Industry asked to comment on Draft amendments to Russia's Fishery Law and some corresponding Laws

Draft amendments to Russia's Fishery Law and related amendments to Continental Shelf Law and Exclusive Economic Zone Law have been published recently for consultation with the nation's fishery industry, according to http://www.megafishnet.ru/.

Under the current Law the inshore fishery is based on the interests of the adjacent regions and the idea behind has to do with landing the catch for onshore processing. However this has lead to poor exhaustion of quotas in some areas, especially in the Russian Far East, and the government has decided to go ahead with amendments to help increase quota take-up.

Proposed changes are:

• 1. All kinds of fish loading /unloading are taken out of the Law coverage, except ship to ship transshipment.
• 2. Ship to ship transshipment is allowed for coastal fisheries.
• 3. Word "processing" is replaced with "production of products".
• 4. There is a very limited list of possible kinds of "production" for coastal fishery. Forbidden are: any thermal treatment (except chilling and freezing), smoking, canning, salting, drying, pickling, concentrating, filleting, extraction, extrusion. Thinking about it, the only permitted kinds of processing are heading / gutting / tailing and taking roe. Surprise - retail packing of it is also permitted.
• 5. Some legal aspects of fishing slightly change.