Russian Fisheries Research Articles

Arctic and Barents Sea ice extent variability and trends in 1979–2022

The aim of the paper is to assess interannual and decadal variability of the Barents Sea and Arctic ice extent in various seasons for the period from 1979 to 2022.The material for the study was satellite data on the Barents Sea and Arctic ice extent, climate indices, oceanographic data obtained during surveys in the Barents Sea by PINRO and other available information on hydrometeorological conditions of the sea in 1979–2022.Methods of descriptive statistics as well as comparative, correlation, regression, harmonic and cluster analyses were applied.Results: The year-to-year changes in the Barents Sea and Arctic ice extent in various seasons are described for 1979–2022. The modern climate changes, manifested in substantial warming of air and water masses in the Arctic, resulted in a considerable ice extent reduction in the studied areas in recent decades. Well-marked negative trends took place in all months and seasons. The annual mean ice extent was decreasing at a rate of 532 thousand km2 per decade in the Arctic, and at a rate of 105 thousand km2 per decade in the Barents Sea. Over the past 40 years, the ice extent in the Arctic has decreased by 14%, and in the Barents Sea — by half (by 51%), while the ice-free period duration has increased in the Barents Sea from one to three months. Hydrometeorological parameters were identified that are most closely related to the ice extent in the Arctic (|r| ≥ 0.40) and Barents Sea (|r| ≥ 0.60). Reliable regression models were developed that explain 45.2 and 88.0% of its variability, respectively. The contribution of individual factors to the ice extent variability explained by regression equations was quantitatively assessed, and the leading role of air temperature was noted.Practical significance: The obtained results are useful for a better understanding of the climate processes occurring in the Arctic and Barents Sea in recent decades and can be used to assess the impact of climate changes on the main objects of Russian fishery in these areas.

Trends in the development of the fisheries complex and consumption of fish products in the country

The purpose of the work is to analyze current trends in the development of the Russian fisheries complex and identify the causes of the stagnant dynamics of consumption of fish products by the population.Methods used: general scientific research methods, as well as methods of statistical analysis of time series, graphical and coefficient methods.The element of novelty: The current interdependence between the dynamics of fish catch, the actual financial results of economic activities of enterprises, as well as the general level of consumption of fish products by the population has been revealed. The study based on quantitative analysis complements the existing economic theory with new empirical data necessary to clarify the current directions of development of the country’s fisheries complex for its sustainable development.The results of the study: the actual catch of fish in Russia, which reached its historical maximum in modern history of 5.3 million tons in 2023, with simultaneously high levels of exports of fish products, provided an increased level of profitability of economic activities of enterprises and an increase in their financial independence in comparison with other sectors of the economy, however, the studied trends in the development of the fisheries complex were not broadcast in advance the increase in consumption of fish products by the population, in particular, from 2010 to 2022.Practical significance: the obtained research results and empirical data can be used by the authorities in developing relevant directions for the sustainable development of the country’s fisheries complex.

The state of Russian national fisheries in the Northern Fishery Basin at the beginning of the 21st century

The purpose of the work is to review of Russian fisheries evolution and modern condition in the Northern Fishery Basin in the first decades of the 21st century to improve the Russian fishery management.The work is based on the data collected by the Polar Branch of the «VNIRO» (N. M. Knipovich «PINRO»), the data of the ICES Working Group on Arctic Fisheries, the decisions of the Joint Norwegian-R ussian Fisheries Commission sessions, the results of the Russian- Norwegian research surveys for the assessment of pelagic and demersal fish stocks and information about the Russian fishing fleet structure and fishing activities.Relevants and findings. The summarized materials on the evolution and modern status of the Russian fisheries in the Barents Sea as the main fisheries are in the north-w estern Russia at the beginning of the 21st century are presented for the first time. The dynamics of stocks and catches of demersal and pelagic fish in 2000–2020 was analyzed. In the observed period in the Barents Sea, the highest biomass of stocks and catches were characteristic of bottom fish species, while stocks and catches of pelagic fish were at an average or even low level. In general, the first decades of the 21st century were favorable for the Russian fishery in the Barents Sea. Additionally, the current state of fisheries in the White and the Kara seas, which are significantly different from the Barents Sea by environmental conditions, legal status and marine biological resources, are considered. Commercial stocks there are significantly underutilized by the Russian fishery. In the Barents Sea, while maintaining fish stocks biomasses at the current levels following by the continuing the hydrologically warm period in the Arctic, the stabilization of the Russian catch at the levels close to existing values is expected.Practical importance. The results obtained will improve the efficiency of the Russian fishing fleet operated in the Northern Fishery Basin.

