The Sea of Okhotsk is experiencing a historical low in ice coverage, as the pollock fishery hits catches of 405,500 tonnes and Pacific herring catches reach 125,000 tonnes.
Ice cover has spread in the northern and western areas of the Sea of Okhotsk, but for the early part of this month, a total of 40% was under ice, which is a historic low, while ice cover has formed along the edge of almost the whole of western Kamchatka.
The A season for pollock is from Janaury to April, during which around 80% of annual catches are taken.
According to official figures from Russia, this year there are 86 large and medium-sized vessels fishing for pollock and eight are fishing for Pacific herring, plus 23 reefers are also at work in the area.
The pollock catch since the beginning of 2025 is in line with expected performance, but the 125,600-tonne herring catch has already exceeded last year’s total landing figures.
