S^o^l^^ ' 



Vessels of Soviet eastern Bering Sea flounder expedition nested 

 in the ice pack where they are protected from winter storms. 

 Here support ships are able to transfer cargo and reprovision the 

 Soviet fishing vessels. 



ended early because of adverse weather. Soviet sources 

 reported the 1965 flounder catch totaled nearly 90,000 

 tons. Intensification of this fishery continued in 1966 

 when 70 to 100 trawlers were active in the flounder 

 expedition. The increase in 1966 demonstrated a shift of 

 emphasis from the central Bering Sea herring fishery, 

 which failed to develop, to the flounder fishery, which 

 had proved increasingly productive. Throughout the 

 1966 flounder expedition Soviet sources reported that 

 weather was favorable and that trawlers were making 

 good catches. I estimate the the Soviets caught about 

 100,000 tons of flounder in the eastern Bering Sea in 

 1966. 



The vast majority— in excess of 90 percent according 

 to Moiseev (1965)— of catches in this fishery is 

 composed of yellowfin sole and the most important 

 incidental species is rock sole. Flatliead sole, starry 

 flounder, arrowtooth flounder, and juvenile Pacific 

 halibut are known to inhabit the Bristol Bay flats, and 

 small quantities of these species are undoubtedly caught. 

 Tlie fish are taken by otter trawls fished directly on the 

 seabed. Side trawlers deliver their catches to factory 

 ships or processing refrigerated transports, which freeze 

 the fish for later transport to the Soviet Union. The 

 factory trawlers in the flounder expedition freeze their 

 own catches. 



HERRING FISHERY 



In earlier years the Soviet Far East harvested large 

 quantities of herring close to the Siberian coast. Because 

 of intensive and irrational fishing and changing 

 oceanological conditions that caused a reduction in 

 populations arid a decline in catches, the Far East 

 Fisheries Administration in the 1950's began seeking 

 new areas and concentrations of herring (Moiseev, 

 1962). Exploratory vessels fishing in the central Bering 

 Sea in the late 1950's discovered commercial quantities 



of herring north and west of the Pribilof Islands. In the 

 winter of 1959-60 the Soviets conducted the first of 

 what were to become annual herring fisheries in the 

 central Bering Sea (fig. 14). This is a winter fishery that 

 usually begins in December or January and extends into 

 March or April. In this report, I consider the year of the 

 fishery to be the year in which the annual fishery ends. 

 The herring expeditions in 1960-62 were composed 

 of about 50 side trawlers and support ships. The annual 

 catch during this period increased from an estimated 

 10,000 tons in 1960 to, according to Lipanov and 

 Shestopalov (1963), over 150,000 tons in 1962. The 

 herring fleet nearly doubled in 1963 and included about 

 100 trawlers plus support ships. The fishing area was 

 extended to northwest of St. Matthew Island. I estimate 

 the catch totaled at least 150,000 tons in 1963. The 



Soviet SRT side trawler engaged in the herring fishery 1n the 

 central Bering Sea. The trawlers in the herring expedition 

 frequently seek protection from winter storms by fishing or 

 lying along the edge of the ice pack. 



Soviet SRT side trawlers nested with base ship in ice pack In 

 central Bering Sea. Trawlers and support vessels in Soviet herring 

 expedition rendezvous in ice pack to transfer catches and 

 reprovision. 



22 



