Strategy of the development of fishery sector of the Russian Federation up to 2020

This is a multi-sectoral Strategy involving Federal Agency for Fishery and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. The scope of the Strategy shall be to form the conditions for sustainable social and economic development of the Russian Federation, achievement by 2020 of the leading positions of the Russian Federation among the world fishing states through the transition of the fishery complex from the export/raw material type to innovative type of development on the basis of preservation, reproduction, rational management of aquatic biological resources and ensuring global competitiveness of the domestic fishery complex producing commodities and services. The objectives aim at reproduction of the fisheries resource base, reproduction of fishery resources and development of aquaculture, modernization and re-equipment of fish processing facilities and fishing fleet. Target indicators aim at increase of catch of fishing resources, increase of manufacturing of fish products and increase of average per capita consumption by the population of the Russian Federation of fish products with view of improvement food security of the Russian Federation by reducing of import of fish and fish products, which now amounts to 40 percent of the total fish products on internal market. In the future, it is planned to increase the proportion of fish products of the improved assortment in the total volumes of commodity food products, including canned goods from 66.9% in 2008 to 85.7% in 2020. In order to ensure the quality and safety of fish products, the following measures will be implemented: (a) organization of a system of preventive public and industrial control of fish products, ensuring minimization of the risk of occurrence in the market dangerous for human health, falsified and illegal fish products; and (b) development of quality management systems for the manufacturing of products of industrial fisheries and fishfarming;
The Strategy is intended to create a prerequisite for combining the efforts of the state, private business and civil society institutions aimed at ensuring the sustainable, dynamic development of the fisheries industry of the Russian Federation during the period 2008-2020. Fisheries are considered by many as a safety-critical component, since fishing contributes to the populations of certain coastal regions and their socio-economic development.
Fisheries organizations are city-forming in many seaside regions of the country and provide employment for the population. This is especially important for the Far East and Far North, where the fisheries (catch) of aquatic biological resources is the main source of livelihoods for the population, including indigenous peoples. In order to address the systemic problems hindering the effective development of the fishery complex of the Russian Federation and restraining the sound management of fishery activities, it is necessary to concentrate resources on the most priority activities aimed at solving problems, targets, timeframes and resources in the existing, developed and promising target programs, plans, individual projects and complexes of scientific, technical, legal, economic, organizational, and political-diplomatic characterization activities within the framework of the Strategy.
Considering the presence of a large number of small reservoirs and ponds of the channel type in the South Federal District (water basins of the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and the Caspian sea), favorable climatic conditions for the development of integrated forms of fish farming, as well as the livelihood of the local population, widespread development will be obtained by contract fishfarming.