The Russian experience of using at-sea observer data for estimation of discards in the Barents Sea

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The Barents Sea is an area of large-scale demersal fishery. Russian demersal fishery in the Barents Sea is based on two species, i.e. cod and haddock (85% of the total demersal fish catch). Fishery is conducted all the year round in the entire Barents Sea. This is a large-scale fishery, and a bycatch of non-target fish, the number of which, by recent Russian data, exceeds 200 species, cannot be avoided. Such bycatches, especially those of non-commercial species, can be discarded. Additionally, trawl catches, depending on the season and fishing area, contain a certain amount of undersized cod and haddock which can also be discarded. PINRO has developed a scheme for collecting biological and catch data by scientific observers onboard fishing vessels. At-sea observer data are used to estimate discards by Russian fleet fishing for demersal species in the Barents Sea. The paper presents estimates of discards in the Russian demersal fishery and describes measures to reduce discards in the Barents Sea currently used in Russia. Other measures which have potential for reducing bycatch are proposed