Russian fisheries in 2000–2020

Purpose of the work: analysis of the development of fisheries development in Russia in the first two decades of the 21st century, assessment of stock state and catches of fish resources, and identification of major factors of influence on these resources and fisheries. Methods used: the main source of information on the production in Russian fisheries was annual data on catches of fish and other aquatic biological resources and data on aquaculture production — Form No. 1-P (fish). Сatches and yields of fish resources were analyzed based on the operative reporting of enterprises and data of the industry monitoring system. For access and initial processing, the FMS analyst software was used.Novelty: an analysis of the regulatory and legal framework development is presented, materials from Russian fisheries for 2000–2020 are summarized and analyzed.Practical significance: the development of any type of economic activity is a continuous, but heterogeneous process, with periods of growth and decline of varying duration. Fishery is no exception. Throughout its history, the industrial fisheries in Russia have gone through a series of stages associated with changes in fisheries technology and evolution of fishing vessel design. The development of industrial fisheries was also related to such objective conditions as long-term climate changes, which influenced the state of fisheries resources.

Russian saury fishery and factors influencing its distribution in the Northwest Pacific Ocean

The goal of the work is to identify the roots of the significant decrease in the catch of saury by Russian vessels in the Kuril waters from 2015 to the present, as well as factors influencing the distribution of this fish in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean.Methods used: the work is based on materials on the distribution of saury schools in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean obtained during expeditions on fishing vessels, and trawl surveys on vessels of the Pacific branch of VNIRO (TINRO) from 2012 to 2021. To assess the position of fishing areas and the efficiency of saury fishing, fishing statistics data for 2012–2021 were used in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean according to vessel daily reports (VDR) and ship positions of the monitoring system of Rosrybolovstvo.Novelty: the work presents the results of the Russian fishery in recent years, and evaluates the effectiveness of the fishery. Based on an analysis of the literature of recent years and data obtained on expeditions to the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, the reasons for the decrease in saury catch by Russian fishermen over the past 5 years are considered.Result: The main reasons that caused the shift of the main feeding areas of saury far to the east and north in recent years are global climate and oceanological changes in the Northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the abiotic factors of the pelagic fish habitat, their distribution is also influenced by the interspecific interaction of competing fish with high stock. A large number of factors, both abiotic and biotic, affect the change in the pattern of migration routes and the position of saury feeding areas in the North Pacific Ocean, which ultimately makes it much more difficult to predict the distribution of fishing grounds.Practical significance: the results obtained will be used for further studies of the population dynamics of saury in the North Pacific Ocean.

Обеспечение продовольственной безопасности и сокращение экологических рисков в рыбохозяйственном комплексе на основе внедрения принципов экономики замкнутого цикла

The article reveals the principles of the closed-cycle economy, on the basis of which the production structures of the fisheries complex have the opportunity, by recycling waste, to reduce environmental risks, expand the range of fish products to ensure food security. The closed-cycle economy is a strategic direction for moving towards a new technological order, increasing added value and changing approaches to fisheries management. The closed-cycle economy leads to the sustainable development of the Russian fisheries complex.

Международная организация по рыболовству в Северной Атлантике: особенности регулирования промысла в настоящее время и в ближайшей перспективе

This article describes the area where fisheries are regulated by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), as well as the regulatory measures for it, both currently in use and recommended for application. Possible regulatory setbacks for Russian fisheries presented by both actual and developing fishing rules are analyzed.

Studies of microplastic content in water and commercial fish: from scientific research to large-scale monitoring

Purpose. The article presents proposals for the development of studies of microplastic pollution of waters and biological resources in the Russian fishery areas. Materials and methods. The materials of VNIRO on the quantitative assessment of the MPs content in the Arctic Seas in August-October 2019–2022 and modern research on this problem are summarized. MPs samples were collected on the surface of the seas with a Manta-trawl 335 and processed according to a single method. Results. The conducted studies pick up knowledge gaps regarding the real level of marine MPs pollution of the Arctic region.Novelty. No large-scale localization of MPs was detected in the observation areas, the level of plastic pollution on the surface of the Russian Arctic seas was lower compared to other areas of the World Ocean. We point out the relevance of the assumption that a significant part of MPs fragments and fibers are transported by Atlantic and Pacific currents to the Arctic basin. A sample survey of fish in commercial catches for MPs contamination confirmed the presence of its fragments and fibers in the digestive tract of some individuals (pink salmon, greenlings, herring, sea bass) caught in the North Pacific seas in 2019, 2021 and 2022.Practical significance. The global increase in MPs content in the Northern hemisphere seas, exacerbated by climate change, requires a transition from exploratory scientific observations to regular multidisciplinary study of plastic pollution of biotopes of ecosystems of the Arctic, North Pacific and Atlantic seas. The key points and tasks of monitoring microplastic pollution of waters and biological resources in the Russian fishing areas provide for objective and comparable assessments based on the use of unified methods of collection and processing of samples, as well as an ecosystem approach to prevent environmental risks and ensure food safety.

