Russian marine scientists to conduct African research

The exploration will be the first of its kind in 40 years

Scientists from the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) will conduct research in African waters for the first time in 40 years, director Kirill Kolonchin has announced.  

VNIRO plans to conduct two scientific expeditions in West and East African waters in the second half of 2024, Kolonchin informed the deputy speaker of the State Duma, Aleksey Gordeyev, at a meeting on Wednesday, according to a statement.  

The West African expedition will cover the coastal waters of 16 African countries, from Morocco to Angola, while research in the east will operate in the waters around Madagascar. 

Upon completing their research, Russian scientists will provide data on pelagic and demersal fish in African waters, as well as assessments on shrimp in the exclusive economic zone of East African countries. 

According to Kolonchin, new fishing areas, including off the coast of the African continent, are becoming more attractive to Russian fishermen. The country’s scientists have not “conducted such serious research in these waters in the last 40 years,” he added.   

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Previously, researchers “had to rely on reports from other people’s expeditions, which were available in open sources. It is important for industry science to have a complete picture and to rely on the most reliable data,” the VNIRO director stated.  

“For the countries of the African continent, the assistance of Russian fishery scientists, who have been successfully conducting their research for more than a century, is essential for the assessment of bioresources in the coastal zone and the exclusive economic zone,” Gordeyev claimed. He explained that “the results of the integrated expeditions would allow African leaders to properly assess their resource base.”  

VNIRO was established 140 years ago to support the state’s fishery management activities and coordinate scientific research work.