1. SOVIET HERRING FLEET IN THE FAROE ISLAND WATERS. 2. SOVIET REQUEST FOR A FISHING BASIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004000190001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2009
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 18, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains Information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
Ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794. of the U.S.Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of Its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form Is prohibited.
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COUNTRY USSR (Arctic)
SUBJECT 1. Soviet Herring Fleet in the Faroe
Island Waters
2. Soviet Request for a Fishing Basin
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
18 : i.ne 1954
NO. OF PAGES 5
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE I)EFINITIVIE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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1. In 1953, as in previous years, a Soviet fishing expedition has operated.
in the waters around and north of the Faroe Islands. T:~ fleet thia.:,year was a 1
expedition made'up of more than ten mother and supply ships and about 150.'
catch boats. Thee expedition's work soured to have been started in the" >aatA11e
off'"April 1953 and to have finished during December of the same year. The
ships which took part in the. expedition were from Murmansk and from the.'
Baltic.
2. The Soviet herring expedition from the Baltic, consisting of three .or four
supply ships and about 90 fatoh:bl ts, a4 arrived in the Faroe waters about
1 September 1952.,..Ii was relieved around 1'November of the same year by a
smaller group from Murmansk, consisting of one mother ship and about 25
catch boats.
3.. With the exception of short intermissions, the Murmansk group?.was observed
at the Faroe Islands until 24 January 1953. The group apparently returned
to its home base. Until the latter part of April only single Soviet traw-
lers were observed near the Faroe Islands.
4. On 28::'April;l953, Soviet catch boats were again reported in the Faroe waters,
and,,until 6 July, Soviet ships were observed daily in the waters around the
Faroe Islands. This Soviet fishing fleet consisted at times of seven supply
ships and a number of catch boats.
5. From 7 July until 13 September 1953 there were no Soviet vessels observed
in the Faroe island waters, but there were reports that a Soviet mother
ship was observed near Jan Mayen.G.:.Z.rge numbers of Soviet catch boats were
also observed on the herring field between 670 to 690 North and 7? to 90 West.
6. From 14 September 1953 there were reports of Soviet catch boats in Faroe
territorial waters at Fugle Fjord. Thereafter, four motherships and the
supply ships, BORODINO, MEDVEDITSA, OLONETSiand URZHUM, and a number of catch??
boats were observed continuously in Faroe waters. Depending on the wind
conditions, the mother ships lay at anchor out from the territory northeast
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to east-by-northeast of Nolso,and at Guttagrynna, which is located west of
Sand$.
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7. In the months of October and November, a number of Soviet
fishing vessels of the trawler type (SRT) stayed within,
the Faroe Islands. A number of the fishing trawlers,whose home port was in
the Baltic,went home during these months, but they were replaced by a number
of trawlers from Murmansk during the last days of October.
8. In late October the status of the Soviet ships in the Faroe Island waters
was as follows:
a. The SS NARWIK and the SS TOBRUK; both ships are Polish cargo steamers
which were chartered by the Soviets as supply ships for the herring fleet.
b. The OLONETS and the URZHUM.
c. Approximately 35 SRT-trawlers, belonging to the Kaliningrad group.
d. Apprbximately'45 SRT-trawlers, belonging to the Klaipeda group.
e. Approximately 50 SRT-trawlers, belonging to the Murmansk group.
The approximate total given for the trawlers allows for the fact that there
were always some trawlers sailing to and from their home ports.
9. The expedition was expected to conclude its work in December 1953; however, the
TUNGUS and the vessels from the Murmansk group will continue the fishing, but
the catching places will probably be moved more and more to the east.
Fishing Locations
10. For the most part',the fishing took place about 70 nautical miles northeast of
the Faroe Islands, at Jan Mayen, and on the fields between 670 and 690 North, and
70 and 90 West.
11. The most used anchoring sites for the mother ships and the supply ships was
northeast and east-by-northeast of Nols$ at a distance of about 10 nautical
miles. They also anchored at Gu%ttagrynna, west of Sand$$. Once they anchored
between Vider$ and Fugl$. Seven mother ships and about 90 SRT-trailers were
observed at the same time at Nols$.
12. The following information was obtained
a. had been fishing during July, August, September, and October,
and it had caught 250 tons of herring or about 2,500 barrels.
b. The crew leaders received 16,000 rubles during this period.
The quartermasters received 10,000 rubles and each seaman received 6,000
rubles. In addition, the entire crew received free board, tobacco and
working clothes.
