More than 90% of the TAC volume falls on the Far Eastern fishery basin

Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries: '2024 TAC under discussion'

RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Monday, March 27, 2023, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

Council for Science under the head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries: scientists discussed the prospects and opportunities for fishing in 2024 and the results of work with the Russian Academy of Sciences

Meeting of the Council of Sciences, held by the head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, Ilya Shestakov. Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries

The catch limits for aquatic biological resources (total allowable catch, TAC) for Russian fishermen for 2024 were considered at a meeting of the Council for Science, which was held by the head of the Federal Agency for Fishery, Ilya Shestakov, as part of a working trip to Tyumen. The meeting was attended by representatives of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), territorial departments of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, and constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Fishing basin of the far east. Source: FIS stockfile / Wiki -->

The forecast was based on data from scientific studies conducted in 2022 and previous years in the exclusive economic zone of Russia, inland sea waters and on the continental shelf, materials from scientific observers, as well as an analysis of fishing statistics.

In total, in 2024, more than 3.3 million tons of aquatic biological resources in Russian waters are recommended to be caught under the TAC — 3% more than in 2023.

More than 90% of the TAC volume falls on the Far Eastern fishery basin, 2% each - on the Northern and Western basins, on the other basins - 1% or less.

The basis of catches in the Far East basin will traditionally be walleye pollock - 66% of the total TAC. The head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries noted that the precautionary approach previously used in forecasting cod no longer meets the current state of scientific development and the current problems of the fishery.

“Today we must work within the framework of the maximum sustainable catch - the maximum catch that is possible for the population, based on the current state of the stocks,” said Ilya Shestakov. “Observed climate changes allow us to talk about improving the conditions for the reproduction of cod, and now there is a possibility of increasing the total allowable catch of pollock in the Far East to 2.2 million tons.”

In addition, it is proposed to increase the TAC of herring by 8% for 2024 compared to 2023. The main increase in herring stocks is predicted in the North Sea of Okhotsk and Karaginsky subzones.

In general, there were no significant fluctuations in the state of the resource base; for most of the facilities operated under the TAC, the reserve remains at a stable level. The head of the Federal Agency for Fishery noted that the commissioning in 2024 of new vessels and processing facilities built, among other things, as part of the implementation of the first stage of investment quotas, will make it possible to make the most of the resource base.

The head of the Federal Agency for Fishery instructed VNIRO to develop a three-year forecast for the dynamics of stocks and fishery of crabs in the Far Eastern and Northern basins.

The second issue on the agenda of the meeting was summing up the results of cooperation between VNIRO and the Russian Academy of Sciences and prospects.

Photo: Federal Agency for Fisheries -->

In 2022, joint studies of bioresources were carried out in the Arctic, in the Black Sea and on the underwater uplifts of the Pacific Ocean, as well as in the Caspian Sea, on Lake Baikal and in the Volga River. The meeting participants agreed on a joint project for the coming years, where a special role will be played by the study of environmental issues, the rational use of bioresources and the modernization of the fishery complex in the new affiliated regions of the Russian Federation. It is assumed that the new program will be designed not for a year, but for five years.

In addition, the meeting considered the prospects for conducting comprehensive studies of the estuary-coastal waters of the Russian Arctic. The project involves the study of bioresources, the state of their habitat in coastal waters, as well as an assessment of the vulnerability of ecosystems to anthropogenic impact, which is relevant in connection with the intensification of the development of the Arctic. As part of the program, information will be obtained on the biology and ecology of coastal waters, including areas not yet affected by economic activity, which will later be used to develop measures to protect the unique Arctic nature.

Source: United Press Service of the Federal Fisheries Agency

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