Russia’s Pacific fishing industry is facing an unprecedented crisis as the catch of the Far Eastern sardine, a cornerstone of its commercial operations, has plummeted by over 70% compared to the previous year. The dramatic downturn follows a record-breaking 2024 season, turning what was a triumphant period for Russian fisheries into a near-total failure with severe financial consequences for the industry.
The primary cause of the collapse is being attributed to anomalous oceanographic conditions in the Northwest Pacific. Experts report that significant shifts in water temperature have altered the traditional migration routes of the sardine shoals, causing them to bypass the areas where the Russian fishing fleet was positioned. The result, as one industry insider described, is that massive fishing vessels are essentially “scooping empty water,” as their efforts have yielded almost nothing within Russia’s exclusive economic zone.
The economic fallout is expected to be substantial. German Zverev, President of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Workers (VARPE), confirmed the grim outlook, stating that the “sardine failure” is too significant to be offset by successes in other sectors, such as the profitable salmon season. The association has no plans to revise its annual profit forecasts upward, underscoring the severity of the financial blow from this single species.
Adding to the environmental mystery, scientists have pointed to a biological factor exacerbating the crisis. While the overall biomass of the sardine population remains high, there has been a notable decline in the numbers of fish from the past two years’ generations. These younger, more mature fish typically form the bulk of the commercial catch, and their scarcity has compounded the problems caused by the altered migration patterns.
In response, Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries has convened emergency meetings to assess the situation and organize a large-scale search operation. The government is dispatching scientific expeditions in a desperate attempt to locate the missing fish stocks. Two research vessels from the Pacific branch of Russia’s main fisheries institute are scheduled to set out on search missions in late August and early September.
Industry experts are drawing parallels to a similar event in 1981, when Soviet fishermen faced a comparable collapse in the sardine catch due to similar environmental reasons. However, that crisis proved to be short-lived, with the fishery rebounding to its previous levels the following season. This historical precedent offers a glimmer of hope that the current disaster may not be a long-term trend, and that the valuable sardines may yet return to Russian waters.