Weighing catches on board is the future of the fishery
The Council on Agriculture and Environmental Management under the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation draws the attention of the Federal Agency for Fishery to the need to determine how to carry out the weighing of catches in the fishery (paragraph 5.1 of the Council Decision of November 15, 2021).
The implementation of the norms of the Fishing Rules for the Far Eastern Fisheries Basin for the processing of walleye pollock juveniles in the target fishery is not ensured through control requirements.
In order to preserve the walleye pollock stock, it is proposed to add an obligation to weigh catches directly on board a fishing vessel during target pollock fishing to the Fishing Rules for the Far Eastern Fisheries Basin.
In this case, it will be ensured that there is no possibility of fish discarding over board a vessel (the so-called return of catches to the habitat under the guise of other bycatch), including juvenile fish. The weight of the catches hauled on the vessel will be checked against the weight of the products produced from them. Currently, when fishing for walleye pollock using vessels, catch accounting reports are made up and submitted, on the contrary, by the output of final products on the vessel.
For direct weighing of catches in the target fishery for walleye pollock, it is proposed to determine and establish a transition period during which it will be possible to install the necessary weighing equipment and technical aids of accounting for recording the results of its work on fishing vessels.
Digitalization, including operational monitoring of fishing fleet vessels for data on catch weighing in the target fishery for walleye pollock and other certain aquatic biological resources, primarily allocated for investment objectives in the fisheries, is proposed to be carried out using technical aids on board vessels.
ПThe adoption of such a decision will ensure not only the safety of the stocks of commercial species of aquatic biological resources, but also increase to 20% their total allowable catches, development and output of ultra-processed fish products (surimi) after 2025. The proposal to weigh catches in the fishery was supported by WWF-Russia.