Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) Ilya Shestakov
Photo: Alexander SHPAKOVSKY. Go to Photobank KP
How will the development of the fishery complex affect the Far Eastern regions? What needs to be done to ensure that the fish sold in stores is of high quality and affordable? How much can Russia increase aquaculture production? These and other issues were discussed by participants at the session “The fishing industry – the engine of socio-economic development of the Far East”, which took place on the sidelines of EEF-2024.
“50% growth in 10 years”
The Far Eastern regions account for 76% of Russia’s total fish catch. It is no coincidence that the fishing industry is key for the Far Eastern regions – the standard of living of the local population directly depends on it. The growth rate of the fishing complex is now ahead of that of many other sectors of the economy. At the same time, related industries, such as shipbuilding, are also experiencing a recovery period. Domestic shipyards will receive orders for the construction of fishing, research and rescue vessels for many years to come. The Far East has attracted investments worth more than 200 billion rubles.
– New facilities now include refrigerated vessels and port infrastructure. We need all this to ensure that fish is of high quality and affordable. There are plans to increase aquaculture production. This direction has great potential. We are currently producing 400 thousand tons, and by 2030 we plan to produce 600 thousand tons,” said Ilya Shestakov, head of the Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo).
He noted that the increase in fish catches in the Far East was almost 50% in 10 years. Over the past decade, aquaculture has been actively growing; the Far East is in the top three (by the end of 2023, 84 thousand tons of aquaculture and mariculture products were grown here). Ilya Shestakov said that with the participation of the Far Eastern regions, a “road map” will be implemented to increase domestic consumption of domestic fish products.
The head of Rosrybolovstvo also noted that the fishing industry brings economic growth and tax revenues to regional budgets, social investments and the well-being of a significant part of the population in coastal areas. The number of jobs is increasing and salaries in the industry are rising (second place in the salary ranking according to Rosstat data). The level of salaries among manufacturing industries in the field of fish processing and canning is also at a high position. Thanks to the modernization of fisheries, employers offer modern working conditions: safety and comfort. The educational system of Rosrybolovstvo has launched personnel training programs for the new fleet and new factories.
We remind you that new rules for the use of fishing grounds came into force on September 1 of this year: fishery owners must participate in the development of the region where they operate. These can be projects in the field of social, transport and engineering infrastructure. The companies will contribute to the improvement of rural areas far from large cities and the creation of decent living and working conditions.
– It is very important for us that people living in coastal regions feel that the fishing business is not only for shareholders, but above all for people. We care not only about preserving the business, but also, above all, about ensuring that people living in these territories and working in the fishing industry feel safe and comfortable,” Ilya Shestakov stressed.
“The industry has gone from being a shadow industry to one of the leaders”
Kamchatka Territory Governor Vladimir Solodov noted that since the late 2000s, the fishing industry in the Far East and Kamchatka has come a long way: from being murky and low-tech, it has become one of the most advanced.
– Our factories and ships are now the best in the world. The industry is attractive for employers and for young people who want to study a specialized profession. Our task is to comply with educational technologies and create appropriate conditions. This will help protect people in the Far East.
The fishing complex in our region has become a socially responsible business. We began to feel that significant revenues were coming into the budget, especially after decisions were made on tariffs for aquatic biological resources. Now this is the main source and incentive for us. In Kamchatka, 100 billion rubles have been invested in factories, ships, coastal infrastructure and the social sphere in recent years. We can already cite examples of large social facilities, necessary public infrastructure created by fishermen in collaboration with the state, said Vladimir Solodov.
“Attract staff and build housing for fishermen”
Panellists cited staff shortages as one of the industry’s biggest problems.
“The shortage of personnel is simply beyond our capabilities,” said State Duma Deputy Speaker Irina Yarovaya. She proposed taking the initiative to expand the national project “Personnel” and increase funding for vocational schools for the fishing industry.
– The task that we must solve together is to make the created jobs more accessible to residents of coastal regions. They have been provided with an end-to-end training system. In general, we are obliged to create a certain part, a certain percentage of jobs specifically for residents of coastal regions, – said Vladimir Solodov.
The president of the Association of Fishing Fleet Owners, Alexey Osintsev, drew attention to the problem of attracting personnel from other regions. Here it all comes down to housing.
– There is a good popular mechanism in this regard: the Far Eastern mortgage. We propose to move the age limit to the right to 44 years. This will not only encourage fishermen to continue in the profession, but will also contribute to good social development in the Far Eastern regions,” he said.
– When we talk about the need to consolidate the population in the Far East, it means that we need to solve the problem of building housing specifically for fishermen. There should be a large state social project focused on the fact that we perceive this industry as system-forming,” Irina Yarovaya agreed.
“The inclusion of fish in the diet of schoolchildren should be mandatory”
Participants in the debate also noted that it is necessary to popularize fish consumption among Russians of different ages. This can be done, for example, through cartoons and films about modern Russian ships and the benefits of fish and seafood. Russian companies are also ready to invest in providing quality fish to educational institutions. Formats for promoting different types of products are proposed: salmon, pollock, crab and others.
Irina Yarovaya noted that it is necessary to make the inclusion of fish and fish products in the diet of schools and all social institutions compulsory in order to ensure the direct supply of quality products from domestic producers at an affordable price.
“We need to develop a mechanism, perhaps even use it as an additional tool for assessing a company’s social responsibility,” Irina Yarovaya suggested.
– We are ready to invest part of our profit in feeding children with tasty, natural, real and high-quality fish. We have proposed to include frozen pollock fillets in the school food regime, which do not contain polyphosphates or water and retain all the natural beneficial properties of fish, – said Savely Karpukhin, general director of the Russian Fishing Company.
