Overview of supply from Russia’s Far East Fisheries Basin in October 2006

Average daily harvest of the fleet based in the Russian Far East in October amounted to 4100 metric tons. Depending on the fishery situation and weather conditions daily catches through the month fluctuated from 2100 to 6600 tonnes. The bulk of the harvest was contributed by Alaska pollock from the Bering Sea, herring from the Sea of Okhotsk, saury from the waters of the South Kuriles and squid from the waters of the North Kuriles. Those species amounted to 84.5% of the Basin’s monthly harvest.

The below table shows catches of main commercial species as compared to the corresponding period last year 2005 (provisional figures).

* fishery by active and passive gear

The Basin’s harvest through October 2006 as compared to October 2005 decreased practically for all the species with only herring, cod and Atka mackerel displaying catch increases. As a result, a considerable rise of the Basin’s total harvest through January-September 2006 as compared to the same period last year decreased to 12,000 due to catch falls in October which could be attributed mainly to cyclones in the seas of the Russian Far East at the end of the first ten days and at the start of the last ten days of the month.

Alaska pollock was harvested at the Koryak coast, in the area of the Navarin Canyon and in the shallow waters of the Anadyr Bay. In the first ten days of October catches contained ca.80% of Alaska pollock 39-47 cm with the average length of 42.8 cm. The catch rates in the period amounted to 22.7 tonnes per tow and ca.50 tonnes per day which was caused by weather conditions. By the end of the month the fishery situation on the APO grounds was stable, the daily catches reached 80 tonnes per ship. Alaska pollock was large with the average size amounting to 45 cm and 630 grams. However, the fishing efforts dropped from 44 at the start of the month to 27 by the end of it. Sakhalin-based vessel Bukhta Nayezdnik reported fairly good catches in the North Kuriles. The ship’s catch through the month amounted to ca.1500 metric tons with the daily rates amounting to 57.1 tons.

Successful operations on the saury grounds were impeded by weather conditions with the time spent for fishing operations accounting for only 52% out of 1346 days spent by all the vessels at sea. The fishery conditions changed as the fish response to light grew weak. While in the beginning of the month the vessels lost fishing time waiting for permits, then they lost it searching for fish schools. As a result, the daily rates declined as the catches contained a lot of small fish. More specifically, the average size of harvested saury was ca.24 cm and 65 grams. The daily catches per ship were reported at 29.8 tonnes down from 44 tonnes last year. The expedition’s daily harvest of saury fluctuated within 88-2160 tonnes with the average figure in the course of the month amounting to 670 tonnes.

In October vessels from other regions of the Basin joined two Magadan-based ships targeting Okhotsk herring. According to the scientific forecasts, in the autumn period catches of feeding herring in the Sea of Okhotsk were estimated at 92,000 tonnes for dedicated operations. The fishery conditions through October were satisfactory with the fleets harvesting large herring and in the amount they needed. The fleet’s total harvest of Okhotsk herring through the month exceeded the corresponding result of October 2005 nearly by 5000 metric tons. The average daily rates per ship amounted to 59.4 tonnes up from 41.7 tonnes. The largest average daily harvest of 124.7 tonnes was reported by Magadan-based Mayronis catching more than 2700 tonnes through October. Kamchatka-based vessels Vulkan Ksudach and Akros reported average daily rates of 90 tonnes each.

Despite the daily catches of squid in the North Kuriles in October 2006 jumped by 6 tonnes, as compared to the same month the fishing efforts last year decreased in area. The weather conditions also affected the results of the squiders’ operations. In particular, the share of time spent for fishing amounted only to 43% versus 55% last year. The squid harvest through the month decreased by 4500 tonnes. However, the squid harvest in January-October was still 25,000 tonnes more than in the same 10 months of 2005. The daily catches in the Kuriles amounted to 22.4 tonnes per ship on the average with the largest result of 49.9 tonnes reported by Vitus Bering owned by OAO Akros (plc). The species was targeted by 35 ships all together catching 10,900 tonnes in October. The largest monthly harvest of 782 tonnes was reported by RTMS Novoulyanovsk owned by Ogni Vostoka fishing co-op.

In the Bering Sea Kamchatka-based vessels kept on harvesting squid. The area’s average daily catch rates amounted to 27 tonnes per ship.

The number of longliners targeting cod and halibut was declining with the fleet operating at the shores of East Kamchatka and in the West Bering Sea Zone decreased to 8 ships by the end of the month under analysis. The group harvested ca.2000 tonnes of fish on the above grounds. Their catches contained mostly cod with the share of halibut not exceeding 9%. The fishing efforts at the shores of West Kamchatka halved in number. The area’s catches contained up to 82% of halibut. In the North Okhotsk subarea one bottom netter kept on operating on the grounds reporting a total harvest of 39 tonnes of halibut through the month.

Trawl and Danish seine fishery on mixed grounds of bottomfish species for human consumption was active in the Bering Sea and at the shores of East Kamchatka despite the fishing efforts decreased to 11 ships by the end of the month. The catches contained 45% of Alaska pollock, 30% of flounder, 15% of cod, 6% of wachna cod and 2% of Atka mackerel. The group’s total catch through the month amounted to ca.9000 tonnes. In the Sea of Okhotsk the harvest of flounder, cod and wachna cod did not exceed 500 metric tons.

In the Bering Sea and in the Karaginsk subarea vessels based in Kamchatka and Koryak Autonomous District were hunting for crabs (snow crab bairdi, blue king crab and snow crab opilio). The average daily catches of snow crab opilio amounted to 2.5 per ship in the both subareas. The catches of blue king crab in the West Bering Sea zone reached 6.5 tonnes per day, while the bairdi rates stayed within 1.2-3.7 tonnes. The total crab harvest in the area amounted to 156 tonnes.

In October the crab fishery unrolled in full swing in the Sea of Okhotsk. Main species targeted were snow crab opilio in the North Okhotsk subarea (25 ships) and blue king crab at the shores of West Kamchatka (37 ships). Along with the above, the fishermen were targeting other crab species such as red king crabs, golden king crab Lithodes aequispina, triangle tanner crab Chionoecetes angulatusm, red tanner crab and hairy crab. The grand total crab harvest in all the areas amounted to 2800 tonnes including 1138 tonnes of snow crab opilio, 118 tonnes of snow crab bairdi, 345 tonnes of triangle tanner crab, 505 tonnes of blue king crab, 462 tonnes of red king crab.

In October 2006 shrimps were harvested in the North Okhotsk subarea, Kamchatka-Kurile subarea and in the Sea of Japan. The total harvest of pink shrimp through the month turned out to be 400 tonnes down on the corresponding result of last year. Judging by the vessels’ operations in the above areas, the most efficient areas as compared to last year were Kamchatka-Kurile (2 tonnes per ship daily) and the Primorye subarea (1.3 tonnes) while the average daily rates in the North Okhotsk subarea grew nearly halved.

The fleet operating on the whelks grounds of the Sea of Okhotsk consisted of 12 ships. Main fishing grounds were located in the north part of the Sea of Okhotsk and in the Aniva Bay of Sakhalin. The group’s largest catch of 162 tonnes through the month was recorded for Magadan-based vessel Viliga catching 5.6 tonnes per day on the average.