Condition and structure of pollock stock in the Sea of Okhotsk in 2011–2020

Abstract

Purpose of the work: to assess the condition and structure of the pollock stock in the period 2011–2020 based on the materials of scientific surveys carried out in the main areas of its reproduction in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. Methods used: data on the biology and fishing of pollock were obtained during scientific trawling surveys in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk in the spring period 2011–2020. The areal method was used to calculate the abundance and biomass. Recalculation of the size composition of pollock in the age is carried out using the size-age key. Novelty: the elements of novelty are the analysis of the structure and dynamics of the pollock stock according to trawl surveys, as well as its fishing in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk over a ten-year period. The yield level of pollock generations at the age of one year and the age of near replenishment of the spawning stock, which appeared during the 2010s, was determined. Result: despite the heterogeneity of the size and age structure of pollock in the considered fishing subzones of the Sea of Okhotsk, the presence of high-yielding generations is usually manifested for the entire northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. The most significant fluctuations in pollock stocks were observed in the first half of the decade under review. During the 2010s, the trends in pollock catch in the North Okhotsk subzone and Kamchatka subzones coincided. The efficiency of pollock use in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk is characterized by maximum values. Practical significance: the results obtained on the dynamics and structure of the pollock stock in the North Okhotsk and two Kamchatka fishing subzones of the Sea of Okhotsk over a ten-year period will be used for prognostic purposes.