Amateur fishing in the Barents Sea. Barents Sea - Russia's fish treasury Deep-sea fishes of the Barents Sea

About the Barents Sea.
This marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean washes the Russian and Norwegian coasts. Its water area is spread within the continental shelf, between the northern coast of Europe and three archipelagos - Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and New Earth.
The area of ​​the sea exceeds 1400 thousand sq. km, the average depth is about 200 m, the maximum is 600 meters. The large rivers feeding the sea are Pechora and Indiga.

The largest island is Kolguev.
In the west it borders on the Norwegian Sea, in the south - on the White Sea, in the east - on the Kara Sea, in the north - on the Arctic Ocean Basin.
BARENTS SEA - marginal sea North. Arctic ca. between the northern coast of Europe and Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Nov. Earth. 1424 thousand km². Located on the shelf; the depth is mainly from 360 to 400 m (the largest is 600 m). Large. Kolguev. ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
BARENTS SEA - BARENTS SEA, marginal sea of ​​the Arctic approx. between the sowing coast of Europe and the islands of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. 1424 tons km2. Located on the shelf: deep. preim. from 360 to 400 m (max. 600 m). Large island Kolguev. ... ... Russian history
BARENTS SEA - the Arctic Ocean, between the northern coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula and the islands of Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. The area is 1424 thousand km2, the depth is up to 600 m. The large island of Kolguev. The Pechora River flows in ... Modern Encyclopedia
Sigo family. One of the hard to define groups. It is believed that 6 species inhabit Northern Europe, which are divided into more than 50 subspecies and forms. Whitefish are related to another family - salmon fish. Common to both families is the presence of an adipose fin in both. But there are also differences: whitefish have larger scales, a smaller mouth. absence of teeth on the jaws and a deep notch on the caudal fin. The color of whitefish is silver-gray. They are widely distributed in both rivers and lakes.
In the Murmansk region, whitefish is the most important commercial fish. Forms a large number of groups - each large lake has more than one herd, which differ in appearance, lifestyle, behavior. Some herds migrate. Whitefish feed on various small crustaceans. Spawning usually occurs in autumn, but different groups timing may vary. Caviar is deposited on pebbly shallows. Its further development before hatching takes 2
The same family includes vendace, peled.
Salmon family. Members of this family are quite large. The body (except for the head) is completely covered with scales. All have an adipose fin that sits between the dorsal and caudal fins. The origin of this family is associated only with the northern hemisphere; they got into more southern water bodies due to acclimatization. Many species make forage migrations to the sea and thrive in cold waters. Because of the ability to live both in sea (salty) and fresh water and migration from rivers to lakes and seas, these fish are called anadromous. The most important type of anadromous - salmon.
Atlantic (noble) salmon. In the North of Russia, Atlantic salmon is called salmon. This is a large fish, reaching a length of 1.5 m. Individual specimens can weigh up to 30-40 kg. The salmon body is elongated, moderately laterally compressed, with a relatively thin caudal peduncle. Caudal fin in adult fish with a shallow notch. The coloration of Atlantic salmon changes at different stages of the life cycle. Juveniles have from 8 to 11 wide dark transverse stripes on the sides, between which small red spots are visible, hence the name parr. By the end of the river period of life, the juveniles change their coloration: the transverse striping disappears, and the body color from yellowish-greenish or olive becomes silvery. In salmon living in the sea, the body is silver-white below, the back is brown-green. On the surface of the body, especially above the lateral line, small X-shaped dark spots are scattered. With the approach of spawning, sexually mature fish begin to acquire mating attire (loose). They lose their silver color and become bronze or brown. Red and orange spots appear on the head and sides. Not only the appearance changes, but also the skeleton. In males, the front teeth increase, the snout and lower jaw lengthen and curve in a hook-like manner (sometimes similar changes are observed in older females). During this period, the fish stop eating.
Being a typical migratory fish, the Atlantic salmon spends part of its life in the sea, part in the river. On the Kola Peninsula in Lake Imandra salmon lives, all life cycle which takes place in fresh water. Salmon from the rivers of the Barents and White Seas feed in the Norwegian Sea, where they keep close to the shore - at depths of no more than 120 m. They feed on capelin, gerbil, herring, smelt and other fish, as well as some crustaceans. Having lived in the sea from 1 to 3-4 years. adult individuals migrate (up to 1.5 thousand km long) to the rivers where they hatched. Here the salmon grown in the sea breeds.
Salmon spawning occurs in October - November, when the water temperature in the rivers drops to 9-7 ° C. For this, areas are selected with a current speed of 0.5 to 1.5 m / dc and depths of 0.2 to 1.5-2 m. and tail, it digs a depression 2-3 m long in the sandy-pebble soil, where it lays eggs, which are immediately inseminated by males. Then, with the help of her tail, she fills the eggs with gravel and pebbles, thus arranging a nest. Spawning of each female can last up to two weeks. During this time she had several nests.
Most adult Atlantic salmon die after the first spawning. Part of the spawning spawners survive and come to spawn again. Individual specimens can survive even after the second spawning and come to the river for the third, and in exceptional cases - for the fourth time. The surviving spawned individuals (roller) sometimes roll into the sea soon after breeding, but more often remain in the river for the winter and leave in the spring after the ice breaks. At the same time, they begin to actively feed. An interesting biological feature of salmon is the presence of dwarf males in its population. Unlike ordinary anadromous fish, they never leave the rivers and become sexually mature already in the second year of life with a length of only about 10 cm. In appearance, dwarf males differ little from juveniles (parr), however, they participate in spawning along with ordinary males.
