Trawl macrofauna of the Far-Eastern Seas and North Pacific: proportion of commercial species, potential product yield, and price range

Abstract

Abstract. A checklist of 1541 animal species from the Chukchi, Bering, Okhotsk, and Japan seas and the North Pacific Ocean was generated based on 459 research vessel surveys (68903 trawl tows at depths from 5 to 2200 m) in the period 1977–2014 (Volvenko et al., https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.902195, 2019). The study area spanned over 25 million km2. For each species, the scientific name is given, as well as English and Russian common names along with the following details: areas where species were collected, trawl type (benthic/midwater), real or potential commercial importance, possible product yield and minimum wholesale prices. Almost 20 % of species in trawl catches had no commercial value, and > 50 % were cheap or very cheap. Only 3.3 % of species were expensive and very expensive, and their number increased from north to south. About 33 % of species can be considered as unexploited reserve for fisheries. These are mainly small fish and invertebrates, with total biomass many times exceeding that of currently exploited biological resources. Product output for most species exceeded 90 % of the raw weight. Occurrence of such species was much higher in the pelagic zone than on the seafloor. The most abundant local commercial species are characterized by significant natural fluctuations in abundance. Therefore, a sustainable fishery in the region can only be secured by expansion of the assortment of commercial bioresources. A regional supply of bioresources provides such an opportunity. The checklist can be used for development of bioresource management, aquaculture and conservation, assessment of environmental damage caused by anthropogenic impact (hydro-technical constructions, oil/gas extractions, nuclear reactor accidents, etc.).

What can supraspecies richness tell us?

“…Objects missing in our samples but present in a basin based on published sources are marked with an asterisk (*) instead of minus (−). Published sources on the occurrence of species and their taxonomic status include 137 titles, most found in our earlier publications (Volvenko et al, 2018, 2019, 2020), with several new sources added (Bouchet et al, 2017; Feder et al, 1994; Sirenko, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013; Struck, 2015).…”