Government changes in the fisheries business landscape and assessment of their consequences for small and medium-sized businesses

The article analyzes trends in changes in the fisheries business landscape within the framework of the ongoing state policy of supporting entrepreneurship; the author's approach to revealing the content of the concept of «business landscape» in relation to modern conditions for the development of Russian entrepreneurship is formulated; The main stages of the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the modern history of Russia are systematized according to the criteria of its actual state, trends and problems. The author has examined the effectiveness of government decisions in recent years on the development of aquatic biological resources in the Far Eastern basin and identified the formation of negative changes in the Russian business landscape over the past ten years, and especially in the context of sanctions restrictions on the development of the national economy. Based on a generalization of the results of foreign and domestic research, the article proposes the author’s definition of the economic category «business landscape», which is important for management purposes, and assesses the level of participation of Russian small and medium-sized businesses in the formation of gross domestic product in comparison with developed countries. Taking into account his own long-term practice of participating in the organization of management of business structures, the author proposed a staged development of entrepreneurship in Russia over the past 30-year period; Negative changes in the business landscape are outlined using the example of fishing activities in the Far Eastern basin, establishing the imperfections of government decisions taken in recent years to increase the tax burden and complicate the procedure for obtaining fishing quotas and environmental permits for fishing entrepreneurship. The results obtained in the course of the study allow us to consider the transition to a new paradigm of state management of the development processes of the Russian fishery business landscape in the interests of all levels of entrepreneurship and the national consumer market to be considered legitimate and appropriate.

Changes in size and species composition Russian catches in the XXI century by example South Seas and the Yuzhno-Kurilsky fishery district

The role of the southern seas of Russia and the South Kuril zone of the Far Eastern Basin in domestic fishery is shown. Changes in the size and species composition of catches are characterized. The period from 2001 to 2022 is taken for the study. Assumptions are made about the prospects of Russian fishery in the coming years.

Российский рыбохозяйственный комплекс: структура, потенциал, противоречия развития

he article presents the results of generalization and systematization of methodological foundations for the development of the Russian fishery complex. The normative-legal regulation in the sphere of food security is studied. The interrelated system of enterprises, institutions and organizations functioning in the context of extraction, processing and associated production of the fishing industry is considered. The elements of the structure of the fishery complex have been analyzed. The system of contradictions determining the dialectics of ensuring food security on the basis of the development of the domestic market of fishery complex products is determined.

Морское пространственное планирование - инструмент обеспечения устойчивого развития рыбохозяйственного комплекса России в условиях глобализации

The article presents the results of scientific substantiation of the application of marine spatial planning in the mechanisms of effective management of marine economic activities for the coordinated, consistent use of marine natural resources and sustainable development of the Russian fisheries complex in the context of globalization. Measures for the practical solution of the tasks of the 14 SDGs are also disclosed and an assessment of the current state is given based on the analysis of the volume and structure of extraction of aquatic biological resources and economic indicators of fisheries activities.

SNP-based discrimination of pink salmon stocks of the Sea of Okhotsk basin: resolution of the approach and possible ways to increase it

In this work, we studied the intraspecific polymorphism of pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum, 1792), the least genetically explored species among Pacific salmon and one of the central fisheries objects in the Russian Far East. The most urgent task facing Russian fishery science is to determine the proportion of fish from the main reproduction areas in mixed stocks and, based on these data, predict the number of pink salmon returning to these regions for spawning. Due to the unique feature of the species, which evolved into two allochronous lineages, these lineages have been explored independently in parallel. We designed and used here two sets of outlier SNP markers, and this allowed us to reliably distinguish the most northern (Western Kamchatka and the Magadan coast) and the most southern (Iturup Island) regional stocks as well as intermediate stocks from Sakhalin Island and the Mainland coast in both even and odd lineages of pink salmon. In addition, in odd-year lineage, we discovered pronounced genetic differences between early-run and late-run spawners in Sakhalin Island and the proximity of this early spawning form to the mainland stocks. The created baseline covers the main areas of pink salmon reproduction in the Sea of Okhotsk basin and underlies the regional identification of pink salmon in mixed marine stocks.