Embryos hatch in April-May. In the rivers, juveniles spend from 1 to 5 years, most often 2-4 years. It grows slowly during this period: before migrating to the sea, the average length of juveniles is 10-15 cm, and body weight does not exceed 20 g.
Despite the high fecundity of salmon (one female from 3 to 10 thousand eggs), the commercial return from the eggs spawned by the female is very low - only 0.04-0.12%, and 87-90% of the fry that left the nests die on the first year of life in the river, and less than 1% survive to go to sea.
Commercial salmon fishing was carried out in 18 rivers Kola Peninsula. However, due to irrational fishing, the number of many populations has significantly decreased, and fishing had to be stopped. So. As a result of hydroconstruction, the populations of the Teriberka and Voronya rivers have been lost. In the future, the loss of populations of Drozdovka is possible. Ivanovka and Iokangi. At present, only in some rivers of the peninsula salmon populations with commercial value(Rivers Var-zuga. Umba). The largest in the Barents Sea basin is the Pechora population, the average annual number of which in different periods ranged from 80 to 160 thousand. In the last decade, annual catches have decreased by 2 times. There are many reasons. Continuing mole rafting of timber on salmon rivers, the construction of various kinds of hydroelectric power stations. irrational fishing, poaching, pollution of water bodies with industrial waste - all together leads to a decrease in the stocks of this most valuable fish in our region.
Pink salmon. Work on acclimatization in the waters of the Barents and White Seas of Pacific salmon - pink salmon was started in 1956. Far East was delivered by aircraft to fish hatcheries in our region, where it was additionally incubated. For a number of years, the plants of the Northern Basin produced from 6 to 36 million juveniles. In addition, for several years at the Taibol plant, additional juveniles were obtained from caviar collected from local producers. In some years, pink salmon entered the rivers of the European North in large quantities. Such mass entries on the Kola Peninsula were noted in 1960. 1965. 1971. 1973. 1975 and 1977. After the importation of caviar was stopped in 1978, the number of pink salmon began to decline. In recent years, single specimens have entered the rivers of the Barents Sea basin.
Spawning of pink salmon in the rivers of the Murmansk region occurs in August - October when the water temperature in the river drops to 5 ° C and below. In sexually mature individuals, the nuptial attire begins to appear even in the sea, but it acquires its final form already at spawning grounds. The spawning of pink salmon is similar to the spawning of other salmon. The average fecundity of a female is 1.5 thousand eggs. After spawning, the producers die. emerges from the nests the next year when the water temperature in the river is above 5 ° C and almost immediately migrates to the sea. In a year. having become sexually mature, pink salmon returns to the river to procreate. The entry of fish begins in May, reaches a maximum in July - August and continues until October.
Long-term work on acclimatization in the Barents and White Seas and fbushes did not give encouraging results. However, this type of salmon can be fully used as an object of mariculture. In this regard, in recent years, the development of methods for pasture rearing of pink salmon has begun on the White Sea. For these purposes, in 1984-^-1985. The import of pink salmon caviar from the Magadan region to the Onega fish hatchery was resumed, which was reconstructed specifically for the incubation of caviar of this species.
In recent years, a new species has been used for acclimatization - steelhead salmon, one of whose varieties is rainbow trout. This species was originally distributed in the rivers of the West Coast. North America, but then they actively began to settle on other continents. Representatives of this species grow well, are more resistant to high temperatures, tolerate slight pollution of water bodies, so it is used for breeding in water bodies where heated water is discharged from nuclear power plants. For example, at the Kola nuclear power plant, such experiments had some success.
However, the release of new species into local water bodies is highly undesirable, since they can displace such valuable local species as, for example, brown trout. It lives in lakes, its weight can reach up to 4 kg. For spawning, it rises into rivers and streams with fast current. The biology of brown trout is similar to that of its close relative, salmon. Brown trout has 2 main forms - passage and residential. It is extremely sensitive to water quality, does not tolerate water pollution at all.
In the rapids of most rivers of the Murmansk region, brook trout lives, smaller than brown trout, although both belong to the same species. The difference in size is due to their habitat. hence the difference in nutrition and growth rates. Trout and brown trout differ in color only in adulthood, while juveniles are very similar.
Arctic char, or palia, a fish with very small scales, reaching large (up to 10 kg or more) sizes, should also be attributed to this species. Lake char is much smaller. Char is a valuable object of fishing, like other salmon. It is very sensitive to water quality, temperature regime, pollution chemicals, as well as acclimatizing species. In this regard, special methods of protecting char are needed to prevent its loss from the ichthyofauna of our water bodies.
The grayling (Kharpus family) is also sensitive to unfavorable factors. This species is widespread in the water bodies of the Murmansk region. The grayling is small in size, usually does not exceed 40 cm (rarely - up to 50 cm), weight - within 1-1.5 kg. This is typical River fish, which prefers clean, clear water rich in oxygen. Grayling also lives in lakes. It feeds on insect larvae (caddisflies, mayflies), as well as mollusks, small crustaceans and adult insects that have fallen into the water, especially during the mass summer of mayflies, caddisflies.
