BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 4. The volume of sprats caught by Iran in the Caspian Sea decreased by 12.1 percent during the first 5 months of the current Iranian year (March 21 through August 22, 2023), compared to the same period last year, Deputy Chairman of Iran Fisheries Organization Reza Abbaspour Naderi said, Trend reports.
Abbaspour Naderi added that Iran caught a total of 3,545 tons of sprats in the Caspian Sea for 5 months, while in the same period last Iranian year the figure stood at 4,034 tons.
"Of the mentioned volume, 1,819 tons were caught in the Mazandaran Province basin of the Caspian Sea, which is a 2 percent decrease compared to the same period last year," he added.
Meanwhile, the remaining 1,726 tons of sprat were caught in the Gilan Province basin of the Caspian Sea and show a 20 percent decline compared to the same period last year.
Reportedly, 90 percent of the sprats caught in the Caspian Sea in Iran are used for the production of fish powder. Sprat is nutritionally more important than many bony fish, and most of the caught sprat is turned into fish powder.
In order to protect the stock of sprat in the Caspian Sea, it is not caught from the Caspian Sea in the spring.
---
Follow the author on X (Twitter):@BaghishovElnur