Fishermen in Law

Murmansk region coastal fishermen have become hostages of an "About Fishery" law. As they see, it is very important to make adjustments to the law, which should allow them to sell cod and crab-fish on catch place legally. The SeverPost have listened the fishermen on the threshold of the opening of Murmansk exhibition "Sea. Resaurces. Technologies".

Small size vessels owners believe, that the people, who have the fishing as bread and butter, should be given an access to water bioresources, so they would have some working activity. This is one of the major grounds of the Federal Law "About Fishery", but there is nothing more written about the implementation of this ground in the Law. It is hard and long to change the Law itself. 

So, the fishermen wonder: maybe it is worth to consider a variant to write additions to the rules of the Fishery?

- We suggest to insert a paragraph "Fish harvesting to support Murmansk region (or the Barents sea coastal) inhabitants vital activity" as an example. Give us a possibility to fish quota and sell it. The principle "catch a ton, bring it to plant, let inspector weight and accept, and money on account by evening" is much convenient for everybody and the amount of caught resources is under the control. There are 8 small sized vessels in Teriberka. All of them can be engaged in commercial fishery, and they want to do it with official allowance. But it is forbidden according to our legislation! Since the quotas were distributed according to a historical principal, so everything has remained the same. New shipowners can not wedge themselves in this decision, no way, - told to SeverPost Sergey Petrov, the general director of touristic company LLC "Veseliy Veter" (Cheery Wind). 

The fishermen say, that this is the first touchstone for local people – the water bioresources quotas. They recall immediately neighboring Norway where each local has the right to catch up to a ton of cod to sell a year, and they have probably crab without any limitation. And, for instance, Teriberka with the best option for implementation of this activity. 

For example, as an initiative of the Head of Murmansk department of Reliance of Russia, Radik Safin, and many local businessmen, some work was undertaken for a project "Large land", concerning the fishery issue in the village, say the fishermen.

"According to our information, not legally enforced at full extent, the coastal population of Teriberka, since the dawn of time having dealt with fishing, does not have the right for commercial harvesting of some kinds of fish, such as cod and haddock (most spread in the waters). As these fishes are regulated with quotas, it is impossible to receive a quota for a private entrepreneur or a fisherman, because quotas are available only for big fishing companies. [...] If it happens to change the situation with the fishery, the infrastructure will be rebuilt fully and the coastal settlements will have a hope of a stable provided existence" - as said in the message of small size vessels owners.

According to the official data of "The State Inspection of Small Vessels Center of EMERCOM of Russia in Murmansk region", in 2007 it was registered 2929 small size vessels, in 2013 there were just 367 left. Today they count just few tens. Less than 10 small enterprises deal with fish harvesting. 



It is forbidden for SME companies fishing for cod and haddock with small size vessels to catch and pass fish for commercial purposes. This situation led to fish resources harvesting fallen apart fully and, what is even worse, extinction of fishermen settlements and coastal part of the Murmansk region, noted in the Report of Reliance of Russia.

It is also said in the document, that if small boats are provided with quotas for the Barents sea resources, 1500 tones of quota for the small boats fleet, when there are 100 boats of a small size in the region, they could fully satisfy the region demand in fresh fish. 700 work places will be created in addition in coastal settlements, and the budget will receive considerable tax revenues.

Local fishermen confirm that they agree with such terms. "Just let us possibility to harvest fish officially, stop consider us as poachers!" - say the coastal people as one.

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