Scientists call for immediate trawl fishing ban in Sea of Azov

A full ban on any trawl fishing should be «urgently» introduced in the Sea of Azov. This is stated in the monograph «Fisheries Potential of the Sea of Azov» published by scientists from the Azov Sea Research Institute of Fisheries (AzNIIRKH). Until 2013, it was prohibited, but then it was reinstated at the insistence of Ukraine.

According to the scientists, on one hand, trawl fishing is losing its effectiveness. This is due to the continuing decline in stocks of sprat and gobies in the Sea of Azov. Moreover, the proliferation of jellyfish and the lengthening of their lifespan have made autumn vessel trawl fishing for anchovy ineffective.

«At present, all biological grounds have emerged for introducing a complete ban on any vessel trawl fishing in the waters of the Sea of Azov, which for many decades until 2013 was under strict prohibition and was introduced in 2013 in a limited »experimental« regime »temporarily« only at the insistence of Ukraine,» say the scientists.

The main reason why such fishing was banned in Soviet times is its incompatibility with plans to restore populations of sturgeon species fish in the Sea of Azov.

«If the goal is the rapid development of sturgeon farming in the Sea of Azov, then introducing a complete ban on any trawl fishing in the Sea of Azov should be done urgently,» are convinced the scientists of AzNIIRKH.

As an alternative to trawls, they propose new designs of purse seines that could be used for fishing anchovy and sprat, and in the future, mullet.

Meanwhile, as reported by 161.RU, AzNIIRKH believes that the small fleet should focus its fishing not on gobies, anchovy, and sprat, but on invertebrates.