Smelt family. Small relatives of noble salmon and brown trout. Very widespread. Many of them are typically marine species, some go to fresh water for spawning, and a small part is permanently there. Representatives of this family have dorsal and adipose fins, scales easily falling off. Freshwater smelt rarely exceeds 20 cm. The mouth is large, large teeth are located on the jaws. Freshly caught smelt smells like fresh cucumber. spawning passes in early spring still under the ice. In addition to the fact that smelt is of commercial importance, it is also of great importance as an object of mass food for other fish species. Very sensitive to water pollution.
Capelin. This is a medium-sized schooling pelagic fish with a body length of up to 20-22 cm. It is found in the Arctic waters of the North Atlantic, including throughout the entire Barents Sea. Sometimes, during the years of large numbers, it also enters the White Sea. During the year, it makes regular migrations (foraging, wintering, spawning). Depending on the season, fish are concentrated in different parts of the sea area. In summer, during the feeding period, flocks of large sexually mature capelin live in the northeastern regions of the sea; smaller immature (at the age of 1-2 years) accumulates in central regions. In September - October, with the seasonal cooling of the Barents Sea waters, the wintering migration of sexually mature capelin begins: from the feeding areas, the fish moves to the south and southwest directions. AT initial period wintering in the central regions of the Barents Sea, accumulations of individuals of various age groups are observed - here there is a mixing of sexually mature and immature fish. Later, separation occurs: large individuals (14-20 cm long) migrate to the southern regions for spawning, and immature capelin remains in wintering areas (north of 74 ° 30 "N. Lat.).
The main spawning of the Barents Sea capelin occurs most often from February to May in the regions of Finmarken and on the Murmansk coast at depths from 12 to 280 m. Females spawn slightly sticky eggs right on the bottom - on sand or fine gravel. In the period from April to June, there is a massive hatching of larvae, which are carried from the spawning areas by the Murmansk and Novaya Zemlya currents in the eastern and northeastern directions. In late August - early September, juvenile capelin (its length at this time is 3-4 cm) spreads in the central part of the Barents Sea (up to 76-77 ° latitude). and to the east it reaches the shores of Novaya Zemlya. In October-November, capelin underyearlings, mixing with sexually mature fish that came from the north from feeding places, create wintering aggregations.
Capelin is characteristic fast paced growth in early life. By the end of the first year, the average length of the fish is 10-12 cm. The maximum length (20-22 cm) of the Barents Sea capelin reaches the age of 4 years. The age limit for males is 7 years, for females - 6. Capelin is a typical plankton feeder.
Its main food is mass species of meso- and macroplankton (calanuses, euphausiids, hyperiids, chstognats). In general, capelin feeds on any available food. Following food, it makes vertical migrations, the daily rhythm of which is most pronounced in March - April: at sunrise, capelin descends into the bottom layers of the sea, and at sunset rises to the upper horizons. In summer, under polar day conditions, although vertical migrations are observed, they do not have a clear diurnal rhythm.
In recent years, capelin stocks have been severely undermined, mainly due to the irrational method of fishing - deep-sea trawls. Therefore, it was decided to stop fishing for several years to restore capelin stocks.
Cod family. Exclusively marine fish (except for one species). They have 2-3 dorsal fins and 1-2 anal fins, there is a mustache on the chin, and small scales. A distinctive feature of these fish is the absence of spines on all fins. About 30 species live in European waters, the most important of which is cod, which is very widespread. Stays in packs. It feeds on various crustaceans, worms, fish, especially small species such as gerbil and capelin. Adult fish migrate as different races of cod spawn at different depths and in different areas.
Cod has long been the most important commercial species. If earlier there were rather large specimens - up to 90 kg, then in recent years cod is much smaller - an average of about 10 kg or less. The biology of cod is well understood, but there are still many problems. The most important of them is the determination of the size of the fish catch, the correct conduct of fishing, i.e. the number of cod in the Barents Sea basin turned out to be severely undermined.
From other commercial marine fish include sea bass, haddock, halibut and catfish. Among the representatives of the freshwater fauna, in addition to the species already mentioned, it should be noted pike and river perch, which are found in many reservoirs and are well known to amateur fishermen.
ending short review class of fish, we note that the ichthyofauna of the Murmansk region is rich and diverse. For a long time in the seas, lakes and rivers in the Kola North, fish of the Barents Sea have been fishing for fish. The most important commercial species were and still are cod, halibut, salmon. Excessive fishing, irrational fishing methods, severe environmental pollution have drastically reduced fish stocks. It is no coincidence that in recent years the fishing fleet has fished far beyond our borders. territorial waters. In the late 1980s, the question arose of introducing fish into the Barents Sea. Several fish hatcheries were built, 3 fishery reserves were organized on the rivers Note, Ponoye and Varzuga, and the fight against poaching and pollution of water bodies is being carried out. However, this is clearly not enough and more decisive measures are required to prevent the impoverishment of the composition of the ichthyofauna and the number of populations of especially valuable species.
2009-2010 Alexander Valiullin
Severomorsky House of Children's Creativity

