trawlers targeting mackerel worked from time to time. The bycatch contained herring. Only TSM M-0070 Oma was the most dedicated harvester of mackerel with the catch rates as small as 10-20 MT per day. The total harvest of all the vessels through July 2012 amounted to 900 MT of mackerel. From the start of the year the Russian fleets covered ca.7.5% of the quota of 12,500 MT. For comparison, in the same month of 2011 the Russian mackerel catch amounted to 9,600 MT.

Ocean perch fishery in the Sea of Irminger was conducted by 12 Russian trawlers (4 from Murmansk and 8 from Kaliningrad). In the course of the month the fleet moved along the border with the EEZ of Greenland from the NEAFC waters to the NAFO area. The fishery efficiency strongly changed while the vessels moved to the southwest. TSM trawlers reported average catch rates of 10-15 MT. In the period under analysis the Russian fishermen harvested 3,600 MT of ocean perch (-900 MT), with ca.70% of the total ocean perch catch contributed by Kaliningrad-based vessels. The total harvest for the first seven months of the year 2012 amounted to 19,200 MT or 65% of the Russian quota of 29,500 MT. In 2011 as per the end of July the catch was recorded at 21,800 MT.

The halibut fishery in the waters of East Greenland was continued by the foreign-built trawler M-0332 Amerlog and (from 10 July 2012) TSM K-1944 Ostankino. Their efficiency fluctuated at 5-10 MT per day.

In the Northwest Atlantic in the NAFO zone the black halibut and ocean perch operations were conducted by 2 trawlers coming from Murmansk. The halibut fishery was conducted mostly in the waters of the Flemish-Cap, ocean perch – in the Flemish-Cap and Great Newfoundland Bank. The daily catches varied widely and were reported at mostly 5-7 MT of halibut and 9-30 MT of ocean perch.

13 Russian trawlers (6 from Murmansk, 3 from Kaliningrad and 4 from Saint Petersburg) were targeting pelagic species in the waters of Mauritania. The fleet was operating in between 1800 and 2045 degrees North. The fish schools gradually moved northwards, beyond the area. From the start to the end of the month the daily catches grew smaller, while the share of sardinella was getting bigger. The catch in July 2012 totaled 18,200 MT (+400 MT), including 5,000 MT of horse mackerel, 900 MT of mackerel and 10,300 MT of sardinella. The total harvest in the Mauritanian EEZ from January to July 2012 amounted to 57,300 MT versus 37,600 MT in the same period of 2011.

The horse mackerel fishery in the Namibian waters with the catch rates of 30-65 MT per day was conducted by two BATM big trawlers coming from Murmansk-led North Fisheries Basin. The total catch through the month amounted to 1,200 MT (-1,400 MT). The harvest from the beginning of the year totaled 21,300 MT.

Russian harvest of main commercial species in North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic in January-July 2012