October 10, 2007

 

Russia to end fishing quotas next year, move to develop fisheries

 

 

Russia will stop assigning quotas for commercial fishing from January 1, 2008, the head of the fisheries regulator said on Tuesday (October 9, 2007)

 

The abolishing of the quotas would not mean uncontrolled fishing, rather the quotas would be replaced with regulatory measures, Andrei Krainiy, head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, said.

 

An operative headquarters would be established to determine the fishing output, with limitations on duration, the number of fishing vessels and the methods of fishing.

 

The move would mean a return to Soviet era systems.

 

Russia should establish a monopoly on fishing in its commercial waters, and not allow foreigners to exploit their waters.

 

Such monopoly is common practice in all countries with fishing industries, including Iceland and Norway, he said.

 

Commercial fishing is traditionally a strategic branch of the economy and Russians are fully capable of developing resources in economic zones themselves, he added.

 

To support the industry, Krainiy said Russia's state-controlled Rosselkhozbank would start supporting domestic fishing companies by offering loans.

 

Russia's current annual commercial catch stands at about 3.2-3.3 million tonnes, According to the Federal Agency for Fisheries,

 

Russia's seafood consumption has nearly halved in the past 20 years, falling from the 22.5 kilograms (50 lb) in 1986 to 12.6 kilograms (27 lb) in 2006

 

This is also nearly half the consumption in the US and China.