Russian fishery head outlining policy for shipbuilding and other important issues

As of 2008 governments of the coastal provinces will have a greater say in the management of the fishing seasons and the fishery will be coordinated on a broader scale, head of Russia's State Fisheries Committee Andrey Krainy told leaders of Vladivostok-based fishing companies at the meeting in the TINRO-Centre research institute.

Along with the above important statement, Andrey Krainy also spoke of new principles of construction of new vessels at domestic yards.

So far Russia is technologically not ready to build completely outfitted fishing vessels at home yards, especially large vessels, Andrey Krainy admitted. Therefore the Russian yards, naval inclusive, will be encouraged to build hulls of small and middle fishing vessels for the Northwest Fisheries Basin (Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Karelia, Kaliningrad). The vessels will be fitted with engines, fishing gear, navaids and other equipment purchased from abroad and imported to the territory of the Russian Federation on a duty-free basis. In the Russian Far East Basin the shipowners are recommended to place hull construction orders in China, South Korea and Japan to be backed by loans with interest rates subsidized by the state only subject to the newbuildings owned by the Russian companies and sailing under the Russian flag.

Andrey Krainy has also reminded of an agreement recently made by the State Fisheries Committee and the Russian Agricultural Bank Rosselkhozbank for the bank's annual loans at a total sum of 50 billion RUR to be given to the nation's fishery firms with the interest rates amounting to 12% per year. Towards further reduction of bank loans for the borrowers the government has decided to part-subsidize the interest rates. In fact, companies will be able to take 4%-interest loans to purchase modern fishing vessels and fishing equipment.

Besides, Andrey Krainy has underlined that the article of the Law on Fishery and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources as to distribution of quotas into inshore and offshore according to the TAC in the 12-mile zone and the EEZ will be not amended. At the same time, Krainy has assured Vladivostok fishermen that the State Fisheries Committee will strive for simplified routine of border crossing by fishing vessels. Russia's fishery industry head has agreed with the fishermen that the existing "simplified" order in fact creates considerable obstacles to the fish business.

The committee's head has also informed that in October 2007 the nation's fishery officials will come to Vladivostok to meet with the basin's fishery leaders to continue discussion of the most urgent issues.