President of Russia's PCA outlining his views of modernization for national fishery industry

Speaking at the recent International Congress of Fishermen in Vladivostok President of Russia's Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) German Zverev expressed his ideas on prospects of the national fishery industry, reports www.megafishnet.com.

According to Zverev, the sector needs four components: fish, money, technology and people.  There is no problem with fish in Russia (hopefully, add our experts).  Money situation is a bit worse, but not too bad either.  We estimate 50% revenue growth in the next 7-8 years as realistic, said Zverev.  The industry funding will increase 50% in the next 3-4 years.

 It's worth reminding that in 2003 the industry borrowed 50 billion rubles, almost twice as much as today.  The choice was either to borrow and buy quota at the government-run auction, or to be kicked out of the business.  Very much the same is the alternative today - either to invest into development, or to lose the business.  Generally speaking, there are no problems to find the necessary technologies; anybody can buy processing lines, or vessel designs.  But the main problem is staff qualification.  It's people who really restrict modernization of our industry, particularly onshore processing, and not just in Russia.   In Europe the drop of attractiveness of fishermen professions is a problem close to catastrophe. 

According to Zverev, the modern fishery has the following distinctions.

• Modern fishery is reasonable distribution of raw material between different types of processing
• Modern fishery is the right distribution of sales between different markets, including domestic and various export markets
• Modern fishery is eco-labelling of Russian fish and establishing of a Russian certification company.
• Modern fishery is restoring of national system of professional training of fishermen.
• Modern fishery is a civilized system of sea biological resources preservation, which would really eradicate poaching

Russian fishery is quickly developing, though not as quickly as we would like, proceeded PCA President.  However, every time somebody proposes a way of quick modernization, think of a torn and drawn trawl.  Bottom of some seas is really covered by them.  World fishing history is also full of improper and thrown out programs of "false modernizations".  Programs directed to deadlocks.