Some features of sturgeon species by-catch during coastal fisheries kuban shelf of Azov Sea in autumn 2023 – early spring 2024

As a result of the collapse of the populations of Russian sturgeon and stellate sturgeon in the Sea of Azov in the late 1990s, their numbers were at an extremely low level. Since 2015, there has been a moderate trend towards an increase in the populations of Russian sturgeon and stellate sturgeon due to an increase in artificial reproduction and increased fish protection measures. Currently, an urgent task is to increase the reliability of estimating stocks of sturgeon populations by clarifying the parameters of populations and population processes both in the open sea and in the coastal zone. The aim of the study is to study the parameters and structure of by-catch of sturgeon fish in coastal fishing gear in the Sea of Azov. Data from trade journals on by-catch of sturgeon fish and the results of monitoring fishing on the Kuban coast of the Sea of Azov in autumn 2023 – early spring 2024 were used as materials for this work. The by-catch estimate for one cut of the sturgeon was performed: for Russian sturgeon – from 3.1 to 3.8 specimens./cuttings, dried apricots – from 0.3 to 2.1 specimens./a slice. In the autumn of 2023, the Russian sturgeon was found in 1.8 (in October) and 3.4 (in November) three times more often than the stellate sturgeon. In the spring of 2024, individuals of Russian sturgeon in the catches of stave seines were 12 times more common than stellate sturgeon. The average length (TL) of the by-catch of Russian sturgeon was 99.5 cm, and that of the grouse was 114.8 cm. In March 2024, the by-catch structure of Russian sturgeon and sturgeon was dominated by individuals aged 8-12 years. The presented materials make it possible to clarify the structure and parameters of sturgeon populations in autumn 2023 – spring 2024 and improve the accuracy of estimating their stocks.