Overview of fisheries in Russia's Far East as per 9 May 2010

Dedicated fishery of Alaska pollock in the second week of May 2010 was carried out in waters of North and South Kuriles, in Petropavlovsk-Komandorsk subarea of East Kamchatka and in the Eastern Sakhalin subarea of the Sea of Okhotsk. Summarized APO catch on all the grounds amounted to 17,300 tonnes including bycatches (when targeting other objects and using other methods of fishing). In Pacific waters of Kamchatka the dedicated APO fishery was performed mainly by BMRT large vessels coming from Vladivostok-led Primorye. Daily catches of this group of vessels amounted to more than 300 tonnes with the catch rates reported at 23-35 tonnes per tow and 62-64 tonnes per vessel per day. Since the beginning of the month catches of Alaska pollock in the subarea amounted to 4,000 tonnes, while 4,300 tonnes were harvested in the North Kurile waters by 9 large vessels.

In the South Kurile waters vessels of 6 island-based plants targeted Alaska pollock, the APO catch reported at 2,400 tonnes.

Five Sakhalin-based vessels accompanied with Preobrazhenskaya Trawl Fleet Base (3 large vessels and 5 vessels STR-class with a mothership) based in Primorye continued fishing operations in the East Sakhalin subarea targeting Alaska pollock. Since the beginning of the month the vessels harvested 6,600 tonnes of Alaska pollock.

Provisional figures of weekly catches of fish and non-fish objects by basin's fleet according to the National Centre for Fisheries Monitoring and Communication

Share of Atka mackerel amounted to 8% or 2,100 tonnes ranking it the second in total catch volumes. Atka mackerel species were harvested on the feeding grounds in the Pacific waters of North Kurile islands Onekotan - Kharimkotan as well as in Avacha, Kronotsky and Kamchatka Bays.

Groundfish species for human consumption were harvested by Kamchatka vessels owned by Lenina fishing co-op in the Bering Sea beyond the territorial waters. Volume catches of flounder, cod, grenadiers, Alaska pollock harvested by these vessels amounted to about 750 tonnes. In East Kamchatka in Karaginsk, Petropavlovsk-Komandor subareas Danish seine fishing of groundfish species in coastal areas was more successful resulting in 1,100 tonnes harvested since the beginning of the month. 55% of daily catches were contributed by flounders while the share of Alaska pollock amounted to 37%. The same fishing objects accompanied by wachna cod and cod comprised the major part of Danish seine fishing operations in West Kamchatka coastal waters.

Two Pimoriye-based longliners were operating in the Bering Sea with the Russian EEZ. They were targeting cod and Blue whiting with the harvest reported at about 33 tonnes. In the coastal waters and off the grounds of the Karaginsk subarea longline vessels targeted mainly cod, while share of Blue whiting in the total catch volumes amounted to only 0.2% against 39% in West Bering sea zone.

A large group of longliners was targeting cod and halibuts in the Sea of Okhotsk and its three subareas. 25 fishing vessels participated in the operations using 660 - 780 km of long lines per 24 hours while daily catches varied from 70 to 100 tonnes. 1 km of long line resulted in catch of 115 - 150 kg of fish while the major part of the harvest was contributed by cod.

Cod was harvested by long lines on the North Kurile grounds as well. One longliner owned by fishing cooperative Vostok-1 also participated in fishing operations and its activity resulted in 18.4 tonnes of cod per week.

Vessels finished trawl fishing of halibuts in the first week of May 2010 harvesting 16 tonnes of fish in the Kamchatka-Kurile zone.

Kamchatka-based vessels continued net fishing of halibuts in the North Okhotsk subarea and in West Kamchatka coast to the north of the 54 degree North. In the both subareas catches amounted to 40 tonnes per week.

In the second week of May 2010 many species of crabs were harvested in the West Bering Sea zone: blue king crab, triangle tanner crab, snow crab opilio and snow crab bairdi. Fishing results of blue king crab were more satisfactory amounting to 2.7-3.4 tonnes of crabs per average vessel per 24 hours and 2.3-2.7 tonnes per trap, while triangle tanner crab catch amounted to only 0.6 kg per trap and 100 kg per average vessel per 24 hours.

A group of 6-8 crabbers operated stably in the Sea of Okhotsk in the North Okhotsk subarea targeting golden king crab. Deviations in fishing results in the second week of May 2010 was not notable amounting to 3.2-3.5 kg per trap and 2.0-2.75 tonnes per average vessel.

Heavy ice in the North Okhotsk subarea halted active fishing operations of snow crab opilio in the first week of May 2010, while in the second week of May 79-83% of vessels participated in the fishery. Total weekly catch exceeded 830 tonnes of this crab species. As per the beginning of the second week of May 2010 catch per trap started increasing to 6.2 kg level while the daily catch per average vessel amounted to 2.9 kg.

To the south, a group of 5-6 vessels was targeting snow crab bairdi in the Kamchatka-Kuriles waters. Catch volume of these crabs amounted to 80 tonnes as per the beginning of the second week of May 2010. Fishing results were unstable and varied from 1.00 tonne to 2.5 tonnes daily.

As per the beginning of the second week of May 2010 only one vessel stayed in the Kamchatka-Kurile subrea targeting pink shrimp. The rest of vessels moved to harvest pink shrimp in the North Okhotsk subarea where 12 shrimpers were concentrated. Daily catches increased to 27-29 tonnes while catch per trap amounted to 500 - 600 kg.

Three vessels came to East Sakhalin subarea to fish whelks but heavy ice situation put off the operations.

Dedicated squid fishery was carried out in three subareas. More specifically, a vessel owned by OAO Kamchatrybprom harvested squid in the Petropavlovsk-Komandorsk subarea, weekly catch amounted to 65.7 tonnes. Dalmar-owned vessel was targeting squid in South Kuriles with the ship's catches in May 2010 amounting to 319 tonnes. In North Kuriles squid was harvested both in dedicated operations and as bycatch in APO and Atka mackerel fisheries. Since the beginning of the month 400 tonnes of squid were harvested in the area.

Salmon fishing season started with drift net operations. Before that drift nets were used only for research purposes to study salmon feeding period and runs to spawning grounds in migration areas. In the current year 2010 the Russian Government has allowed drift net salmon fishing in the Russian EEZ, so those companies which have won the licenses for fishing operations came to the grounds in the first week of May 2010 to start operations there. Those were 3 vessels owned by three Kamchatka-based companies and one vessel owned by Sakhalin-based Ostrovnoy Fish Combine. Drift nets were set in the waters of Petropavlovsk-Komandorsk subarea and the harvest volume amounted to 83 tonnes (including 49 tonnes of sockeye salmon and 31 tonnes of chum salmon) as per the beginning of the second week of May 2010.

Analyzing weekly catch results in the Russian Far East it should be noted that the harvest in East Sakhalin, Petropavlovsk-Komandorsk and North Kuriles subareas varied at 5,000-5,600 tonnes with slight up and down deviations. The largest catch volume was reported in East Sakhalin subarea where vessels continued to harvest Alaska pollock. Thanks to APO catches, the total catch volume in the South Kurile area also increased to 3,400 tonnes. Less productive was the North Okhotsk subarea where catches amounted to 1,400 tonnes and were contributed mainly by shellfish species.