Ministry of Agriculture happy with Atlanto-Scandian herring fishery agreement

Delegates from Russia, Norway, EU, Iceland and Faeroese Islands took part in the third round of consultations on fishery management of the Atlanto-Scandian (spring-spawning) herring.

Realizing the importance of the herring stock and the need for its sustainable management, the above countries tried to reach mutually acceptable agreement regarding approval of the herring TAC 2007 and its distribution into national quotas. At the end of the third round of consultations the sides have finally signed the above mentioned agreement.

According to the agreement, in 2007 Russia will be able to harvest 164,096 tonnes of herring which is 30% up on the actual harvest of the species in 2005-2006.

Russia's Minister of Agriculture Aleksey Gordeyev says that Russian ships are allowed to conduct the herring fishery out of the above quota in the Norwegian EEZ, in the international waters of the Norwegian Sea, in the Icelandic EEZ and in the Faeroese fishing zone.

The agreement is supposed to enable the sides' efficient management of the herring stock aimed at its sustainable exploitation and conservation and restricting the stock's exploitation in the international waters of the Norwegian Sea by third countries.