Fishing industry in Russia

• 1. Coastlines And Seas

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  The coastline of the Russian Federation stretches for thousands of kilometers, ranking fourth in length globally behind Canada, Greenland, and Indonesia. This vast geography grants access to twelve seas across three oceans alongside the landlocked Caspian Sea. More than two million rivers flow through this territory, creating a complex network for aquatic life. In 2005, the exclusive economic zone covered 7.6 million square kilometers. The Atlantic Ocean contributes the Black Sea, Baltic Sea, Barents Sea, White Sea, and Sea of Azov to this mix. The Arctic Ocean adds the Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea, and Chuckchi Sea. Pacific waters include the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, and Sea of Japan. Marine capture fisheries within these zones provided up to 75 percent of the total reported catch between 1996 and 2005.

• 2. Bureaucracy And Laws

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  Federal law titled On Fisheries and Protection of Aquatic Biological Resources took effect in December 2004. This legislation divides fisheries into industrial, recreational, and subsistence categories for indigenous groups. Industrial fisheries often bypass coastal processing due to extreme bureaucracy required for port calls. The government reorganized the fishery authority at least five times starting from 1992. Seven different heads led the agency during that period, none of whom were fishery professionals. Catch limits known as total allowable catch levels are set by scientific justification but do not always apply to all industrial sectors. Regional authorities compile lists of fishing unit areas while national laws leave gaps regarding specific regulations. New federal laws on Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture were expected to be considered by legislators in coming years after 2007.

• 3. Aging Vessels And Safety

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  About two-thirds of Russian fishing vessels failed to conform to safety norms by 2002. Capital investment in the industry had decreased thirty percent compared to 1990 levels. The number of qualified specialists in navigation and processing technologies dropped between 30 and 40 percent over the same decade. Between 2002 and 2005, forty percent of effort in demersal fishery came from elderly freezing trawlers. These older ships produced only twenty-five percent of the official catch despite their heavy usage. Modern trawlers operate three to four times more effectively than these aging counterparts. The Barents Sea cod fishery exemplifies this dominance of ineffective vessels. Smaller boats registered with State Inspection of Small Size Fleet numbered 2,491 in 2005. Inland fleets contained another 5,500 motor boats during that period.

• 4. Stock Collapse And Poaching

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  Important stocks declined due to natural fluctuations combined with aggressive human activity. Pacific pilchard suffered from natural cycles while Atlantic herring faced both fluctuation and overfishing pressures. Sturgeons, Atlantic salmon, red king crab, and sea cucumber experienced continued illegal unreported and unregulated catches. Marine pollution mixed with overfishing to deplete whitefish and sturgeon populations in the Pechora drainage basin. Ecosystem transformation occurred after invasive species like sprat entered Black and Caspian Seas. Demand for seafood from East Asian markets encouraged commercial fishermen to exhaust stocks within Russia's exclusive economic zone. Criminal groups maintained well-oiled links to importers in Japan, China, and South Korea. Short distances between south Kurils and south Sakhalin facilitated transport to Japanese markets. Huge fish processing developments built on cheap labor in China further encouraged export of unprocessed fish.

• 5. Export Markets And Imports

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  The officially recorded annual value of fisheries reached approximately US$5 billion, representing 0.3 percent of gross domestic product. Domestic supply decreased from 3.3 million tonnes to a record low of 2.5 million tonnes between the 1990s and mid-2000s. Import volumes increased from 424 thousand tonnes to nearly one million tonnes during that same period. Weak national currency gave fishing companies little incentive to deal with local market barriers. Companies prioritized exports paid in Western currency instead of domestic sales. Eighty-five percent of salmon harvested in the Far East was consumed elsewhere due to expensive logistics. The government approved Concept for Development of Fishing Industry of Russian Federation to 2020 in 2003. This document set food security goals requiring domestic catch to account for no less than 80 percent of total seafood consumption by 2010.

• 6. Farming And Future Growth

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  Over sixty species including fish, invertebrates, and seaweed are commercially cultivated through aquaculture operations. Buffalo, grass, and silver carp dominate freshwater farming alongside rainbow trout, scallops, mussels, and laminaria. Production between 2003 and 2006 totaled about 100,000 tonnes for freshwater systems. Marine farms in Primorye Province covered 10,000 hectares in 2006 producing 1,340 tonnes. These marine facilities focused mainly on Laminaria, blue mussel, and Mizuhopecten yessoensis scallops. Potential development areas include 960,000 hectares of agricultural water bodies plus 143,000 hectares of ponds. National Project targets reached 1.4 million tonnes from freshwater aquaculture and 400 thousand tonnes from mariculture by 2020. The federal government considered subsidizing two-thirds of credit needed to construct modern facilities.