Russian Fish e-Monthly No.2 (77) February 1, 2003

FISHING INDUSTRY NEWS
Russian fishery head suspended from office
Prime minister to take a closer look at fishery industry
Hygiene certificates of National Fish Quality Centre mandatory for export consignments
Reduced tax to boost margins of small businesses
Murmansk processing sector displaying fast growth
Salmon joint venture establishing own brood stock
Murmansk co-op to ongrow seal pups
Russian crabber crew ends strike in Brazil
Arrested Murmansk trawler released against owners guarantee
Fine of $130,000 for Norwegian seiner/trawler
Governor claims end to quota auctions in 2004
COMPANY NEWS
Gigante Murmansk starts freezing capelin
Murmansk processor updates range with sausage and halibut roe
Leading Arkhangelsk firm going through a big audit
Severnyi Mir steps up business in Siberia and the Urals
Canned manufacturer launching gold fish label
Dalmoreproduct sending mothership to process Alaska pollack on the grounds
Four Kamchatka skippers sentenced for poaching
FISHING SCENE
Quota delays causing RFE catch lag behind last year
Smaller catch in the Bering Sea offset by good fish size and roe output
First pollack shipments from the Sea of Okhotsk starting only in February
Herring up, bottom fish down in the Sea of Okhotsk
Shrimpers report large counts and good prices
Atka mackerel and squid fishery taking off in the North Kurile
Sea of Japan catch dominated by snow crab and shrimps
Late permits lead to 10% drop in cod/haddock catch in January
Capelin fishery takes off in step with spawning run
Blue whiting catch exceeds 13,000 tonnes
Fishery in Northwest Atlantic hampered by delay of fishing permits
Northerners boost catches in South Atlantic
Murmansk fishery outlook positive
SHIPBUILDING, CONVERSIONS AND REFURBISHMENT
EU boat surplus creates opportunities for Russian fleet renewal
Vyborg shipyard launching 7th hull for Norwegians
Leading operator buys out chartered trawler
Murmansk owner to build one more modern trawler
MARKET MONITOR
Stocks, quotas, supplies, prices, new products, etc.
Short supply of frozen fish driving prices up in St. Petersburg
Quotas redistributed in the wake of complaint from Vladivostok
Fish sales in Moscow exceeding 200,000 tonnes
Pacific salmon TAC goes through intermediate approval
Russian sturgeon releases jump by 10 million juveniles
Russia reports big surplus in seafood trade with EU
Moscow approves free of charge quotas for Murmansk companies
Murmansk buying the bulk of cod quotas
Value of output in RFE down by 7%
March auction to handle 114,400 MT of catch quotas
Appendix 1. LISTS OF CATCH QUOTAS PUT UP FOR AUCTION ON 15 MARCH 2003
Appendix 2. Fairs and Exhibitions
Appendix 3: Updated free quotas for 2003 allocated to coastal provinces of the Russian Far East subject to landing to home processors and sale in Russia (as modified after complaints by Primoriye province)
Appendix 4: Fulfilment of main targets for marine fisheries under Russia’s State Fisheries Committee, excluding inland fisheries under Rosrybkhoz association, in December and in January-December 2001 and 2002
Appendix 5: Fulfilment of main targets for marine fisheries under Russia’s State Fisheries Committee, including inland fisheries under Rosrybkhoz association, in December and in January-December 2001 and 2002
Appendix 6: EU and Russia trade statistics
Table 1: Russia’s seafood imports from EU in 2001 (‘000 USD)
Table 2: Russia’s seafood export to EU in 2001 (‘000 USD)
Table 3: Dynamics of Russia’s seafood export to EU in 1996-1999 according to the European Statistics (‘000 EURO/’000 USD)
Table 4: Russian seafood export to and import from Norway in 2001 (Russia’s official statistics)
Appendix 7: Performance of particular companies and provinces of the Russian Far East in January – October 2002
Appendix 8: February overview of wholesale prices