Russia launches single information source for fish resources, statistics, regulations and players
In late August the Government of the Russian Federation published an order specifying a procedure for maintenance of the State Fishery Register in accordance with Part 6, Article 43 of Russia's Federal Law "On Fishery And Conservation Of Aquatic Biological Resources", www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) reports with reference to Rossiskaya Gazeta.
Under the order No.601 dated 12 August 2008 the Government has commissioned the Federal Fisheries Agency to maintain the nation's Fishery Register and until 31 August 2008 to collect documented information about aquatic bioresources, their use and conservation from the following bodies:
- Federal Agency of Aquatic Resources - information about water objects located within the borders of the fishery basins, including the information from the State Aquatic Register about their physical and geographical features (on demand);
- Federal Tax Service - information about legal entities and sole traders engaged in fishing operations;
- Federal Agency of Marine and River Transport - information about registered fishing vessels;
- Emergency Ministry - information about registered self-propelled boats used for inland fishery, processing, transportation and storage;
- Federal Security Service - information about institution of administrative and criminal proceedings against persons engaged in fisheries in inland marine waters of the Russian Federation, in the territorial sea, on the continental shelf, and in the nation's EEZ and beyond it;
- executive bodies of Russia's provinces - information about decision of these bodies or agreements resulting into the rights for capture of aquatic biological resources, as well as about denunciation of such agreements.
According to the federal law "On Fishery And Conservation Of Aquatic Biological Resources", the State Fishery Register is "a systematic collection of documented information about aquatic bioresources, their use and conservation".
It will contain the following documented information:
- quantitative, qualitative and economic characteristics of aquatic bioresources;
- fishing basins and water bodies of fishery importance;
- legal entities and sole entrepreneurs, carrying out fishery, including vessels and gears for capture (catch) of aquatic bioresources used by them;
- decisions of governmental bodies and agreements, giving rise to the right to capture (catch) of aquatic bioresources;
- catches of aquatic bioresources;
- other documented information about use and conservation of aquatic bioresources.
Documented information in the State Fishery Register will be public domain information, except information the access to which is limited by federal laws.