Photo: Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) /FIS

Russian Fisheries: Catch Approaches 3 Million Tons in Early 2025, Driven by Far Eastern Basin Success

RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Friday, August 01, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Strong Start to the Year Puts Russia on Track for Ambitious 5 Million Ton Fishery Target

MOSCOW – Russian fishermen have achieved a significant milestone in early 2025, with the total catch of aquatic bioresources nearing 3 million tons (2,953.1 thousand tons). This robust performance, monitored by the Federal Fisheries Monitoring System (FSMS) of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo), demonstrates a strong start to the fishing season, with notable increases compared to 2024 levels in several key basins. This early 2025 figure, as of July 31st, aligns with Russia's ambitious targets for the year, with the nation expecting its total fish catch to surpass 5 million metric tons in 2025. While the overall annual target will heavily depend on the upcoming salmon fishing season, particularly in the Far East, current trends indicate a positive trajectory. For instance, as of June 11th, Russian fishermen had already caught approximately 466,500 metric tons of Pacific salmon, exceeding last year's figures for that period.

 Basin-by-Basin Breakdown:

• Far Eastern Basin: This region remains the powerhouse of Russian fisheries, contributing the vast majority of the total catch with 2,281.4 thousand tons. This represents an increase of 15.6 thousand tons compared to the corresponding period in 2024, highlighting its continued importance.

  • Pollock: The dominant species, with a catch of 1,442.5 thousand tons, showing a 4.3 thousand ton increase from 2024. Despite earlier concerns about ice conditions in the Far East affecting pollock catch, the figures indicate strong performance. The overall allowable catch (TAC) for pollock in 2025 was set at 2.46 million tons, a slight increase from 2024.

  • Pacific Herring: A significant catch of 309.8 thousand tons, up by 27.8 thousand tons compared to 2024, reflecting healthy stock levels.

  • Cod: 81.9 thousand tons were caught, an increase of 2 thousand tons from the previous year.

• Northern Basin: The catch in this basin reached 216.3 thousand tons.

  • Cod: 121.5 thousand tons were harvested.

  • Haddock: 37.4 thousand tons were caught, a slight increase of 0.5 thousand tons compared to 2024.

• Western Basin: A total of 51.4 thousand tons was reported.

  • Sprat (Kilka): The primary catch, amounting to 30.5 thousand tons.

  • Baltic Herring (Salak): 16.8 thousand tons were caught.

• Azov-Black Sea Basin: Demonstrated significant growth, with a total catch of 26.9 thousand tons, an impressive increase of 8.4 thousand tons compared to the 2024 level, indicating a substantial recovery or improved conditions.

  • Anchovy: 12.6 thousand tons were caught, increasing by 3.4 thousand tons.

  • Sprat: 7.1 thousand tons were harvested, a substantial increase of 4.1 thousand tons.

• Volga-Caspian Basin: Recorded 49.5 thousand tons, an increase of 1.5 thousand tons compared to 2024.

  • Sprat: 22.4 thousand tons were caught, up by 1.6 thousand tons.

  • Ordinary Fish Species: 9.4 thousand tons were reported.

International Waters and Economic Zones:

Beyond its national basins, the Russian fleet showcased an expanded operational reach, producing more than 311.6 thousand tons in the exclusive economic zones of foreign states, conventional areas, and the open part of the World Ocean. This represents a robust increase of 30.6 thousand tons (10.9%) compared to the corresponding period in 2024, underscoring Russia's growing presence in global seafood production.

Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) Monitoring System and related industry reports.

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