The inhabitants of the tropics often have an unusual appearance and bright color. But the Barents Sea, located in the north, is no less rich in strange inhabitants. Rybak from Murmansk introduces them to his followers on social networks.

The Barents Sea is the marginal water area of ​​the Arctic Ocean on the border with the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the harsh climatic conditions, its waters are home to many living beings.

There are 114 species of fish here. 20 of them have commercial value: cod, haddock, herring, sea ​​bass, catfish, flounder, halibut, burbot and others. In the 20th century, it was introduced into the sea king crab, which was able to adapt to new conditions and begin to multiply intensively. In addition, many different echinoderms are distributed along the bottom of the entire water area, sea ​​urchins and starfish of various kinds.

Catfish

The catfish is a family of marine fish Anarhichadiae of the perch-like order, which live in the northern waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, where the water temperature does not rise above 14 degrees. This fish got its name not by chance - because of the strong, highly developed jaw with sharp, inward-curved teeth and fangs protruding forward, like a wolf (by the way, in France the catfish is called so - "sea wolf").

lumpfish

In lumpfish, or round-finned fish ventral fins modified into a kind of sucker, located on the belly under the pectoral fins. This sucker serves them for attaching to rocks during storms or during the rapid movement of water during high and low tides. (Liparidae).

BARENTS SEA.

Geographic location. Bottom relief.

The Barents Sea is bounded from the north by the archipelagos of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land, from the west by Medvezhiy Island, from the east by Novaya Zemlya, and from the south by the mainland (from Cape North Cape to Yugorsky shar). In its configuration, it resembles a rhombus, the meridional axis of which is 1300-1400 km, and the latitudinal axis is 1100-1200 km.

The area of ​​the Barents Sea is estimated at 1360 thousand km 2. The sea lies within the continental shelf and is therefore comparatively shallow. The greatest depth of the sea is 548 m. This depth is located in the western part of the sea, between meridians 20 and 21°. As you move east, the depths decrease. The average depth of the sea is 199.3 m.

The Barents Sea is a part of the European continent, which in a relatively late era sank and was flooded with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Traces of river valleys are still preserved in the outlines of the bottom. This is also proved by the relatively shallow depths, the flat, slightly hilly bottom topography (banks), the presence of long and wide valleys (troughs), and the geological commonality of insular rocks with continental rocks limiting this sea.

The deepest trough is located between the mainland and Bear Island. Depths here reach 500 m. The second trough runs between Bear Islands and Svalbard. There is less depth here. The third trough is located between Svalbard and Franz Josef Land and the fourth - between Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. In the middle of the sea there is, in addition, a vast depression with a depth of about 400 m.

Shallow waters - the central highland, the Perseus highland, the Spitsbergen Bank, the Novaya Zemlya shallow water, the Kaninsko-Kolguev shallow water, the Murmansk shallow water, the Gusinaya Bank - are separated by gutters and depressions. Depths in shallow waters do not exceed 200 m, usually ranging from 100 to 200 m. Shallow waters and banks are the main fishing areas in the Barents Sea.

Of the rivers flowing into the Barents Sea, the most significant is. Smaller rivers are , , (Motovsky Bay), , (Kola Bay), Indiga, , Chesha and others ()

Shores and soil.

The soils of the Barents Sea are mainly not of oceanic, but of terrigenous origin - sands, silty sands, sandy silts. In addition, there are soils of autochthonous origin in the Barents Sea. In the western part of the Barents Sea, the soils are dense, in the southwestern part spiculose silt has been deposited, in the southeastern part there are yellow soils - the result of the removal of rivers, in the northern part - brown soils containing a lot of iron and manganese.

The shores of the Barents Sea in the southwestern part of the fiord type are high, steep, composed of ancient crystalline rocks. These are the shores of Finnmarken in Norway. The Murmansk coasts of Russia are also of the fiord type. From Cape Kanin Nos to the east, the shores are sloping and low.

Of the bays, the largest are Motovsky, Kola, from the lips - Teriberskaya, Czech with an inner, shallower Indiga lip.

Hydrology.

For the Barents Sea, water exchange with the ocean is of great importance. The waters of the Gulf Stream, emerging from the Gulf of Mexico, give rise to a warm Atlantic current, whose branches penetrate into the Norwegian and Barents Seas. On the border of the Barents Sea, south of the Medvezheostrovsky bank, the Atlantic Current will split into Svalbard and North Cape branches. The Svalbard branch, which is more powerful, goes further in the form of a deep current (covered with Arctic water) to the polar basin, where it forms a warm intermediate layer. This layer was first discovered by Nansen and explored by the Papaninites during their drift on an ice floe in 1937.

