The catch of fish and other aquatic bioresources this year is slightly less than last year, but prices for a number of products have increased dramatically. For example, red caviar has become a third more expensive, but producers call it “fair”.
Forbes investigated why the catch of most types of commercial fish has decreased this year and what to expect in the 2025 season
As of December 2, the catch of Russian fishermen amounted to 4.58 million tons, which is 9% lower than on the same date in the record year of 2023, calculated German Zverev, president of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (VARPE), at the request of Forbes. “By the end of the year, we expect this ratio to remain,” he predicts.
According to him, the total pollock catch increased by 1% over the year, to 1.85 million tons, Pacific herring – by 11%, to 390,000 tons, while the decline occurred due to a decrease in the catch of Pacific salmon and cod. “The salmon fishing season turned out to be the worst in the last 20 years: the production volume compared to the record 2023 fell by 61%, to 235,500 tons,” Zverev complains. “In addition, cod production continues to decline worldwide, which is due to increased efforts to restore stocks. Russia is no exception, so the catch of this type of fish decreased by 14%, to 311,500 tons.” But there are species for which growth is noticeable – for example, the Iwashi sardine, which was not fished until 2016. According to the results of last year, Russian fishermen caught 544,000 tons, and in 2024 they already exceeded this result by 3%.