Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 15
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iranian fishermen have caught 3,265 tons of kilka (Clupeonella) from Caspian Sea during the first four months of current Iranian fiscal year (March 20-July 20), Mokhtar Akhoundi, an official with Iran’s Fisheries Organization, said.
The figure indicates a rise by 32 percent year-on-year, Akhoundi said, IRIB news agency reported Aug. 15.
Some 2,321 tons of kilka were fished in Mazandaran province waters (a 70-percent yearly increase), while fishermen in Gilan province caught about 944 tons of kilka (a 30-percent yearly increase) during the four-month period, Akhoundi said.
Main part of fished kilka is used domestically as food and for producing fish powder, he added.
Almost 85-90 percent of the fished kilka was sent to fish powder processing plants last fiscal year (ended March 20), Akhoundi said.
Currently, 70 Iranian fishing boats fish kilka along the Caspian Sea coastline, he said.
Iran’s fisheries output is estimated to be about 1 million tons a year, worth $350 million.
Iran plans to export at least 80,000 tons of various types of seafood in the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20).