Image: Stockfile FIS

Iwashi Sardine Catch Continues to Grow Steadily: Over 105,000 Tons Harvested in the First Half of the Year

RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Friday, July 05, 2024, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

By July 3, 2024, Far Eastern fishermen produced 105.4 thousand tons of Iwashi sardines - twice as much as in 2023 on the same date (+57 thousand tons or 218%). The mackerel catch amounted to 1.8 thousand tons.

The first headquarters this year for organizing pelagic fishing (catching sardines, mackerel, and saury) took place at Rosrybolovstvo.

Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries

Deputy Head of Rosrybolovstvo Vasily Sokolov noted the very good dynamics of catch and drew attention to the peculiarities of the fishery this year: fishermen began to catch more in Russian waters and in the open part of the Pacific Ocean.

“In the Japan zone, the indicators for the current year are low for various reasons. At the same time, this forced fishing industry to look for fish outside the exclusive economic zones - in the open waters of the North Pacific Ocean. And there is an effect from this, which cannot but rejoice. Previously, in areas far from the coast there was practically no Russian catch,” said Vasily Sokolov.

According to the CSMS, the catch of willow in the EEZ of the Russian Federation amounted to more than 90 thousand tons (in 2023 - 43 thousand tons), in the open part of the North-West Territory - 14.3 thousand tons (in 2023 there was no production in this area).

At the headquarters they discussed the further development of the season. Traditionally, the July-August period was considered ineffective and not catchable for pelagic species, namely sardines.

This year, science recommends continuing the fishery and leaving the fleet to catch Ivasi, including in the Southern Kuril Islands. In principle, poutine can go on all year round: there is a lot of squid now - a productive generation is approaching.

The motivation to continue fishing is also supported by the economic prospects for developing large volumes of sardines. As Alexey Baitalyuk, Deputy Director and Head of the Pacific Branch of VNIRO (TINRO), noted, the catch of anchovy, one of the most popular species of global fishery and raw material for the production of flour and fish oil, is declining. Iwashi sardine may well replace the missing volumes.

Based on the results of the headquarters, the Sakhalin-Kuril and Primorsky territorial departments of Rosrybolovstvo were instructed to work with fishermen, discuss production plans and the number of fleets, and the provision of transport vessels. It is necessary to coordinate work with the FSB border service in advance to ensure transhipment at sea and delivery of catches to ports without delays.

Source: Stockfile FIS

In addition, VNIRO scientists talk about natural trends, the cyclical dynamics of the catch of pelagic objects: over the past years, the mackerel catch has been decreasing, so in 3-5 years we can expect saury approaches.

• In 2024, the projected catch of iwasi is 579 thousand tons. At the same time, the volume of catch can be adjusted as the fishing season progresses.
• Pelagic fishing (fishing for sardines, mackerel, and saury) occurs in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean almost year-round.
• The volume of catch of Iwasi sardine in the Kuril waters in 2023 amounted to 544 thousand tons - this is a record figure for the post-Soviet period.

Source: United press service of Rosrybolovstvo (Translated from the original in Russian)

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

Print