Overview of Russian fisheries in North and Central Atlantic in November 2011

According to estimated figures, in November 2011 the Russian harvest in the Atlantic Ocean and Southeast Pacific decreased by 36,700 MT to 70,300 MT. The contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels amounted to 17%, reports www.megafishnet.com.

Bottom trawl operations in the Barents Sea were conducted by up to 55 trawlers (53 of which came from Murmansk-led North Fisheries Basin and two vessels from Kaliningrad) and 30 small inshore boats based in Murmansk. Spitsbergen remain the dominating fishing area where the Russian fishermen harvested 19,000 MT (-4,000 MT) of fish, of which 14,000 MT of cod (-6,500 MT) and 4,700 MT of haddock (+2,400 MT). Catches in the Russian EEZ continued to decline gradually, through the recent month they amounted to 8,000 MT, 800 MT up on October 2011. Cod catches amounted to 5,200 MT (+800 MT) and haddock - 2,600 MT (+300 MT). Twelve vessels (5 middle and 7 small) based in Murmansk periodically conducted dedicated plaice fishery in the Russian EEZ, but their catches through the period under review were small at 500 MT of fish (-500 MT), of which plaice accounted for 78%. In the Norwegian EEZ several trawlers harvested 500 MT (+500 MT) of raw fish, including 300 MT of cod and 200 MT of haddock. One trawler was working in the Grey Zone, her harvest amounted to 200 MT.

Longline bottomfish operations (cod, sea cats and haddock) in the Barents Sea in the course of the month were conducted by 7 Russian vessels (6 from Murmansk and one from Kaliningrad). The vessels were conducting fishery mostly in the Grey Zone, at a lesser extent in the waters of Spitsbergen, Russian EEZ and open part of the sea, in the Norwegian zone fishermen reported single catches. The fishery efficiency in all the subareas was approximately at the same level of 12-13 MT per day.

According to provisional figures, the remainder of the Russian quotas amounted to 4% for cod and 6% for haddock.

The halibut fishery in the Barents Sea was conducted by 4 Murmansk-based trawlers. The fishery situation in the course of the month was stable and fairly good, the average daily catch amounting to ca.32 MT per foreign-built trawler.

In the first ten days of the month two Murmansk-based trawlers conducted crab fishery in the Barents Sea. The fishery situation was fairly good.

Foreign-built trawler based in Murmansk was targeting sea scallops in the Barents Sea with the average daily catch of 21 MT.

Polar cod Boreogadus saida was harvested by 8 Murmanks-based trawlers. The fishery situation was non-stable with a positive trend from the beginning to the end of the month. On 22 November 2011, despite fairly good fishery efficiency, the polar cod fishery was closed. The average daily catch of BMRTIB large trawlers amounted to 68 MT on the average through the month. The total harvest in November 2011 amounted to 6,944 MT. from the beginning of the year the Russian fishermen harvested 19,600 MT of polar cod, down from 27,200 MT in the same period last year.

Due to exhaustion of herring quotas by most of the fishing vessels, the fleet targeting the species on the grounds declined to 12 trawlers (6 from Murmansk and 6 from Kaliningrad), and by the end of the period under analysis there were only 4 vessels targeting herring on the grounds. Murmansk-based trawlers were working in the waters of Spitsbergen and in the Norwegian EEZ gradually moving from the first area to the second. Kaliningrad-based vessels were operating only in the first ten days of the month in the international waters of the Norwegian Sea. The fishery situation on all the grounds was fairly good, catches of BATM large trawlers amounted to ca.100 MT per day on the average. The total harvest of herring in all the areas amounted to 11,500 MT (-25,300 MT), of which 23% were contributed by Kaliningrad-based vessels. The total harvest from the beginning of the year amounted to 142,500 MT of herring (97.4% out of the Russian quota of 146,300 MT). In the same period of 2010 the harvest amounted to 191,500 MT.

From 6 to 12 November 2011 Kaliningrad-based trawler Kurshskaya Kosa was spotting on the blue whiting grounds in the north of the open waters of the Norwegian Sea. The vessels did not find strong concentrations of blue whiting in the area. The harvest amounted to less than 200 MT. According to provisional figures, the total harvest from the beginning of the year in the NEAFC waters amounted to 31,100 MT of blue whiting. In the same period of 2010 the harvest amounted to 39,000 MT.

In the waters of East and West Greenland the halibut fishery was conducted to 3 trawlers of Murmansk-based North Fisheries Basin. The fishery efficiency amounted to 8 MT per day in the waters of West Greenland and 6 MT in the waters of East Greenland.

On 10 November 2011 one trawler based in Murmansk returned to the grounds in the North West Atlantic in the NAFO zone. She was targeting halibut (average daily catch was reported at 7 MT) and ocean perch (average daily catch of 19 MT).

Pelagic fisheries in the Moroccan EEZ were conducted by 10 Russian vessels (5 Murmansk-based trawlers, three Kaliningrad-based trawlers and 2 vessels coming from Saint Petersburg). They were operating in between the 2330 degree North and the border with the Mauritanian EEZ, moving closer to the latter zone by the end of November 2011. The situation was fairly stable in general. The average daily catch of refurbished RTMKS super trawlers amounted to ca.110 MT. Through the period under analysis the Russian vessels harvested 17,200 MT (-1,500 MT), including 5,700 MT of mackerel, 5,400 MT of horse mackerel, 5,400 MT of sardine and 500 MT of sardinella. Contribution of Kaliningrad-based vessels amounted to 35%. From the beginning of the year the harvest in the Moroccan EEZ amounted to 85,200 MT (in the same period of 2010 the catch amounted to 83,900 MT).

The fishery in the Mauritanian EEZ was conducted by one Saint-Petersburg-based trawler until 20 November 2011. On 10-20 November 2011 the fishery situation grew somewhat better, catches increased from 50 MT in the first ten days of the month to 77 MT in the second ten days of the month, 60 MT on the average. The total harvest in the period under analysis amounted to 1,200 MT (-800 MT), of which 700 MT of mackerel, 200 MT of sardine and 100 MT of horse mackerel. The harvest from the beginning of the year in the Mauritanian waters amounted to 48,800 MT, down from 79,900 MT last year.

On 27 November 2011 Russian trawler Admiral Starikov began fishing in the south of the Senegal waters. The fishery situation was non-stable, catches per day amounted to ca.60MT on the average. The harvest in the waters of Senegal from the beginning of the year was equal to 59,900 MT (versus 10,800 MT last year).

Russian harvest of main commercial species in North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic in January-November 2011