The Russian experience of collecting industry research data in the Barents Se ademersal fishery

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

The Barents Sea is an important demersal fishery area for Northwestern Russia and Norway. The key species in bottom trawl fishery are cod, haddock, saithe, catfishes, Greenland halibut, redfishes etc. Russian demersal fishery primarily targets cod, catches of which make up about 70% of the total Russian catch in the Barents Sea. Russian cod fishery is conducted all the year round in the entire Barents Sea. Length and age of caught fish depend on the season and fishing area. Russian cod fishery is mainly conducted by large and medium-size freezing trawlers (over 200 vessels) with production facilities onboard and cruise duration exceeding 1 month, which denies the possibility to collect data during port calls. Russian trawlers fishing for cod in the Norwegian Economic Zone use 135 mm mesh, while those working in other Barents Sea areas use 125 mm mesh. This also results in differences in length and age composition of catches. With all this in view, PINRO has developed different schemes for collecting biological and industry research data on Russian cod fishery. The paper gives a detailed description of schemes used for collecting industry research data on Russian cod fishery. All types of industry research data are presented and their use for stock assessment and other managerial purposes is discussed.