Russia outlines long-term goals for fish sector

Main strategic target of Russia's fishery industry development through to 2020 lies in Russia's winning the leading position among the world fishing nations by means of the sector's switch from focusing on raw fish exportation to the innovation type of development based on conservation, reproduction, sustainable exploitation of aquatic biological resources and maintaining global competitiveness of Russian goods and services, reports www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) with reference to a report delivered by Russia's fishery head Andrey Krainy.

In particular, the targeted indices have been defined by the draft Strategy of Fishery Industry Development to 2020 which was approved at the meeting of the Government's commission on the fishery industry development in February 2009.

The guidelines provide for a double increase of the nation's harvest of aquatic biological resources, a rise of seafood production output to 5.2 million metric tons per year, an increase of annual seafood consumption to 28 kilos per capita.

In order to meet the above targets the Russian fishery industry head says that it is necessary to carry out a whole complex of measures. Among the targets the main one for the current year 2009 is creation of necessary conditions for efficient development of the industry's companies with respect to new economic conditions.

One of the priority targets is to create conditions to support the necessary level of the fishery industry raw fish base. Actually, raw fish production is basic for the industry.

The main elements in the target's implementation are expansion of availability of the raw fish stocks beyond the Russian economic zone, development of reproduction of aquatic bioresources and their conservation.

As for development of the legislative basis, in 2009 the following laws should be approved:

• "On conservation, reproduction, sustainable exploitation of sturgeon species and management of their turnover";
• "On introducing amendments to separate legislative acts aimed at improving conservation, reproduction of aquatic biological resources and state control of seafood turnover;
• "On aquaculture".

Resumption of fisheries in the international waters of the World Ocean and foreign economic zones where the Russian fleets had been working until 1990s has become another priority task for the current period.

Within the framework of the federal target program in 2009 Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency will start refurbishment of the nation's research fleet. By the year 2013 a fleet of 27 research vessels will be built to conduct a complex of scientific research including expeditions to distant areas of the World Ocean in order to provide the fishing vessels with the up-to-date information about the stock condition.

The potential catch to which the Russian fishermen may hope to get access in the foreign EEZs amounts to ca.1.2 million metric tons. The international waters of the World Ocean may contribute at least 700,000 tonnes of fish to the Russian harvest.

In the year 2009 the Agency will work to meet the following targets in the above sphere:

• Raise its participation in the work of international fishery organizations;
• Secure conclusion of intergovernmental agreements with including such countries as Senegal, Namibia, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Peru and Argentina which are of interest for Russia's fishery policy.

The main focus will be made on implementation of measures of fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries in the areas beyond the national jurisdictions, as well as fighting with poaching in the Russian EEZ.

The allocated subsidies for logistics are also supposed to encourage expansion of the Russian fishermen beyond the nation's EEZ.

In 2009 the industry's vessel monitoring system is to be upgraded completely.

In the recent years the number of users exploiting the inland waters has grown larger, while the recreational fishery has been actively developing with the total number of people engaged in it exceeding 20 million. The volume of the harvest for recreational purposes is approaching that of commercial fishery in the inland waters, thus also requiring state control.

In order to achieve higher reproduction of aquatic biological resources modern fish culture techniques will be applied in the current year 2009 in order to raise the nation's output of fish fry.

New biotechnical standards for culture of valuable fish fry will be approved in 2009.

Within the framework of the federal target program the year 2009 will see implementation of the projects on reconstruction and building of hatcheries and ranching stations, which is supposed to increase the nation's harvest by 400,000 tonnes by the year 2012.

Implementation of the above measures will also allow to:

• provide access up to 1.9 million tonnes of biological resources beyond the Russian EEZ;
• increase capture of aquatic stocks in the national EEZ and inland waters by 15%;
• create extra 4200 jobs.

Another target is to create conditions for fishing fleet construction at domestic yards. The current condition of the Russian fishing fleet is characterized by the following indices:

• 80% out of 2448 vessels exceed their design service life;
• In 2006-2008 the fleet increased by 217 boats, of which only 4 totally new vessels, against 543 written-off vessels.