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c. The fishing permit ofl expired on 4 October 1953. For this 25X1
reason,the ship was to leave as soon as possible for Klaipeda for inspection,
IAgetYer`sdth"faux others .:whose fishing permits had also expired.
for inspection
Its catch was 270 tons or 2,700 barrels. The ship was to leave for Kla,peda
e. had fished for six months, and it had caught 400 tons or 4,000
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f. Three.Boviet_: luggers had been equipped with hydrographic measuring
devices.
The three's hips which had scientists on board had good results in pre-
determining the existence of herring.
g. Just prior to their departure,the Soviet ships fished on the average of
14 kilograms or about one and one-*lf barrels of herring per net. The
net mesh measurements were 32 to 34 mm from knot to knot. Information
received which indicated that nylon nets had been tried but were
given up, was confirmed.
h.. The ships were, according to size, equipped with from 60 to 120 nets.
The total of the seagoing fishing ships (trawlers) based at Murmansk was
200 to 300.
Popov (fnu) was the leader 'of the Klai,peda group,
which consisted of about 50 catch boats. Popov was also the leader of
the Klapeda group in 1952. The expedition also consisted of a group
of catch boats from Kaliningrad.
J. The total catch of the Soviets was smaller -in 19j3_.,- than in 1952. The
average catch per boat for a full'-ye" of fishing was stated to have been
around 1,000 tons. This agrees somewhatWith'the results in the fat herring
season. In 1952,the Soviets attempted to use the floating trawl during
the herring fishing in the North-Atlantic, but the results were so poor
that the attempts were not continued.. On the other hand, in the North
Sea the floating trawl for herring fishing was employed with good results.
13. The herring fishing, as in previous years, had the character of a large
establishje.d fishing industry setup. The Soviets have apparently laid some
weight on the fact that the expeditions should be self-sufficient; for ex-
ample, there were tankers with oil and water in the fishing fleet. The
expedition apparently was not able to be entirely self-sufficient, as a
water tanker took water at Thorshavn in the Faroes on one occasion.
14. The expedition had a number of difficulties among which was the bad weather
conditions. Apparently because of this problem, a Soviet Deputy`Minister. of Fish
Industry, Kulikov, was in the area with the fishing expedition for an unstated
period of time.
15~ As the expedition apparently has had bad experience exchanging the catch
in the open sea and with supplying the catch boats from the mother ship,,
the Soviets have put out feelers to investigate the possibilities of re-
ceiving permission tn. use a particular area of the Faroe territorial waters
as a fishing basin.
16. The following mother and supply ships were observed:
BRT
SS BORODINO
6864
5256
MS MEDVEDITSA
950
SS NARWIK (Polish)
7031
4967
SS 0LONETS
1978
1108
SS PAMYAT ILICHA
2339
1256
SS TAMBOV
2902
1696
SS TOBRUK (Polish)
7048
4777
8S TUNGUS
7194
4383
MT URZHUM
1169
394
SS VORKUTA
approximately 2400
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Legend to the Sketch of the Faroe Island.--
1. Four mother ships were observed in this area on 28 June 1953.
2. One mother ship was observed in this area on 20 October 1953.
3. Viderejde area. One or two mother ships were observed in this area
between 18 and 31 October 1953?
4. Tjernevig area. One ship was observed in this area on 28 September 1953.
5. Funding Fjord. Two mother ships were observed in this area on 27 and 28
October 1953.
6. Two mother ships were observed in this area on 22 September 1953-
7. Fugle Fjord. Trawlers and mother ships were observed in this area
between 28 April and 17 October 1953.
8. Arno Fjord. Trawlers were observed in this area between 9 May and 2
June 1953.
9. Skaale Fjord. One mother ship was observed in this area on 25 September
1953.
10. Lsmtavig area. One trawler was observed in this area between 25 May and
25 September 1953.
11. One mother ship was observed in this area between 30 April and 13 June 1953.
12. One mother ship was observed in this area on 30 September 1953.
13. Between one and seven mother ships were observed in this area between
4 May and 6 July.
1k-. Guttagrynna area. One to three mother ships were observed in this area
between i1. May and 5 June 1953
15. Sand area. Trawlers were observed in this area between 15 and 25 May,
and again on 23 September 1953.
16. One to three mother ships were observed in this area between 5 and 30
June 1953?
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Sketch 9f the large Island Area:
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