Coastal fishes in the northwestern Okhotsk Sea (westward from 147o E): fishery and prospects of its development

Abstract

Fishery at the northwestern Okhotsk Sea coast is analyzed for the period from 2000 to 2019. Pacific herring, saffron cod, pacific cod, capelin, flounders (Limanda aspera, Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus and Platichthys stellatus), and smelts (Hypomesus japonicus and Osmerus mordax) are landed in this area. The spawning herring prevails (95.2 %) in the catch. Almost all spawning herring is caught at the coast of Khabarovsky Krai. Taking into account the area of spawning grounds for herring in the lagoons of the coasta, withdrawal of this species could be increased, though actually it was decreased in the last two decades in 1.8 times, and since 2012 the herring fishery is continued in Okhotsk District only. The fishing strategy changed: offshore harvesting with stationary nets transformed to combined using of stationary and casting nets and expanded to the rivers. The catches delivery changed, as well: the herring catches are processed mostly ashore since 2008. Withdrawal of saffron cod fluctuated from 1.9 % to 186.5 % of the total available catch (TAC) volume for this species, with rapid growth in the last 5 years; its main fishing grounds shifted from the waters of Nikolayevsk District to the waters of Tugur-Chumikan District. Landings of smelt grew since 2009, too: annual catches of rainbow smelt increased from 72.2 t, on average, in 2009–2014 to 119.4 t in the last 5 years (up to 90 % of this volume was caught in Tugur-Chumikan District); landing of japanese smelt grows even faster and now exceeds 50 % of TAC. The stock of capelin was exploited weakly, annual catches of this species changed from 0.7 % to 23.3 % of TAC. Stationary and casting nets were the only fishing gears used for the capelin fishery in 2000s, but recently midwater trawls are also used. Catches of flounders had a growth tendency, though they were rather low and never exceeded 50 % of the recommended volumes. Dynamics of the pacific cod landings became positive when fishermen started to use small boats for this fishery, its annual catches increased in 2014–2019 from 69.7 to 84.8 t, the withdrawal rate achieved 9.3 % of TAC. Available fish resources in the northwestern Okhotsk Sea and technical equipment of local enterprises provide strong potential of fishery industry in this area.