Russia's blue whiting and herring quotas 2011 in Northeast Atlantic finally approved by Federal Fisheries Agency

Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency has approved the nation's blue whiting and herring quotas in the Northeast Atlantic for the year 2011, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/.

Blue whiting

Research surveys in the recent several years have indicated decline of blue whiting stocks in connection with the lack of abundant classes, therefore year after year NEAFC has been cutting down the blue whiting TAC, namely from 1,847,000 tonnes in 2007 to 540,000 tonnes in 2010. At the latest session the commission has unprecedentally decided to reduce the TAC 2011 to 40,000 tonnes.

The Russian side has however taken such a dramatic reduction of the blue whiting TAC as ungrounded and opposed the decision thus acquiring the right to enter a protest and declare unilaterally defined quota for fishery in the open waters. Such protest has been sent to NEAFC and, under the order dated 24 January 2011, Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency has finally set the blue whiting quota in the NEAFC waters at 45,000 tonnes (-9,054 tonnes on 2010).

In the meantime, coastal states (Norway and Faroe Islands) have kept allocating quotas for Russia out of the TAC specified by the NEAFC. That is why, in 2011 the Russian vessels have been allowed to harvest only 688 tonnes of blue whiting in the Norwegian EEZ, while last year the Russian quota in the area amounted to 10,871 tonnes (-10,183 tonnes or -94%).

Herring

The spring-spawning herring quota 2011 in the NEAFC waters (the Northeast Atlantic) has been increased by 4,611 tonnes (equal to the remainder of the last year quota) to 146,272 tonnes. At the same, as compared to the herring quota 2010 of 201,290 tonnes, the current year quota has been cut by 55,018 tonnes.

Full details are given in the below table.