THE WHITE SEA 219 



Fishing 



The total catch of the White Sea fisheries reaches 15,000 tons, which in- 

 cludes 2,500 tons of herring. 



N. Dmitriev has pointed out (1957) that in the White Sea the chief quarry 

 of fishery consists of herring, navaga, smelt, White Sea cod, dab, and white- 

 fish. Owing to its delicious flavour, salmon is particularly important for trade. 

 At times large shoals of the Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and caplin (Mallosus 

 villosus) enter the White Sea. The bulk of the Sea herring trade consists of 

 some endemic species of herring with few vertebra (Clupea harengus pallasi). 

 Besides these species large numbers of multi-vertebrate Murman herring 

 {Clupea harengus harengus) appear at times in the White Sea. Moreover the 

 White Sea is the extreme western limit of the distribution of the Pacific Ocean 

 herring (CI. har. pallasi) of a later origin. There are two small-sized endemic 

 forms of cod in the White Sea — Gadus morhua f. hiemalis Taliev and G.m. 

 maris albi Derjugin. Moreover the large Barents Sea cod appears in the White 

 Sea from time to time. 



The hunting of marine animals, and primarily of the Greenland seal 

 (Histriophoca groenlandica) which has for many centuries been intensively 

 hunted by man, is of great importance in the White Sea. The Greenland seal, 

 of which the greater number spend the summer on the floating ice of the 

 Greenland, Barents and Kara Seas and northward of them, migrate far to the 

 south during the winter while the breeding season is on. There are three main 

 gatherings of breeding seals : Newfoundland, Jan Mayen and the White Sea. 

 At the end of November and the beginning of December the rookeries of seal 

 gather in the White Sea, in February and March the seals calve on the ice of 

 the White Sea Gorlo, and at the end of March and the beginning of April 

 rookeries of seal are carried out of the Gorlo with the ice northwards into the 

 open sea. The hunting season of the Soviet and Norwegian vessels is timed to 

 coincide with this period. Powerful icebreakers with slaughtering gangs set 

 out to hunt seals in the early spring just when the ice begins to move out of the 

 White Sea. They are escorted by reconnaissance aircraft and manned by 

 crews of up to 1,500 men. The size of the total White Sea herd of 'skins' has 

 been estimated at several million head with the help of aerial photographs 

 (S. Freiman and S. Dorofeev). The Soviet and Norwegian annual catch is 

 about 300,000 head. Small numbers of smaller seals, the 'nerpa' (Phoca his- 

 pida) and of the large bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) are caught all along 

 the shores of the White Sea. Beluga (Delphinapterus leucus) is very common 

 in the White Sea, and is caught off some parts of the coast during the time 

 when it approaches land. Of the marine animals mentioned the Greenland 

 seal and beluga feed on navaga, herring and Boreogadus saida and the Erigna- 

 thus barbatus on molluscs and crustaceans. 



In view of the vast natural resources the collection of varec and sea-weed 

 (Laminaria and Ahnfeltia) should be greatly developed in the White Sea. 



E. Palenichko estimates the natural resources of sea mussels in the White 

 Sea at 20 to 30 thousand tons (it can be assumed that the actual amount is 

 considerably higher) so that its exploitation is still at an inconsiderable level. 



