Translated material
Goldfish
Fisheries are asking the government to save them from unnecessary checks
The role of the first deputy prime minister is not easy. Especially when the farming was so troublesome: forest, fish and agriculture. Yesterday, Viktor Zubkov had to thoroughly freeze in Murmansk, solving the problems of fishing and fish processing on the eve of a meeting of the government commission. But the development of the fishing industry is not an end in itself. The main thing is to feed people cheap and healthy fish products.Throughout the day, the First Deputy Prime Minister had to listen to what those who work in the industry thought about the policy of the federal authorities in the development of fisheries. To begin with, fish processors were allowed to express their opinions. It seems they don't expect any good from the federal government here. “Previously there was the Ministry of Fisheries, but in Russian times only fisheries remained in the name of the department. All they do is divide quotas,” complained the director of the Nord-West fish processing plant, Valery Ziminitsky. It’s good that at least the regional authorities understand that ruining the main sector of the local economy is worse for themselves, which is why there are subsidies and benefits at the regional level.
“Now everything is profitable: both fishing and processing,” Mr. Ziminitsky is sure. His is a full-cycle enterprise, but his own production is not enough; 75% of raw materials have to be purchased, and at world prices. However, the director is not complaining, but correctly assesses the international situation: “Everything is expensive now - both oil and fish.”
In any case, 15 years ago it was much more difficult for Russian fish processors. “But we raised Kirkenes,” the director reminds us that in the 90s this Norwegian village grew into a metropolis in a few years. The entire Russian fishing fleet supplied their catch to their enterprises.
Recently, most of the processing has been reversed. The decision taken a year and a half ago to allow fishing by small vessels in the coastal zone up to 200 miles helped a lot. “Now there are rumors that they want to again reduce the zone to 12 miles and limit the types of ships. Then we again risk a reduction in fish processing,” warned Valery Ziminitsky. In this regard, the main request to the feds is not to interfere and leave the existing benefits.
Fish producers have accumulated more requests, which became clear at a meeting in the Murmansk Sea Fishing Port (MSFP). The port is now on the privatization plan for 2008. Actually, they already tried to sell it, but the auction did not take place in early June. However, although the privatization process has already been launched, there is no unity among government agencies on this issue. The State Fisheries Committee insists that there is a more effective and profitable way than privatization. “There are proposals to create an OJSC with 100 percent state capital, transferring the Arkhangelsk trawl fleet, two research institutes and a multi-sea fishery enterprise to it,” a representative of the State Fisheries Committee told reporters back in Moscow. And already in Murmansk, Viktor Zubkov announced that “the decision on privatization is inappropriate,” asked the Ministry of Economic Development to exclude this object from the privatization lists and prepare a proposal for effective management.
But the problem of the port is still a private one, and the fishing industry people who gathered to meet with the First Deputy Prime Minister talked about what was pressing for everyone. A little earlier, the captain of a fishing trawler told the high-ranking delegation that Resolution 184, which the State Fisheries Committee is rightfully proud of, does not actually work. The simplified procedure for registering cargo at ports, which by law should take no more than three hours, takes both time and money. The heads of large enterprises confirmed this, Mr. Zubkov sighed and pointed to the culprits: “Veterinarians are rampant.” The federal leadership warmly supported the proposal to separate veterinary services from fishing industries. “We have certified fishing areas and all vessels. Why is it necessary to check every catch, let there be random checks and observations in fishing areas,” the head of the State Fisheries Committee Andrei Krainy promised to increase attention to this problem.
Separately, Viktor Zubkov highlighted the issue of customs amnesty for modernized and newly built fishing vessels. Now such ships operate at sea without calling at Russian ports, because when crossing the border you need to pay a customs duty of more than 20% of the amount of repairs or the cost of a new ship. So they unload the fish in foreign ports or spend additional money on transshipment on the high seas and delivery of the catch by other ships to Russian ports. Most likely, additional measures will be needed to resolve these issues.
In the meantime, everyone is waiting for the fisheries law to come into force on January 1, 2009. Then the rules for mandatory registration of everything caught in Russian territorial waters and only in Russian ports will come into effect. But without taking the above measures, its implementation may be in jeopardy. In the meantime, Viktor Zubkov firmly promised that no one is going to drive the small fleet into the 12-mile fishing zone, and threatened to expel veterinarians from the ports if they do not comply with the three-hour inspection requirements. Neptune will help him.