Северо-Курильская зона: состояние ресурсов и промысла в 2000-2021 годы

Object of research: the North Kuril fishing zone. The purpose of the work is to characterize the state of the Russian fishery in the North Kuril zone of the Far Eastern fishery basin of Russia in 2000-2021. Result: The average long-term recommended value of fishing harvest in the North Kuril zone is 146.75-319.71 (244.54) thousand tons. At the same time, the average long-term development of aquatic biological resources is at a high level - 88.89-259.53 .76) thousand tons or 76.4%. The high proportion of exploitation of commercial aquatic organisms implies a limited possibility of expanding fisheries by increasing the gross catch. The development of the fishery complex of the region, obviously, should be ensured through comprehensively substantiated logistics and technological solutions.

Features of the russian fishery of capelin Mallotus villosus of the Barents sea in 2018 and 2022

On the basis of fishing statistics and research by observers on fishing vessels, an analysis was made of the distribution of capelin catches, the main indicators of fishery (effort, average daily capacity) were considered; length composition of the species was analyzed. It has been established that in 2018 and 2022 the most conductive conditions for capelin fishery, both in terms of capacity and the length composition of the species, were formed in the second half of February and in March in the economic zone of Norway. The reasons for the incomplete realization of the russian quota of capelin in 2018 were the non-optimal timing of fishing by the main group of vessels, in 2022 – an insufficient number of fishing efforts. In March 2018 and 2022, difficult weather prevailed at the fishery, which could prevent the effective realization of the russian quota of capelin.

The raw material base of water biological resources in the russian waters of the Chukchi sea and its cost

The studies carried out in this work made it possible to characterize the dynamics of the raw material base of aquatic biological resources of the Russian waters of the Chukchi Sea in 1997–2020 and evaluate its value at the present stage. The raw material base of marine fish and invertebrates varied from 5,4 to 450,1 thousand tons (with an average value of 196,7 thousand tons). It was based on marine fish – an average of 189,0 thousand tons (96,1% of all resources), stocks of invertebrates – 7,7 thousand tons (3,9%). Estimates of the commercial WBR biomass in the Chukchi Sea are approximately 24 times lower than the estimates of the resource base of the western part of the Bering Sea: 4,1 and 5,1% of the biomass of marine fish and invertebrates, respectively. Stocks of hydrobionts showed a gradual downward trend from 1997 to 2007, a low level in 2008–2017 and a sharp rise in 2018–2020. Significant growth in resources in the late 2010s led to mass walleye pollock migration to the Chukchi shelf from the Bering Sea, which led to an increase in the raw material base of WBR by 431 thousand tons and a concomitant increase in its cost by 23,7 billion rubles. The cost of the raw material base of the Russian waters of the Chukchi Sea in 2019–2020 amounted to 34–51 billion rubles, in absolute terms yielding to the Bering and Okhotsk seas by 14,0 and 31,3 times. The most valuable species of bioresources in terms of value were cod fish (walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus) and crabs (snow crab Chionoecetes opilio), the total contribution of which exceeds 90% of the total value of the estimated commercial stocks of the sea. With a high probability, it can be assumed that it is these types of WBR that will form the economic basis of the Russian fishery in the Chukchi Sea in the future.

Modeling the Investment Policy of a Fishing Firm: The Case of Russian Fisheries in the Baltic Sea

The purpose of the paper is to improve the methodology of fisheries management by expanding the set of factors for investment decisions.Materials and methods. Our work is a further development of the bioeconomic approach, which is based on the interdependence of natural and produced capital in fisheries. Author's solutions are based on methods of analysis and synthesis, and use the modeling of economic processes in fisheries.Results. The paper describes a theoretical model for making investment decisions. This model is used to analyze the investment policy of the firm. The key modeling parameters used are: stock of fish resources, catch size, capital and investment. Our study showed that for this fishery, the main factor in deciding on the optimal level of investment is the ratio of the unit values of existing assets and investments.Practical significance. Although the proposed modified model is preliminary and has a number of limitations, empirical testing allows us to draw conclusions about the possibility of using it to develop optimal production and investment decisions for a fishing company and about the advisability of continuing work in this direction.

