20 April 2026

Scientific observations of fishing in the Central and Eastern Atlantic under the auspices of VNIRO

For 136 days, from October 2025 to March 2026, scientific observers from the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) aboard the RTMK-S NIKOLAY TELENKOV collected commercial biological data on fisheries in the Central-Eastern Atlantic, including areas of the Northwest Coast Africa, the Atlantic Fishing Zone of Morocco and the exclusive economic zone of Mauritania. 
 
Together with V.L. Zholudev, an employee of the scientific and commercial exploration department of the Atlantic Branch of VNIRO, S.V. Krivokhizhin, a leading researcher at the Kerch department of the Southern Branch of VNIRO, conducted the research. On April 9, 2026, at the ichthyological colloquium, he presented the results of his work to colleagues.
 
The main task of the scientists was to collect commercial biological information on the main commercial fish species: West African and European horse mackerel, African mackerel and sardines. Every day on board the vessel, experts recorded data on the size of catches, species composition, size and weight structure, biological characteristics and habitat of harvested biological resources.
 
As a result of the conducted research, 152 trawls were processed, more than 79 thousand fish were measured, more than 12.5 thousand specimens were analyzed, and more than 4 thousand samples were collected to determine the age of commercial species. In total, 120 species of fish, 10 species of cephalopods, and 7 species of crustaceans were identified in the catches, which provided a detailed understanding of the biodiversity of the ecosystems under study.
 
The data obtained will be used to assess the state of stocks of the main fishing facilities, fishing forecasting and fulfillment of obligations under international cooperation within the framework of bilateral agreements of the Russian Federation with the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Mauritania.
 
VNIRO Press Service