MOSCOW, January 12 Russian fishermen in 2023 almost doubled the catch of Iwasi sardines compared to 2022, it amounted to about 544 thousand tons, becoming the highest ever post-Soviet period, and this is a worthy replacement for herring in the event of a decline in its production, according to the materials of the All-Russian Association of Fisheries Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (VARPE).
“The Russian catch of sardines reached the highest level in the entire post-Soviet period. According to preliminary data as of December 31, 2023, the catch of sardines in Russia reached 543.9 thousand tons — 1.9 times more than in 2022,” it says Telegram channel of the association.
VARPE President German Zverev previously noted that such high catches are expected in the coming years, which means that a full-fledged alternative to herring will appear on the Russian market, which both processors and retailers should take a closer look at. In this regard, he recalled that the Soviet authorities in the late 1970s — early 1980s took measures to promote iwasi on the domestic market in exactly this way, when this fish became a “save” for replacing herring, the catch volumes of which then began to decline sharply .
“It was sold under the brand “Ivasi herring”. As a result of competent marketing and government subsidies for producers, along with sprat in tomato sauce, this brand became a fish symbol of the era of developed socialism,” noted the head of VARPE.
But following the collapse of the USSR, the ivashi left the Russian shores, and the fishery was resumed in 2018 after a 25-year break, the association writes, recalling that in 2023, due to the influence of El Niño, the fishery was especially difficult.
«An increase in water temperature made the behavior of the already very active squid unpredictable, but our fishermen managed to keep up with it and achieve an absolute record for catches for the entire post-Soviet period. It is noteworthy that the result of 2023 was included in the top 10 most significant for the entire history of observations — since 1950,» the materials say.