BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 12
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
The fishermen have started fishing for kilka in the Caspian Sea with 73 ships in the northern Iranian provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran, said director general of the organization said Mokhtar Akhondi the Director General for Fishing Affairs of Iran Fisheries Organization, Trend reports referring to the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad’s official website.
Akhondi said that as kilka spawning in the Caspian Sea is in the spring, the kilka fishing begins in the summer.
The director general added that 43 ships will be engaged in kilka fishing in Mazandaran Province and 30 ships in Gilan Province.
"Last year (from March 21, 2019 to March 20, 2020) about 23,000 tons of kilka were caught in the Caspian Sea. About 80 percent of it belonged to Mazandaran Province and 20 percent to Gilan Province. It is hoped that this figure will increase in the current Iranian year (began March 20, 2020)," he said.
Iran's total catch of kilka in the Caspian Sea was 26,000 tons in the preceding Iranian year (from March 21, 2018 to March 21, 2019).
Akhondi noted that most of the kilka caught in the Caspian Sea are sent to fish processing plants to make fish powder.
