Baku, Azerbaijan, May 6
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran plans to export kilka (Clupeonella) to Russia during the current fiscal year(started March 20, 2017), Mokhtar Akhoundi, an official with Iran’s Fisheries Organization, said.
The country is already exporting kilka, caught from Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan, Akhoundi said, MANA news agency reported May 6.
Over 90 percent of fished kilka is sold at a very low price and used domestically for producing fish powder, he said.
Iran’s Fisheries Organization tries to increase the share of kilka in Iranians’ food basket, Akhoundi said, adding studies are underway in this regard.
Iranian fishermen caught 21,160 tons of kilka from Caspian Sea during the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2017), 5 percent more year-on-year, he said.
Some 15,050 tons of kilka were fished in Mazandaran province waters (10 percent increase), while fishermen in Gilan province caught about 6,110 tons of kilka (a 6-percent yearly decrease) during the 12-month period, Akhoundi said.
Currently, 71 Iranian fishing boats fish kilka along the Caspian Sea coastline, he added.
Iran’s fishery output stood at 460,000 tons in the last fiscal year.
About 200,000 Iranians are active in about 70,000 aquaculture and fishing centers.
Per capita fish consumption in Iran is 10 kilograms, below the global average of 20 kilograms.