The waters of the North Cape branch enter the Barents Sea between Bear Island and the North Cape. This branch, due to the features of the bottom topography, breaks up into 4 jets. Of particular importance are the two southern jets, which affect the regime of the waters of the southern part of the sea. The coastal, Murmansk, branch runs along the banks of the Murman, heading from the North Cape to the Kanin Peninsula. The second branch passes to the north and its waters reach Novaya Zemlya. Such a scheme of flows was established by N. M. Knipovich in 1906. Later, in the thirties, some additions were made to this scheme by other Russian researchers that did not change the essence of the scheme established by N. M. Knipovich.

Warm (4-12°) and at the same time more saline (34.8-35.2 ‰) Atlantic waters, entering the Barents Sea and meeting with local colder and less saline waters, form the so-called polar front. When waters of different physical composition meet, the Atlantic waters cool and sink. Powerful vertical circulation provides abundant aeration deep waters and removal of nutrients to the surface layers of organic matter. As a result, biological productivity in the polar front is especially high.

According to L. A. Zenkevich, the biomass of benthos reaches 600-1000 g per 1 m 2 in these areas, decreasing outside these areas to 20-50 g per 1 m 2.

The Barents Sea, being a transitional between the Norwegian - north-boreal and Kara - Arctic seas, is characterized by a corresponding temperature: in the western part, even in winter, the water temperature is positive from the surface to the bottom. In the middle part of the northern half of the sea, even in summer, only a thin surface layer warms up, and deeper water has a negative temperature. In the southern half of the middle part, at a depth of 200-250 m, the water warms up in summer to 1.5-2.0°C. In the northeastern part of the sea, the water temperature remains low in summer and near the surface. Off the coast of Murman, the surface temperature in August, during the period of maximum warming, reaches 12° and even somewhat more. The most low temperature in the Barents Sea at a depth of 50-75 m.

The northern and eastern parts of the sea are covered with ice for a significant part of the year. The southwestern part does not freeze, as a result of which the Murmansk coast is accessible for ships in winter.

The summer ice boundary usually runs along the line Svalbard - the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya, but in different years this line either moves north, or, on the contrary, passes south.

Ichthyofauna. Industrial fishing.

In 1921, while trawling in the Barents Sea, a member of the Northern Scientific and Fishing Expedition, E.K. Suvorov, for the first time noted the warming of the Barents Sea. It affected the distribution of ice and the area of ​​ice cover. According to N. N. Zubov, the area of ​​ice cover decreased in 1921-1931. by 20% compared to 1901-1906. Warming also affected the distribution of aquatic organisms. Cod began to appear off the coast of Novaya Zemlya. For the first time, significant concentrations of cod of commercial size were discovered by V.K. Soldatov in 1921 at 69°31′ north latitude and 57°21° east longitude, that is, far to the east, where this fish had not yet been discovered by anyone. Cod was noted even in the Kara Sea. Mackerel pike (Scomberesox saurus) is a southern fish. Previously, this fish did not come east of the North Cape, and in 1937 it was found off the coast of Novaya Zemlya. In eastern Murman, a perch-like brahma (Brama rayi) has recently been discovered.

In terms of the diversity of the animal population, the Barents Sea is the richest in the European part of Russia. It contains about 2500 species, not counting the protozoa. There are 113 species of fish here. The entire animal population of the Barents Sea is divided into three zoogeographic groups: arctic, boreal or boreal-arctic and warm-water. The Arctic group, living at a temperature not higher than 2-3 °, includes some mollusks, in particular joldia (Joldia arctica), many echinoderms and about 20 species of polar cod fish, saffron cod, polar flounder, some eelpouts, etc.

The boreal-arctic group, associated with warm currents, includes some molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, and most commercial fish - cod, haddock, saithe, herring, sea bass, sea flounder, etc.

The warm-water group includes mackerel (mackerel), whiting (Odontogadus merlangus), and Argentina (Argentina silus).

In terms of biological productivity, the Barents Sea is the most productive sea in the Arctic Basin. In this regard, he comes here for feeding in the summer great amount fish from the North Atlantic Ocean.

The richest were the areas near the Medvezheostrovsky Bank, in the strip between the 35th and 40th meridians, the Kanina Nos area and the area to the west and south of Novaya Zemlya. These areas coincide with the polar front lines. The unproductive areas are the northern, northeastern and western.

Of the 113 species of fish living in the Barents Sea, 97 are marine, 13 are anadromous and 3 are aquatic (living in both fresh and sea water). Among marine fish, about half are boreal-arctic, about 20 species are arctic. The rest of the marine fish species are random aliens from temperate and even tropical seas. Over 40% of all fish species are found only in the western part of the sea. As you move eastward, the number of fish species noticeably decreases and in the eastern part it is approximately 50% of the total number for the Barents Sea.

Especially abundant in the Barents Sea are cod (12 species), flatfish (11 species), eelpouts (13 species), gobies (Cottidae) (10 species). Salmonids in the Barents Sea basin are represented by eight species.

About 20 species of fish are used by fishery, and even then not to the full extent. These types include the following:

1. Cod (Gadus morhua).

2. Murmansk herring (Clupea harengus).

3. Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus).

4. Sea bass: golden (Sebastes marinus), beaked (Sebastes mentella), small (Sebastes viviparus).

5. Saithe (Pollachius virens).

6. Capelin (Mallotus villosus).

7. Catfish: spotted Anarhichas minor, striped Anarhichas lupus, blue An. latifrons.

8. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida).

