For the first time Russian fisheries are reporting catches on the same level as when the Federation was part of the Soviet Union 20 years ago.
“A historic milestone”, Federal Agency for Fishery leader Andrei Krainy described Russian catches returning to the 1991 level, as he reported to his Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on 5 March.
“This nearly 20-year decline in catches that has marked the post-Soviet era is now behind us. As of 2010, Russia ranks sixth in the list of leading fishing countries, up from ninth place in 2007. Russia caught more than four million tonnes – 4.1 million, not counting recreational fishing”, he added.
In the Post-Soviet period, Russia’s fish catch dropped 20 percent and in 2005 totaled about 3,2 million tons. One explanation for this has been excessive formalities surrounding landings of the catches: formally, fish caught in Russian waters by Russian fishermen was treated as imports when landed in e.g. the Sibirian port of Murmansk.
Putin has been officially pressing for doing away with these obstacles, and the first steps have been taken, Krainy reported to Putin.
In the transcription from the meeting, however, Krainy and Putin rather hastily moved through the problems of professional fisheries, to focus on an issue obviously much closer to the Prime Minister’s heart – sports fishing:
“Mr Krainy, tell me, why are you threatening all of us – I mean amateur fishermen – with possible fees for recreational fishing?”, Putin asked.
Krainy went to great length to explain that he had been misquoted by reporters, who “heard what they wanted to hear”. Article 24 of the Federal Law of Fishery clearly states that Russian citizens have the right to fish public waters free of charge, he made clear.
“In other words, you will not charge me for recreational fishing”?
“Not only you – none of the 20 to 25 million recreational fishermen in Russia will be charged”, Krainy promised, according to the transcription on the Prime Minister’s official website.
“So you aren’t plotting anything like this?”
“God forbid. The law says something quite different. There have never been fees.”
“ Good”.