MOSCOW: Russia’s overall catch has been on a consistent rise. In 2010, Russia’s total catch reached 4.2 million metric tons (MT). In 2012, that figure had increased to 4.33 million MT. By 2016, total fisheries were 4.6 million MT, and last year was record-breaking, with totals cresting 4.9 million MT, according to the Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries.
Yet paradoxically, the average consumption rate of fish by Russians within the same period has drastically decreased, by more than 50 percent. The decline is linked to sharp increases in prices, which have made seafood unaffordable for many people. The high prices themselves have been caused by a wide range of problems that must be tackled if Russia hopes to see its domestic seafood consumption increase.
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Russia’s higher catch totals over the past several years can be attributed to the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation in March 2014, as well as by Russia’s subsequent ban on imports from U. S., Australia, Iceland, Norway, and the European Union in August 2014. As a result, the country’s import volume decreased from 1 million MT in 2014 to 450,000 MT in 2016, and Russian fisheries’ production went from a 50 percent share in the domestic market in 2014 to more than 80 percent in 2017.
But while Russia has captured a higher share of its own market, that market has been shrinking. In 2011, the average Russian ate 22 kilograms of fish, according to the Russia’s Federal Statistics Service. That figure was a significant increase from previous years – in 2009, when only 15 kilograms of fish was eaten per person, and in 2006, with just 13.1 kilograms. Moreover, there was a shift in consumers’ tastes, with more people preferring more expensive fresh and chilled products.
But in 2015, there was a drop in average consumption to 14 kilograms, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting industry analytics. By 2017, that number fell further, to 10.3 kilograms – considerably less than the total recommended by health organizations.
Also disappearing has been Russians’ interest in higher-end products. For example, the consumption of salmon dropped five times over the last two years. Currently, the most popular fish among Russians is herring, one of the cheapest seafood products available on the shelf, with nearly 400,000 MT consumed last year. It was followed by cod, with 300,000 MT; pollock is just behind in third place, followed by humpback salmon and chum salmon.
