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Commercial fishing of bream may be banned in the Sea of Azov
Experts predict that industrial bream fishing will be banned in the Sea of Azov and Taganrog Bay due to a decline in the population due to water salinization.
Vitaly Martynovchenko, deputy director of the Azov-Black Sea branch of the All-Russian Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, told TASS about this.
According to the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, until 2007 the average salinity in the Sea of Azov was about 10 ppm. Now it has increased more than twofold in the Taganrog Bay and up to 1.5 times in the Sea of Azov. The salinity of the Black Sea fluctuates between 15 g/l and 18 g/l.
- The decrease in river flow in the Don River basin has created unfavorable conditions for the natural reproduction of all anadromous and semi-anadromous fish species, as a result of which the salinity of the Azov Sea waters has sharply increased to 15%. This has led to a reduction in feeding areas and habitats in the sea itself and in the Taganrog Bay. Therefore, in addition to sea bass and ram, bream is also at risk of losing its commercial value," he said.
According to him, the total volume of the current resource base for fishing in the Sea of Azov is about 55 thousand tons.
The salinity of the Sea of Azov increased from 9.3% in 2006 to 15.1% in 2023. Climate change has led to a reduction in freshwater flows, an increase in temperature and an increase in salinity. evaporation. This created conditions for the large-scale development of ctenophores and scyphoid jellyfish.
As ocean salinity continues to increase, populations of key anadromous and semi-anadromous fish (pike, ram and perch) will continue to decline. Stocks of Azov flounder, sawfish and commercial invertebrates will increase.
Shrimp catches in the Sea of Azov are expected to increase from 2025 due to population growth. The rapid growth of the invertebrate population, including shrimp, is due to the increased salinity of the Sea of Azov.