Russian Fishing Sector Making Big Comeback
Russia’s fishing sector has made a comeback, despite the world-wide economic downturn. That was what Andrei Krainy, the head of the federal fisheries agency, Rosrybolovstvo, recently told a session of the international fisheries congress in Vladivostok, the Novosti news service reports.
Krainy reported that 2009’s fish and seafood catch was so far up by 12%; that investment in balance sheets overall was up 29%; while wages had risen 22% and working capital was up 25%.
Foreign participation in this year’s congress was said to have been up significantly, 18 foreign countries having been represented.
Li Chol Y, the head of the fisheries department of South Korea’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries, assured city and provincial authorities of his ministry’s commitment to encouraging South Korean investment in undertaking joint projects with the fish processing and catching companies of Vladivostok and Primorye Province, the PrimaMedia news service reported.
Earlier, Krainy had told the fisheries congress that the federal government saw the renewal of the nation’s fishing fleets as a state economic priority, and that it would be providing RUB 8 billion (C$290 million) for that purpose.
One industry insider told the ITAR-TASS news service that, according to his information, the state would be providing a total of RUB 20-30 billion (C$725 million – C$1 billion) for the fishing fleet renewal program.
Just for Pacific Russia alone, said Krainy, new vessels were needed just to ensure ability to properly exploit the nation’s exclusive economic zone waters, not to mention venturing further afield.
In the near future, said Krainy, domestic shipyards would be asked by the state to compete for contracts to build the needed vessels, small, medium and large tonnage.
Consortia of shipbuilding yards would be created with Norwegian yards, which are leaders in fishing vessel construction, Krainy said. He did not spell out the role of the Norwegian yards, but the context seems to suggest they would do the designing, and Russian yards the construction.
So far this year, RUB 650 million had been expended in connection with the above, with an additional RUB 4 billion projected to be spent/invested by the end of the year, RUB 1.2 bln on ship construction and RUB 1.8 bln on renewal of fish processing equipment.
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