Distribution of the catches and fishery of the Baltic sprat in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland in 2019

The Baltic sprat Sprattus sprattus balticus is an important fishing species and takes the second place in abundance of the commercial catches after the Baltic herring in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. Before investigations of the sprat were rarely carried out in Leningradskaya region. Sprat is fished with the pelagic trawls as by-catch of the Baltic herring’s fishing clusters. The supply of the sprat forms in the western part of the Finnish Gulf and the Baltic Sea. This species goes to the eastern part of the gulf due to the forage migration. Materials for the research were the data obtained from the trawl fishery during the periods from January to May and from October to December 2017-2019 in Russian economic zone of the eastern part of the gulf close to the islands Bolshoy and Malyy Tyuters, Moshchnyy and Gogland. The analysis of the sprat distribution in 2019 was carried out based on the generalization of the results of trawl fishing. The review of the season fishing features in considered region is given. The amount of the catch of the species varied in the different fishing areas, changing significantly by months. The biggest catches reached 15-25 tons during 5 to 8 trawling hours were observed in November as well as in the former years. Largest number of the sprat was fished in the western border areas of the gulf which are adjacent to the Estonia and Finland waters.