Kerch

Crimea is the biggest peninsula in the Black Sea which has about 1000 km. of the shore line and is awashed by the Black and Azov seas. This specific geographic position determines the peculiarities of the adjucent marine environment including the marine biota.
From the environmental point of view the sea around the peninsula is divided into four major zones – the Azov Sea, the Strait of Kerch, the Southern shore and the Dnieper estuary zone. Here we will consider in more details the sea to the South from the peninsula. The navigation here meets significant problems because af the specific shore line with numerous rocky bays, very picturesque but poorly protected. The bays of Sevastopol, Sudak and Feodosia are exceptions¹. The water near the South shore of the peninsula has relatively stable salinity at the level of 17 – 18%, while the temperature fluctuates strongly during the year. The scientists distinguish the cold season (December – March) with the temperature about 8 – 9^oC, two transtion periods (April – May and October – November) when the temperature is between 10 and 15^oC, and finally the warm period (June – September), when the water may warm up to 20^oC and even higher² . These conditions are good for marine biota and the fish population near the Crimean shore is rather rich though the forage base there is relatively poor. Some fish species even form specific Crimean subpopulations, this is for instance the case of the Black Sea sprat³.
The history of crieman fisheries goes back to the Antiquity. For instance the archaeologists who studied the remains of Chersones of Tavrida stressed the special importance of fisheries and fish preservation industry for the economy of this city⁴. Later the fisheres were controlled by Greeks and Italians though in general the period of Tartar dominion was not siccessful for the Crimean fisheries. As a result when the Russian Empire got the control over the peninsula in the 18th c. the region had at least four relatively big centers of fishing industry – namely Inkerman, Balaklava, Kafa and Kerch⁶. They were included into the Tavrida Governance and were not controlled by one big owner as it was on the Don and on the Kuban.
In general the fishing zone near the Crimean shore divided into three areas – the Eastern area (the Strait of Kerch), the Southern area (with the center in Balaklava) and the Western area with the center in Tarhankut bay. The zones of Feodosia, Evpatoria and Yalta were less important. The fishermen of the Southern zone of Crimea in the mid-19th c. used to catch predominantly mackerel, mullet and anchovy though the total list of target species included also goat fish (Mullus barbatus), herring and also Red fish (Acipenseridae). In the early 20th c. about 50 species of fish were caught in the Crimean waters and about 60% of the catches were provided by mullet, herring, mackerel, anchovy, beluga sturgeon and Russian sturgeon⁷.
The use of molluscs is another peculiarity of the Crimean fisheries. The Black Sea oysters (Ostrea edulis L.) were quite abundant historically though the history of Black Sea oyster fisheries is still not studied in details as well as the biology of these molluscs⁸. The oysters of Crimea (especially those of Sevastopol) were considered as good in terms of quality and taste though small. In the late 19th c. the population decreased and the artificial breeding of the Black Sea oysters started. In total in the fishing season 1894 – 95 (from the late August to the early April) Sevastopol provided about 900.000 of oysters delivered to the Central Russia by rail⁹.

[1] A. K. Vinogradov, Ju. I. Bogatova, I. A. Sinegub Экосистемы акваторий морских портов Черноморско-Азовского бассейна (Введение в экологию морских портов). [Ecosystems of the Sea ports of the Black and Azov Sea basins. (Introduction into the ecology of the Sea ports). Odessa. 2012.. P. 42.

[2] N. I. Chekmeneva, A. A. Subbotin Гидрофизическая характеристика отдельных районов шельфовой зоны Южного Крыма (Чёрное море). [Hydro-physical characteristics of some areas of the shelf zone of the Southern Crimea (the Black Sea)] Ekologija morja. 2009. Vyp. 77. P. 72 – 73.

[3] G. V. Zuev, D. K. Gucal, E. B. Mel'nikova, V. A. Bondarev, Ju. L. Murzin. Рыбные ресурсы Чёрного моря (состав, состояние запасов и эксплуатация). [Fish resources of the Black Sea (composition, status of stocks and use).] Gidrobiologicheskij zhurnal, tom 46, 2010, № 4. P. 20 – 21.

[4] See for instance: A. I. Romanchuk План рыбозасолочных цистерн Херсонеса [The plan of fish-preparing tanks of Chersonesos]. Antichnaja drevnost' i srednie veka. — 1977. — Vyp. 14. P. 18-26.

[5] See for details M.I. Kumancov Возникновение и развитие рыболовства Северного Причерноморья. Часть 1. (от древности до начала XX в.) [The emergence and development of the Northern Black Sea fisheries. Part 1: (from ancient times to the beginning of the XX century.)]. Мoscow, 2011.. P. 78 – 95.

[6] See for M.I. Kumancov Возникновение и развитие рыболовства Северного Причерноморья. Часть 1. (от древности до начала XX в.) [The emergence and development of the Northern Black Sea fisheries. Part 1: (from ancient times to the beginning of the XX century.)]. Мoscow, 2011. P. 131 – 137.

[7] M.I. Kumancov Возникновение и развитие рыболовства Северного Причерноморья. Часть 1. (от древности до начала XX в.) [The emergence and development of the Northern Black Sea fisheries. Part 1: (from ancient times to the beginning of the XX century.)]. Мoscow, 2011.. P. 147.

[8] See for details T.F. Krakatica, Биология черноморской устрицы Ostrea edulis L. в связи с вопросами ее воспроизводства [Biology of the Black Sea oyster Ostrea edulis L. in relation to issues of reproduction]. Kiev. 1976.

[9] See for details N. Borodin Устричный промысел и устрицеводство. [Oyster harvesting] Jenciklopedicheskij slovar' Brokgauza i Efrona: Tom XXXV. (69). S. Peterburg. 1902. P. 49 – 50.

References

A. I. Romanchuk План рыбозасолочных цистерн Херсонеса [The plan of fish-preparing tanks of Chersonesos]. Antichnaja drevnost' i srednie veka. — 1977. — Vyp. 14..
A. K. Vinogradov, Ju. I. Bogatova, I. A. Sinegub Экосистемы акваторий морских портов Черноморско-Азовского бассейна (Введение в экологию морских портов). [Ecosystems of the Sea ports of the Black and Azov Sea basins. (Introduction into the ecology of the Sea ports). Odessa. 2012.
N. I. Chekmeneva, A. A. Subbotin Гидрофизическая характеристика отдельных районов шельфовой зоны Южного Крыма (Чёрное море). [Hydro-physical characteristics of some areas of the shelf zone of the Southern Crimea (the Black Sea)] Ekologija morja. 2009. Vyp. 77.
G. V. Zuev, D. K. Gucal, E. B. Mel'nikova, V. A. Bondarev, Ju. L. Murzin. Рыбные ресурсы Чёрного моря (состав, состояние запасов и эксплуатация). [Fish resources of the Black Sea (composition, status of stocks and use).] Gidrobiologicheskij zhurnal, tom 46, 2010, № 4.
M.I. Kumancov Возникновение и развитие рыболовства Северного Причерноморья. Часть 1. (от древности до начала XX в.) [The emergence and development of the Northern Black Sea fisheries. Part 1: (from ancient times to the beginning of the XX century.)]. Мoscow, 2011.
N. Borodin Устричный промысел и устрицеводство. [Oyster harvesting] Jenciklopedicheskij slovar' Brokgauza i Efrona: Tom XXXV. (69). S. Peterburg. 1902. P. 49 – 50.
T.F. Krakatica, Биология черноморской устрицы Ostrea edulis L. в связи с вопросами ее воспроизводства [Biology of the Black Sea oyster Ostrea edulis L. in relation to issues of reproduction]. Kiev. 1976