A team of ichthyologists departed from the port of Ventspils on a fishing vessel to conduct research on ichthyofauna in Latvia's exclusive economic zone. Various methods were used for the study – hydroacoustic surveying, trawling in areas of fish concentration, and the deployment of a 'Nordic coastal' type net with various mesh sizes, which ensures the capture of fish of different sizes and species. Furthermore, the researchers collected ichthyoplankton and filmed the seabed. While careful processing of the collected material remains to be done, the initial data on species suggest that the methods chosen are correct.

“A very interesting diversity of fish appears on rocky, shallower shoals, whereas at depths over 50 metres, the fish diversity is significantly lower. In the shallow shoals, we identified rare and protected species, such as the butterfish, the sea scorpion and the twaite shad,” said Ivars Putnis, a representative of the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “Bior”.