Far Eastern waters anchor record-pacing yields as the critical Bering Sea expedition kicks into high gear
The Russian fishing fleet has crossed a major operational milestone by bringing in more than 1.947 million tons of aquatic bioresources since the start of the year. According to the Federal Agency for Fisheries industry monitoring system, the official data compiled as of May 25 highlights robust activity across the nation's primary maritime territories, solidifying the industry's strong momentum moving into the summer.
Photo: Pollock Catchers Association (PCA)
A major driver of this year's volume is the crucial Bering Sea pollock expedition, which officially launched on May 15. The Pollock Association forecasts that this specific expedition will deploy between 60 and 70 fishing vessels, with the total seasonal catch expected to hit between 500,000 and 550,000 tons. This stable outlook matches last year’s performance and positions Russia's total pollock harvest to surge past the 1.5 million ton mark by this summer. Pollock remains the undisputed anchor of the country's commercial fishing sector, accounting for over 40% of the entire national catch.
This new campaign follows the closing of Russia’s largest annual fishing event, the Sea of Okhotsk pollock run, which concluded on April 10. Total pollock hauls across the expansive Far Eastern fishery basin reached 1.021 million tons. While this figure sits 3.5% below the historic, record-breaking numbers seen in 2025, it remains a significant 6% higher than the five-year annual average, proving that long-term yields remain highly elevated.
A closer look at the regional breakdowns provided by the Federal Service for Fisheries showcases how different maritime basins contributed to the national total:
Far Eastern Fishery Basin: Leading national production with 1,583.9 thousand tons total. This included 1,106.6 thousand tons of pollock, 58.6 thousand tons of cod (an increase of 0.4 thousand tons over 2025), 266.1 thousand tons of Pacific herring (up 11.1 thousand tons from 2025), and 25.5 thousand tons of Far Eastern flounder.
Northern Fishery Basin: Yielded 146.2 thousand tons, marking an increase of 4.6 thousand tons compared to the 2025 level. The catch featured 71.8 thousand tons of cod and 35.4 thousand tons of haddock, which saw a notable jump of 11.1 thousand tons over last year.
Western Fishery Basin: Brought in 43.9 thousand tons, up 3.7 thousand tons from 2025. This basin saw 33.2 thousand tons of sprat (a 6.4 thousand ton increase) and 9.5 thousand tons of Baltic herring.
Volga-Caspian Fishery Basin: Recorded 29.1 thousand tons of total catch, which included 12.8 thousand tons of sprat.
Azov-Black Sea Fishery Basin: Generated 16.8 thousand tons, heavily driven by 12.4 thousand tons of anchovy.
Photo: Pollock Catchers Association (PCA)
Beyond domestic waters, Russia’s distant-water fleet continues to maintain a significant global footprint. Operations mapping across the conventional areas, the open part of the World Ocean, and the exclusive economic zones of foreign nations successfully yielded 121.182 thousand tons of aquatic bioresources to round out the global harvest.