Overview of Russian fisheries in North Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic as per 2nd week of May 2010

Share of the fish harvested by the vessels of Kaliningrad-led West Basin amounted to 19%. Active fishing of blue whiting continued in the southern part of the Faroese fishing zone but the concentrations started decreasing (the fish was migrating northwards to feeding grounds in the Norwegian Sea). Sebastes mentella catches in the Sea of Irminger were relatively stable (3,700 tonnes), catches of haddock increased notably to 5,300 tonnes while the saithe harvest fell remarkably to 98 tonnes after the main part of fishing vessels left Norwegian EEZ.

Blue whiting took the first place in catch volumes (7,300 tonnes or 29% of total catch volume) followed by cod (5,400 tonnes or 21%) and Barents Sea haddock (5,300 tonnes or 21%) instead of horse mackerel of Central Eastern Atlantic as it had been before.

Sustainable Blue whiting fishery continued in the southeast of the Faroese fishing zone but fish concentrations were gradually decreasing as the fish was migrating northwards to feeding grounds in the Norwegian Sea. The fleet was also moving northwards. Total blue whiting catch in the Faroese fishing zone decreased to 7,300 tonnes (down 2,600 tonnes) in the week under analysis while the contribution of Kaliningrad-based fishermen amounted to 24%.

In the Barents Sea fishing vessels were moving beyond the Norwegian EEZ, where the fishing conditions were deteriorating due to seasonal changes. Main part of cod (2,900 tonnes) and haddock (3,900 tonnes) was harvested in Spitzbergen area, Grey Zone and Russian waters (2,100 tonnes and 1,300 tonnes correspondingly).

Total cod catch amounted to 5,400 tonnes (down 800 tonnes) while haddock catch increased to 5,300 tonnes (up 2,500 tonnes). As prominent part of fishing vessels left Norwegian EEZ, saithe catch decreased by 300 tonnes and amounted to only 100 tonnes. The tendency of saithe fishing was expected to continue in the period to follow.

In the Sea of Irminger the fishery of Sebastes mentella continued in the traditional area along the southwest border of the Icelandic zone. Catches at the depths of 600-700 meters to the west from the 28th degree West, average catches amounting to 15 tonnes per 24 hours, while total catch of Sebastes mentella in the second week of May 2010 in Reykjanes area did not change much and was reported at 2,700 tonnes (down 600 tonnes) and the contribution of vessels operating in the West basin amounted to 44%.

In Central Eastern Atlantic in the main fishing area of Mauritania the catch volume in the second week of May 2010 amounted to 3,200 tonnes (down 2000 tonnes). Horse mackerel catches decreased to 3,400 tonnes (down 1,400 tonnes) due to reduction of fishing efforts but horse mackerel's share in total catches still amounted to 82% with the bycatch dominated by mackerel (12%) and anchovy (4%).

Russian catches in Central Atlantic and Central Eastern Atlantic as per second week of May 2010, metric tonnes