Russian fishermen have caught more than 150,000 metric tons (MT) of pelagic fish in 2018, more than twice as much as 2017 – and the season isn’t over yet.
According to data from the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries, as of mid-December, Russian fishing firms had caught 80,800 MT of mackerel, 1.7 times more than in 2017. Russian boats had caught 61,000 MT of sardines, 3.8 times more than in 2017, and caught 8,000 MT of saury, the same number as last year.
The season is over in Russian waters, but 30 Russian vessels continue to fish in the economic zone of Japan. The total number of ships fishing in those waters is up from 15 in 2017, and they have a collective 30,000 MT of pelagic quota remaining.
The total potential catch of 180,000 MT could have been even higher, but most of the fleet was busy during the salmon season, which also proved record-breaking.
The main factors contribute to the growth of the sector were a larger fleet, greater fishing effort by those vessels, and larger stocks, according to a scientific report provided by the Pacific Scientific Research Center (also known as the TINRO Center).
Also in 2018, fisheries scientists from TINRO engaged in a new project both on-shore and on-board fishing vessels, helping to guide Russia’s fleet to choice fishing grounds. That helped the fleet catch a delay of pelagic fish migration from the Kuril Islands into the Sea of Japan, which occurred later than usual due to warmer water temperatures.
Forecasts for pelagic stocks look positive for the years to come, according to the TINRO Center. New Research has shown it will soon be possible for the Russian fleet to catch up to one million MT of sardines and 300,000 to 400,000 MT of mackerel annually. In coming years, the biomass of sardine will hit 3.3 million MT in the region, and mackerel will reach four million MT, according to the TINRO research.
