Investment in fleets and the simplification of obtaining permission for fishing have led to a sharp increase in the catch of fisheries based near the Crimean Peninsula.
Fisheries of the Crimean Peninsula increased their catch by 30 percent in 11 months of 2017 compared to the previous year, which in turn was also record-breaking, Russia’s Agency for Fisheries reported.
In early December, the agency reported that 44,500 metric tons (MT) of anchovy, goatfish, scad, pickerel, and gray mullet were caught by boats based on the peninsula – 30 percent more than in January to November 2016. The landing of anchovy was 25,000 MT, which represented a year-on-year increase of 25 percent. The total catch of goatfish was 613 MT (up 40 percent), catch of scad was 874 MT (up 15 percent), harvesting of pickerel totaled 79 MT (up 36 percent), and catch of gray mullet was 338.5 MT ( up18 percent).
Interestingly, that the results of 2016 were also impressive, with 59,790 MT harvested, which is 13 percent higher than in 2015 and 14 percent more than in 2013, the best fishing year in the Crimean history.
Crimea’s Ministry for Agriculture said in late 2016 that the increase in catch must be attributed to “bringing the industry into shape,” particularly referring to changes made to simplify the process of obtaining fishing permits. The agency said this simplification has led to an increase in the number of fishing companies in operation on the peninsula. The total number of fishing firms operating on the peninsula went up by 31 percent, to 263, in 2016. In addition, many existing firms have added vessels to their fleets.
The Crimean Peninsula is a disputed territory. In 2014, the population of the peninsula, which at the time was a part of the Ukraine, voted in favor of integration with Russia. In February of that year, the peninsula was annexed by Russia. The move was opposed by Ukraine, which claims the Crimea as its own. A majority of the world’s countries and the United Nations consider it an “annexed territory.”
