Caspian Sea Sprat Harvest Topped 20,000 Tons

A total of 20,053 tons of different kinds of sprat were harvested from the northern Caspian Sea during the last Iranian year (March 2020-21), according to the director general of Fish Harvest Bureau with Iran Fisheries Organization.
“Mazandaran and Gilan provinces accounted for 71% and 29% of the overall harvest during the period,” Mokhtar Akhoundi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that harvest in Gilan showed a 21% rise compared with the year before while that of Mazandaran registers a 28% YOY decline.
“Bad weather, depletion of sprat reserves and a decline in sprat harvest vessels and night-time harvest are among the reasons of the fall in Mazandaran province’s harvest,” he added.
Caspian Sea sprat harvest is banned from May 4 to June 20 every year to protect the species.
Until the fiscal 1999-2000, said Akhoundi, sprat yields stood at 95,000 tons per year, but ever since the invasive species of comb jelly, also known as sea walnut, was introduced into the Caspian Sea in 1999, the harvest of this fish has declined drastically year after year.
Akhoundi also told Mehr News Agency that the lion’s share of Caspian Sea sprat harvest in the country is shipped to seafood factories to be turned into fish powder. This is while this type of fish is nutritious and suitable for human consumption.