9. Navaga (Eleginus navaga).

10. Salmon (Salmo salar).

11. Char (Salvelinus alpinus).

12. Flounders: sea flounder (Pleuronectes platessa), rough flounder (Limanda limanda), river flounder (Pleuronectes flesus septentrionalis), ruff flounder (Hippoglossoides platessoides).

13. Halibut: white-barked (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and black halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides).

14. Czech-Pechora herring (Clupea harengus pallasi suworowi).

15. Gerbil (Ammodytis hexapterus marinus).

16. Sharks: polar (Somniosus microcephalus), prickly (Squalus acanthias).

17. Star ray (Raja radiata).

The most important commercial fish Barents Sea: cod, herring, haddock, sea bass.

The marine component of the Northern Fisheries Basin of the Barents Sea and adjacent areas is one of the cleanest and least affected marine ecosystems, rich in various species of fish (more than 150) and invertebrates. Cod, haddock, saithe, black halibut, Atlantic herring, flounder, catfish, capelin, and shrimp are of the greatest commercial importance.

Deputy CEO FSUE National Fisheries Resources Development Evgeniy Marchuk

Fishing in the Barents Sea

Regional features include a significant impact on the nature of fishing activities in the Northern Basin of the international legal regime maritime spaces and regulation of fisheries. Russian fishing enterprises operate in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Russia, economic zones of foreign states, areas where international agreements (conventions) apply.

It should also be noted that almost the entire catch of bottom species undergoes primary processing-cutting at sea on fishing vessels, and a significant part is frozen in ship conditions.

Industrial fishing in almost entirely carried out on quota biological objects, with more than half of the extracted resources accounted for by foreign economic zones.

The most important commercial resources of the Barents and Eastern Norwegian Seas are cod and haddock (80 percent raw material base), are cross-border and are jointly managed by Russia and Norway.

Cooperation in the field of fisheries is carried out on the basis of intergovernmental agreements, and practical work is carried out within the framework of the Joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission (SRC).

At the annual sessions of the RNC, TACs are set for cod, haddock, capelin and other fishery objects, the distribution of cod and haddock catches between fishermen of the two countries is carried out, as well as catch quotas of third countries are established, the main measures (rules) of fishing regulation that must be observed by fishermen are approved all countries fishing in the area of ​​the agreement ...

It should be noted that the stocks of the main bottom fish species in the basin are in a satisfactory condition, and some (cod) are in a good condition.

Non-fish objects of fishing

Among the non-fish objects of fishing, the most important species are the king crab, snow crab - opilio, Icelandic scallop, and also the northern shrimp, the commercial value of which has decreased in recent years due to its massive consumption by cod.

It is well known that the efficiency of water development biological resources due not only to the state of stocks, but also technical condition of the mining fleet, the level of its power-to-weight ratio, allowing the use modern technologies harvesting and processing of fish.

According to available data, the current fishing fleet of the Northern Basin, engaged in cod and haddock fishing (with inevitable by-catch), includes about 160 medium-tonnage and small-tonnage coastal fishing vessels.

The ships in operation are characterized by significant physical and moral wear and tear, their average age is about 28 years. Their outdated designs do not allow the use of the latest processing technologies and ensure the comprehensive, complete processing of raw materials, the production of products with high added value.

One of the vessels operating in the basin is the commercial SRTMK M-0170 "Pinro-2". This is the only production vessel in the basin, owned by the state, and is under the economic management of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Natsrybresurs".

Built (under a different name) at the Kyiv shipyard, it was completed in 1998 in the city of Nikolaev, it is the last fishing vessel of a large series of vessels of project 502 EM.

It was transferred to the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Natsrybresurs" by the decision of the authorized federal executive body in September 2002. Operational management of the vessel "PINRO-2" is carried out by the Murmansk branch of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Natsrybresurs".

As part of the development of the quotas allocated by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Natsrybresurs" the vessel "Pinro-2" carries out production and primary processing cod, haddock and other commercial objects.

In 2002-2006, the vessel operated in the Barents Sea and adjacent areas on the development of established catch quotas, and also participated in scientific research cod, haddock and black halibut.

At the end of 2006, the vessel's RMRS classification documents expired and it was in Norway in the port of Kirkenes before being transferred to the port of Murmansk. In November 2010, the vessel began a major overhaul to renew the classification documents for the right to sail.

In June 2013, Pinro-2 was towed to the port of Murmansk to complete the repair, which was carried out at the Murmansk ship repair enterprise SevTechComp.

Despite the technical difficulties (after a long downtime) and the difficult economic situation, FSUE "Natsrybresurs" carried out a class repair of the PINRO-2 vessel.

Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

Thus, after almost seven years of inactivity and dilapidation, the vessel, having successfully passed all the necessary formalities, received the classification documents of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.

On March 6, 2015, the fishing vessel "Pinro-2", manned by a professional crew and led by an experienced captain I.V. Bashkirov, fully provided with ship stocks, various supplies, fishing gear and other equipment, reached the development of the 2015 quotas for catching bottom fish species in the Russian Economic Zone.