Institutional environment for ensuring the sustainable development of the Russian fisheries complex and the growth of trade with the EAEU countries

The purpose of the work is to study the institutional environment that ensures the sustainable development of the Russian fisheries complex and the changes that contribute to the intensification of fish and seafood trade between the EAEU countriesThe methods used: monographic, statistical, scientific abstraction, logical analysis allowed us to explore the theoretical foundations of the creation of institutions and changes in the institutional environment under the influence of external factors.Novelty: the methodological aspects of the formation of the institutional environment have been clarified and the systematization of institutional changes aimed at ensuring the sustainable development of the Russian fisheries complex and increasing the volume of fish and seafood trade with the EAEU countries has been carried out on the basis of the Technical Regulation “On the Safety of Fish and Fish Products No. (EAEU TR 040/2016), which provides for appropriate requirements for the safety and quality of products.Practical significance: High-level use of the potential of the Russian fisheries complex and increasing the efficiency of control of trade operations with the EAEU countries in the digital environment, minimizing risks and transaction costs caused by changes in the institutional environment to ensure mutually beneficial trade in fish and seafood.

Ecological and economic assessments of biological resources in the North Pacific and strategies for their use

New attempt to answer the questions: 1) what aquatic biological resources are possessed in the Russian Far-Eastern Seas and North Pacific and what is their quantity? 2) which of them and how many are caught annually? 3) are these resources managed rationally in Russia? 4) and what is the reason for current situation and can it be improved? Based on the data of trawl surveys, a GIS is created with maps of the biological resources distribution, separately for actually harvested, potentially commercial, and non-commercial ones. The biomass, potential yield and its cost are calculated for the Chukchi, Bering, Okhotsk, and Japan Seas and North-West Pacific. These water bodies are ranked by their value for commercial fisheries. The obtained estimates are compared with the data on annual catch, export, import, and consumption of fish products in Russia. Possibility of larger landing is concluded for each water body, in terms of the harvested species biomass. The harvest from the Okhotsk Sea alone can reach more than 5.2 million tons that exceeds the level of «strategic ceiling» for the entire Russian fishery proposed in «Strategy for development of the fisheries complex of Russian Federation for the period to 2030». For the whole water area under consideration, this level can be exceeded by 3.5–4.7 times, or even by 5.6 times if the potentially commercial species will be exploited. Dynamics of domestic catch, trade and consumption of the biological resources are analyzed. The conclusion is that socioeconomic conditions rather than the state of biological resources are the reason that Russia still does not harvest so much. Some measures are proposed to improve the management of the Russian fishery industry. The obtained results cah alsobe used for maintenance rational use of the biological resources, food security, and nature protection, including evaluation of cost for biological resources in certain water bodies and assessment of damage caused to the nature and biological resources by pollution, construction, oil and gas production, or technogenic accidents.

ОЦЕНКА СОСТОЯНИЯ ЗАПАСОВ МОРСКИХ ВИДОВ РЫБ ЧЕРНОГО МОРЯ (ВОДЫ РОССИИ) В 2021 Г

Based on the available biological and fisheries data, stock status review for 18 units of the fish species inhabiting the Black Sea and the both Azov and Black Seas is presented. A modified version of the traditional approach to the harvest control rules for the aquatic bioresources of the Azov and Black Sea Fishery Basin is described for the case when they are assessed by the mathematical methods to estimate the current stock biomass and fishing mortality. For 11 stock units, analytical modeling including cohort, production and trend models has been applied. Based on the estimates of biomass and fishing mortality concerning biological reference points, in 2021, the status of six stock units of the marine fish species inhabiting the basin and exploited by the Russian fisheries was identified as increasing or stable (“Black Sea” stock units of the European sprat and European anchovy, “Crimean” stock unit of turbot, “Crimean and Caucasian” stock unit of red mullet, and “Black and Azov Seas” stock units of garfish and rays). Five fishery stock units (“Crimean and Caucasian” of mullets, picarel and Mediterranean horse mackerel, “Black and Azov Seas” of sand smelts, and “Caucasian” of turbot) have shown a decreasing trend in terms of abundance, and for the rest of the investigated fish stock units (“Mediterranean migrant” bluefish, Atlantic bonito and Atlantic mackerel, “Black Sea” whiting, so-iuy mullet and the other marine fish species, “Black and Azov Seas” spiny dogfish), the status has not been determined due to the absence of systematic biological and fishery data.