Outlook for Russian fisheries in North Atlantic in May 2007

In May 2007 the fishery situation on the grounds of the Barents Sea is expected to remain on a par with the previous month. Taking into account diminishing catch rates in the Norwegian EEZ the shipowners are recommended to send their ships to the north - to Spitsbergen - and to the east - to the Grey Zone and the Russian EEZ. A considerable increase of bottomfish catches is still hardly to happen.

In the Norwegian Sea the fleets will keep harvesting blue whiting without any noticeable changes of ship location with the main fishing operation to unroll in the Faroe fishing zone gradually moving more to the north.

In the Irminger Sea the fishermen will step up operations on the grounds of ocean perch Sebastes mentella with the fleets to be growing in number. The ships' location will remain unchanged.

In the Northwest and Central Eastern Atlantic the conditions and fishing efforts are expected to remain the same as in the previous month.