The first cargo of finished frozen products in the amount of 218.8 tons was delivered to the port of Murmansk on April 5th. During 2015, the vessel went to sea to fish eight times. The total catch of bottom fish species amounted to about 2071 tons, almost 1510 tons of products were produced. Allocated quotas have been fully utilized. The ship returned from its last voyage on December 14, 2015.

All finished high-quality fish products entered the domestic market.

It should be noted that in order to maximize the use of the raw material base of the basin, an agreement was concluded with the Barents-White Sea Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for Fishery for the use of sea flounder, for which a catch quota is not set. About 135 tons of this commercial object were mined.

A not very impressive result is due to the fact that, due to its technical capabilities, the ship cannot be equipped with optional equipment, the presence of which would make it possible to almost double the effectiveness of sea flounder fishing.

At the same time, the ship did not stay at the berth and did not "eat up" the finances received from the sale of products.

The first voyage in 2016, after the next Register Survey and minor repairs, the vessel left on February 9.

First catches in the Barents Sea

A stable fishing situation is expected in the Barents Sea in 2016. Although the sea is an element, the weather is an unpredictable thing.

The first catches in 2016 have so far confirmed the good fishing condition of cod and haddock stocks in the area of ​​the western slope of the Gusina Bank (not far from the western coast of Novaya Zemlya), where the vessel is fishing. The catches are dominated by cod specimens weighing from 1 to 2 kilograms.

Although in the catches there are quite a lot of cod specimens weighing from 7 to 15 kilograms. Haddock is mostly 1 to 2 kilograms. This speaks not only of increased commercial stocks, but also of insufficient commercial activity in terms of catching fish of the limiting age.

At the same time, unfortunately, age-old fishermen also work at the conditionally middle-aged fishing "Pinro-2" (but younger than many others). The average age of fishermen is 45-50 years. There are very few young people. Personnel shortage every year is stronger and stronger. To whom to pass on the experience of many generations of fishermen? And this is an invaluable experience. There are no textbooks, books on how, where and when to trade in the Barents Sea.

Although in recent years a lot of work has been done in the industry to increase the prestige of the fishing profession, as well as the construction of a new highly efficient fishing fleet, this process needs to be accelerated, because there is not much time left for us to correct the situation in Russia's return to the world leaders in marine fishing. Our competitors also do not stand still.

Deputy General Director for Development of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Natsrybresurs"

The Barents Sea is located on the continental shelf. The southwestern part of the sea does not freeze in winter due to the influence of the North Atlantic Current. southeastern part sea ​​is called the Pechora Sea. The Barents Sea is of great importance for transport and for fishing - large ports are located here - Murmansk and Vardø (Norway). Before World War II, Finland also had access to the Barents Sea: Petsamo was its only ice-free port. A serious problem is the radioactive contamination of the sea due to the activities of the Soviet / Russian nuclear fleet and Norwegian radioactive waste processing plants. Recently, the sea shelf of the Barents Sea in the direction of Svalbard has become the object of territorial disputes between the Russian Federation and Norway (as well as other states).

The Barents Sea is rich in various fish species, plant and animal plankton and benthos. Seaweeds are common off the south coast. Of the 114 species of fish living in the Barents Sea, 20 species are the most important for commercial purposes: cod, haddock, herring, sea bass, catfish, flounder, halibut, etc. Mammals are found: polar bear, seals, harp seals, white whales, etc. Seals are hunted. Bird colonies abound on the coasts (guillemots, guillemots, kittiwakes). In the 20th century, the king crab was introduced, which was able to adapt to new conditions and begin to multiply intensively.

Finno-Ugric tribes - the Sami (Lapps) - have lived off the coast of the Berents Sea since ancient times. The first visits of non-autochthonous Europeans (Vikings, then Novgorodians) began, probably, from the end of the 11th century, and then intensified. The Barents Sea was named in 1853 in honor of the Dutch navigator Willem Barents. The scientific study of the sea was started by the expedition of F. P. Litke 1821-1824, and the first complete and reliable hydrological description of the sea was compiled by N. M. Knipovich at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Barents Sea is the marginal water area of ​​the Arctic Ocean on the border with the Atlantic Ocean, between the northern coast of Europe in the south and the islands of Vaigach, Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land in the east, Svalbard and Bear Island in the west.

In the West it borders on the Norwegian Sea basin, in the south - on the White Sea, in the east - on the Kara Sea, in the north - on the Arctic Ocean. The area of ​​the Barents Sea, located to the east of Kolguev Island, is called the Pechora Sea.

The shores of the Barents Sea are predominantly fjord-like, high, rocky, and heavily indented. The largest bays: Porsanger Fjord, Varangian Bay (also known as Varanger Fjord), Motovsky Bay, Kola Bay, etc. East of the peninsula Kanin Nos coastal relief changes dramatically - the shores are mostly low and slightly indented. There are 3 large shallow bays here: (Cheshskaya Bay, Pechora Bay, Khaipudyrskaya Bay), as well as several small bays.

The largest rivers flowing into the Barents Sea are Pechora and Indiga.

