MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russian fishermen caught more than 110,000 metric tons of Far Eastern squid since the beginning of this year, Chairman of the Fishing Union Alexander Panin told reporters.

"The Far Eastern squid catch has performed exceptionally well. Fishermen reeled in more than 110,000 metric tons already, which is 66% more than in 2022 and 27% more than in 2023," Panin said.

The Alaska pollock catch exceeded 1.9 million metric tons since the start of this year, which is slightly above last year’s levels. The Iwashi sardine catch increased by 18%, reaching more than 570,000 metric tons. "The final result is highly likely to exceed 600,000 metric tons. The Iwashi will therefore secure the second place in production volume in the Russian catch," Panin noted.

Fishing of Far Eastern herring also rose by 11% annually to more than 400,000 metric tons.

At the same time, the total allowable catch of cod in the Barents Sea has been declining for the fourth consecutive year, the expert said. As of the beginning of December 2024, 209,000 metric tons were caught, which is 16% lower than the figure from the previous year.

"A similar negative trend is evident in haddock and turbot catches - a 20% decline compared to last year for each species," Panin added.