Russian Government approved new version of nation's fishery industry development concept to 2020

By its order No.1057-r dated 21 July 2008 the Government of the Russian Federation has approved a new version of the concept of the nation's fishery industry development up to 2020 as approved by the order No.1265-r dated 2 September 2008, according to Prime-TASS.

The new version of the concept meets main trends for social economic development and provides for long term plans of switching from focusing on raw fish exportation to innovation type of the industry's development based on conservation, sustainable exploitation of aquatic biological resources and rising competitiveness of home-made fish products and fishery associated services.

According to the amended concept, development of the Russian fishery industry in 2008-2020 will be carried out in three stages: the first stage in 2008-2012, the second stage in 2013-2017 and the last one in 2018-2020.

The first stage is characterized by creating conditions for a more rapid consolidation of the competitive advantages of the Russian fishery industry in the world economy. Implementation of this stage provides for meeting the following key targets:

• improved legislation regulating state management of the fishery industry;
• lifting infrastructure limitations of the fishery industry development;
• creating institutional conditions providing for a system switch to the innovation development.

Measures to be carried out at the first stage are aimed at expanded sustainable reproduction of fish stocks backed by internal capital accumulation and attracted bank loans in order to considerably increase supply of fish products onto the domestic market, expand product range, raise product quality and competitiveness, and create the corresponding market infrastructure.

Competitiveness of the fishery industry will be increased based on the scientific and technical progress, development of the international cooperation, including that in the sphere of fishery, formation of the innovation system in the fishery industry, encouragement of the investment activity of domestic and foreign producers and development of small businesses in the fishery industry.

The second stage of the concept is aimed at:

• development of the high tech production facilities,
• increase of quality and expansion of the product range,
• switch of the fishery industry to the innovation development type,
• prospecting new fishing grounds in the World Ocean.

The third stage provides for:

• expansion of integration of the fishing and processing sectors into the world economy in order to bring the Russian Federation to the leading positions among the world's major fishing nations,
• sustainable social and economic development of the innovation type of the industry with the efficient use of the up-to-date achievements of the Russian fishery science and attracted foreign investments.

In order to define strategic priorities of the industry it is supposed to draw up a plant of measures aimed at implementation of the concept, the measures to be grouped according to the following directions: improved legislation, better state management in the sphere of fisheries, higher efficiency of exploitation, conservation and reproduction of aquatic biological resources, higher competitiveness of fish products, scientific and staff maintenance of the fishery industry development, international cooperation in the sphere of the fishery industry. The plan will also specify responsible executors and deadlines for drawing up and approving regulatory acts.