The surface currents of the sea form a counterclockwise circulation. Along the southern and eastern periphery, the Atlantic waters of the warm North Cape current (a branch of the Gulf Stream system) move east and north, the influence of which can be traced to the northern shores of Novaya Zemlya. The northern and western parts of the circulation are formed by local and Arctic waters coming from the Kara Sea and the Arctic Ocean. In the central part of the sea there is a system of intracircular currents. The circulation of sea waters changes under the influence of changes in winds and water exchange with adjacent seas. Of great importance, especially near the coast, are tidal currents. The tides are semi-diurnal, their greatest value is 6.1 m near the coast of the Kola Peninsula, in other places 0.6-4.7 m.

Water exchange with neighboring seas is of great importance in the water balance of the Barents Sea. During the year, about 76,000 km³ of water enters the sea through the straits (and the same amount leaves it), which is approximately 1/4 of the total volume of sea water. The largest number water (59,000 km³ per year) carries a warm North Cape current, which provides exclusively big influence on the hydrometeorological regime of the sea. The total river flow to the sea is on average 200 km³ per year.

The salinity of the surface layer of water in the open sea during the year is 34.7-35.0 ppm in the southwest, 33.0-34.0 in the east, and 32.0-33.0 in the north. In the coastal strip of the sea in spring and summer, salinity drops to 30-32, by the end of winter it rises to 34.0-34.5.

The Barents Sea occupies the Barents Sea Plate of the Proterozoic-Early Cambrian age; anteclise bottom elevations, depressions - syneclises. Of the shallower landforms, there are remnants of ancient coastlines, at depths of about 200 and 70 m, glacial-denudation and glacial-accumulative forms, and sand ridges formed by strong tidal currents.

The Barents Sea is located within the continental shallows, but, unlike other similar seas, most of it has a depth of 300-400 m, an average depth of 229 m and a maximum depth of 600 m. depth 63 m)], depressions (Central, maximum depth 386 m) and trenches (Western (maximum depth 600 m) Franz Victoria (430 m) and others). southern part The bottom has a depth of mainly less than 200 m and is distinguished by a leveled relief.

From the cover of bottom sediments in the southern part of the Barents Sea, sand prevails, in some places - pebbles and crushed stone. On the heights of the central and northern parts of the sea - silty sand, sandy silt, in depressions - silt. An admixture of coarse clastic material is noticeable everywhere, which is associated with ice rafting and the wide distribution of relict glacial deposits. The thickness of sediments in the northern and middle parts is less than 0.5 m, as a result of which ancient glacial deposits are practically on the surface on some hills. slow pace sedimentation (less than 30 mm in 1 thousand years) is explained by an insignificant influx of terrigenous material - due to the characteristics of the coastal relief, not a single large river flows into the Barents Sea (except for the Pechora, which leaves almost all of its alluvium within the Pechora Estuary), and the land shores composed mainly of strong crystalline rocks.

The climate of the Barents Sea is influenced by the warm Atlantic Ocean and the cold Arctic Ocean. Frequent intrusions of warm Atlantic cyclones and cold Arctic air determine the great variability of weather conditions. In winter, southwest winds prevail over the sea, in spring and summer - northeast winds. Frequent storms. average temperature air in February varies from -25 ° C in the north to -4 ° C in the southwest. The average temperature in August is 0 °C, 1 °C in the north, 10 °C in the southwest. During the year, the sea is dominated by overcast weather. Annual rainfall varies from 250 mm in the north to 500 mm in the southwest.

Severe climatic conditions in the north and east of the Barents Sea determine its large ice cover. In all seasons of the year, only the southwestern part of the sea remains free of ice. The ice cover reaches its greatest distribution in April, when about 75% of the sea surface is occupied by floating ice. In extremely unfavorable years at the end of winter, floating ice comes directly to the shores of the Kola Peninsula. The least amount of ice occurs at the end of August. At this time, the ice boundary moves beyond 78°N. sh. In the northwest and northeast of the sea, ice usually stays all year round, but in separate, favorable years, the sea is completely freed from ice.

The inflow of warm Atlantic waters determines relatively high temperature and salinity in the southwestern part of the sea. Here, in February - March, the water temperature on the surface is 3 °C, 5 °C, in August it rises to 7 °C, 9 °C. North of 74° N. sh. and in the southeastern part of the sea in winter the surface water temperature is below -1 °C, and in summer in the north 4 °C, 0 °C, in the southeast 4 °C, 7 °C. In summer, in the coastal zone, the surface layer of warm water 5-8 meters thick can warm up to 11-12 °C.

The sea is rich in various fish species, plant and animal plankton and benthos, so the Barents Sea is of great economic importance as an area of ​​intensive fishing. In addition, the sea route is very important, connecting the European part of Russia (especially the European North) with the ports of the western (from the 16th century) and Eastern countries(from the 19th century), as well as Siberia (from the 15th century). The main and largest port is the non-freezing port of Murmansk, the capital of the Murmansk region. Other ports in the Russian Federation - Teriberka, Indiga, Naryan-Mar (Russia); Vardø, Vadso and Kirkenes (Norway).

The Barents Sea is a region of deployment not only for trade, but also navy RF, including nuclear submarines.