Russia's fishing fleet reaches 3.8677 million tonnes cumulative catch; Far East wild salmon season plunges 60.3% year on year
Data from the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency show that as of 19 October 2026, Russia's cumulative catch of aquatic biological resources reached 3.8677 million tonnes; over the same period, the Far East anadromous Pacific salmon catch was only 98,770 tonnes, 43.5% of the adjusted initial forecast and down 60.3% from the comparable period.
Industry monitoring data published by the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) show that as of 19 October 2026, Russia's nationwide cumulative catch of aquatic biological resources and seafood reached 3,867,700 tonnes. The commercial ocean-going fleet maintained stable operations for demersal and pelagic fish in the main fishing areas, supported by output growth in walleye pollock, cod and herring; meanwhile, the Far East wild Pacific salmon season closed with a sharp decline in coastal and river landings.
By sea area, the Far East fishing area recorded a cumulative catch of 3,064,800 tonnes, remaining the fleet's most important production region. Among the main species, walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) accounted for 1,924,700 tonnes, up 40,500 tonnes from 2025; Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) 588,700 tonnes, up 153,000 tonnes from 2025; Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) 100,900 tonnes, up 3,500 tonnes from 2025; and Far East flounders 57,400 tonnes.
The Northern fishing area recorded a cumulative 277,500 tonnes, including Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) 119,400 tonnes and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) 58,600 tonnes, up 9,800 tonnes from 2025. The Western fishing area recorded a cumulative 56,000 tonnes, dominated by European sprat (Sprattus sprattus) at 34,700 tonnes (up 2,000 tonnes from 2025) and Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) at 15,200 tonnes. The Volga-Caspian fishing area recorded a cumulative 47,400 tonnes, including sprat 14,400 tonnes and conventional freshwater and river species 12,100 tonnes. The Azov-Black Sea fishing area recorded a cumulative 23,000 tonnes, with European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) at 12,400 tonnes accounting for the main share.
Outside Russian jurisdictional waters, the ocean-going fleet operated in foreign exclusive economic zones, conventional regulatory areas and the high seas of the world ocean, catching 374,446 tonnes.
Anadromous fish reports, managed separately from commercial ocean-going fleet statistics and monitored under an independent technical register, show that the wild Pacific salmon season in the Far East fishing areas relied mainly on coastal quotas and coastal set-net operations, with results contracting markedly. As of 19 October 2026, cumulative salmon landings stood at 98,770 tonnes, a figure not included in the ocean-going fleet's 3.86 million tonne total. This catch was only 43.5% of the adjusted initial official forecast, down 60.3% from the comparable period. During the final 24-hour monitoring period, the increment was only 12.096 tonnes, all recorded in Sakhalin Oblast and Khabarovsk Krai.
By species composition, pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) accounted for 41,691 tonnes, or 42.2% of the national total; chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) 34,489 tonnes, or 34.9%; sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) 18,751 tonnes, or 19.0%; coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) 3,637 tonnes, or 3.7%; chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) 157 tonnes, or 0.2%; and masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) 45 tonnes, or 0.05%.
The salmon season data are as of 19 October 2026, with the final 24-hour increment appearing only in Sakhalin Oblast and Khabarovsk Krai.