Bony fish output from Iran’s three northern provinces bordering the Caspian Sea amounted to 1,458 tons from the beginning of the current fishing season in mid-October until Dec. 21, marking an increase of 11% compared with the similar period of last year, according to director general of Iran Fisheries Organization’s Harvest Department.
“The fish output included Caspian kutum, mullet and common carp that accounted for 34%%, 49% and 15% of the total harvest respectively. Other kinds of fish made up around 2% of the yields,” Mokhtar Akhoundi was also quoted as saying by Mizan Online.
Every year, more than 4,200 fishermen converge on 338 kilometers of Mazandaran’s coastline for six months.
The official added that Mazandaran Province accounted for 51% (747 tons) of the harvest while Gilan with 600 tons and Golestan with 11 tons had a respective share of 41% and 8% of the total yields in the Iranian territorial waters.
Fishermen in the three provinces, he said, are employed in 123 cooperatives, not all of which have started activity yet.
“In last year’s harvest season [Oct. 6, 2020-April 9, 2021], more than 11,061 tons of bony fish were caught in the Iranian territorial waters of the Caspian Sea, which showed a 1% rise compared with the year before,” he said.
Akhoundi told Mehr News Agency that in the last harvest season, yields stood at 5,413 tons in Gilan and 1,052 tons in Golestan, showing a 14% and 23% rise respectively and 4,596 tons in Mazandaran province, registering a 14% YOY decline.
“Out of the total yields, 56% were Caspian kutum, 18% mullet, 14% common carp and 12% other types of fish.”
Some 15 species of bony fish live in the Caspian Sea.
