The Russian government will introduce 10-year fishing quotas to boost the construction of new fishing vessels and curb illegal fishing.
According to a government decree approved by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the measure aims to stimulate construction of new fishing vessels. With five-year quotas, the industry was unwilling to invest in construction of new efficient trawlers. With the 10-year quotas, the government believes the industry will get the necessary long-term return on their investments.
And, according to the Federal Fishery Agency (Rosrybolovstvo), the new quotas will force the industry to think long-term and trawler owners to invest in protecting stocks.
However, fishermen in Murmansk oppose Putin's proposed nationalization measures that would require Russia's Barents Sea catch to be landed in Russia for processing. Fishermen say those facilities are overloaded, and that any fish caught outside Russia's exclusive economic zone should be allowed to be landed in Norway, according to a report in the Barents Observer.
