The Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) has launched a major research initiative aimed at studying marine biology resources along the coast of 18 African countries in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
The ceremony to launch the expedition took place on Wednesday at the marine fishing port in Kaliningrad, Russia, and was attended Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev and a number of other Russian officials.
“Today, we are launching one of the most ambitious projects in the fishing industry – the Great African Expedition. This is a unique event since similar research has not been conducted since the 1980s. The expedition will assess aquatic biological resources off the African coast and open up new fishing areas,” Patrushev announced at the ceremony.
The expedition will enable Russia to assess the reserves of aquatic biological resources along Africa’s coastlines and identify new fishing areas, according to Patrushev. He also underscored the significance of this initiative for both Russia and African nations.
“As we know, Russia ranks among the top five global leaders in terms of catch volume. Last year, our fishing industry set a record by harvesting 5.37 million tons of aquatic natural resources. As a result of the Great African Expedition, the scope of fishing operations will further expand,” Patrushev stated.
The deputy prime minister also emphasized the positive impact this will have on African nations. “African nations will be granted access to information on fish reserves, contributing to global food security. This will be another significant contribution by our country towards ensuring global food security,” he noted.
According to Kirill Kolonchin, director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), the expedition will continue until the beginning of 2026.
Two Rosrybolovstvo research vessels will be deployed to study the coastal waters. In addition to Russian scientists, researchers from various African coastal nations will also join the expedition, according to VNIRO.
The team of scientists on each vessel will comprise 12 experts specializing in acoustic, oceanographic, hydrochemical, hydrobiological, and ichthyological research.
The ‘Atlantniro’ research vessel will study the coastal zones of Mauritania, Nigeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola. Meanwhile, the other vessel, the ‘Atlantida’, will focus on the waters of Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Eritrea.