September 18, 2012

Russia will adopt a new law in November 2012, which will help to improve the function of the aquaculture industry.

The measures involved in the programme are aimed at increasing the production of aquaculture in the country by three times, over the next seven years.

In 2011, the development of fishing in Russia was officially included in the project of "Agricultural development programme until 2020" meaning that aquaculture was included in the list of industries, this resulted in US$ 50 billion being allocated to the industry using direct investments, and a huge amount of money from soft loans and indirect subsidies.

As part of the recently approved "Concept of development of aquaculture in Russia," The government has set a target to increase aquaculture production in the country by almost three times from 134,000 tonnes in 2011 to 410,000 tonnes in 2020. The new law "On Aquaculture" will develop certain industry and administrative mechanisms by which these numbers will be achieved.

"The legislation has been prepared in order to create a comprehensive legal framework that will regulate the legal relations in the field of aquaculture. Its adoption will contribute to the development of small and medium enterprises, to creations of the conditions for attracting investments for the development of aquaculture as well as to fuller development of intra-relationships between science institutes and aquaculture producers. " says in the official commentary to the law.

According to the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), an increase of aquaculture production in Russian fish market in 2011 had amounted to 13.4% compared to 2010. The highest growth rates in the past year have been presented in the area of mariculture, sturgeon-breeding and trout-breeding. Also growing rapidly is the cultivation of carnivorous fish, especially pike and walleye. In 2011, Russia produced 135,400 tonnes of commercial aquaculture.