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THT: SOVIET FISHING INDUSTRY: PROSPF.CTS AND PROBLE* 3
SUMMARY
The Soviet Union operates the world's largest and most modern fishinq and fishing support fleets. With its ships ranging the world's oceans and seas in pursuit of this key food sourcewhich constitutes moref animal protein consumed in the Soviet Unionthe Soviet fishing industry is supported by an active oceanographic research program and an extensive fisheries aid program. 3 the Soviet fish catchillion metricf the world totalsecond only to the Japanese catch7 million tons.
Inlan, the Sovietseries of ambitious goals for their fishing industry. Thesean accelerated fleet expan< on program, increases in the total catch, and expanded areas of operation. Many of these goals will not be met for the following reasons:
Ship acquisitions have been below planned levels.
of the fleet has outpaced the capability of on-shore distribution and processing systems to handle the catch.
fishinq operations, whicharge number of support vessels, have reduced the fleet's overall productivity.
concern over the depletion of fish stocks in traditional fishing grounds has led to theof strict conservation measures.
the future, tho likely imposition of awill restrict Soviet access to prime fishingthe Atlantic and Pacific continental shelves, wherethe world's ocean catch is takon. The combinationconservation measures and the possibilityaccess to traditional fishing grounds willoperations into less productive seas, whichnot nornallv desired by consumers.
DISCUSSION
Fleet Size and Composition
The Soviet fishing fleot is the largest in tho world. Consisting ofhips'illion GRT attf tho world's fishing fleet and far outranked the Japanese fleetsecond largest in tlie worldhipsail-lion GRTnd the fourth-placed US fleet ofhips ofRT (sec
Table 1
World
of 1
of
of
GRT
total
0
5
States
in excessRT. Some countries, particularly Japan, China, and Norway, have large fleets of fishing vassals of less than RT.
5. Since most of the Soviet, catch is taken andat long distances from homef tho ships in tho fleet are support vesselsrefrigerated factory ships, and tankersneeded to sustain such operations. As these ships are larger than fishing vessels ond ranqe up0 GRT, they account for nore than half of the total tonnage in the fleet. In contrast,f the tonnage in the Japanese fleetalso deployed at lonq distances from home portsconsists of support ships, while Norway am) the United States have almost none of these ships in their fishing operations.
T7 In excessRT (gross registereasure of enclosed space commonly used in assessing the capacity ofots.
2
Fishinq ships such as trawlers, whalers, and seiners^ form tho bulk of the fleet's inventory. Trawlers are by farredominant class, accountingl all fishing vossels. The Soviets have pioneered in the use of standardized classes of large fishinq vessels, the most common of which are theRT Mayak-class trawlers and theRT SRT-class trawlers. These fishing ships are equipped to remain at seaearino, working with the processing support Crows are exchanged periodically, allowing the ships to remain on station.
lan called for the expansion of the fishing fleetillion GRT by the end This goal will not be achieved. Deliveriesear were plannedut annual deliveries3 have averaged wellessels. In addition, retirement of older vessels is being speeded up, bringing the5 inventoryillion GRT (see
Table 2
USSRt Additions to the Fishinq Fleet
Year Ruilt
GRT1
GRT
70
(est.)
(est.)
As of end
2. Seiners are fishing boats whicheinype of fishing net used to capture fish near the surface of the water; trawler nets are gonerally used for deeper
Table 3
ishing Fleet Productivity-
Catch
Size1
GRT)
Tons
GRT
970
(est
As OT
Owing to its extensive use of support vessels,of the Soviet fishing fleet is low, averagingons of fish caught per GRT. The Japanese fleet -only one-fifth the size of the sovietarger volume of fish. The small US fishingodern and productive tuna fleet, also catches far more fish per GRT than the Soviet fleet (see
Table 4
Pishing Fleet Productivity for Selected Countries
Fleet
C<Minl_ry (Millionper GRT)
USSR
Japan
United
States
1. VchsbIm inf K
9. To increase productivity, the Soviets are refining vessels, equipment, and fishing methods. New vesselsa large mother ship, equipped with helicopters and electronic fish findinghat carries smaller fishing vessels and processes the catch at sea. Anotheratamaran trawloi that can work in rough seas. In addition, sophisticated communication equipment is being installed on fishing boats along with equipment for night fishing. Other new procedures include the use of computers on land to locate the best fishing grounds under different weather conditions.
anil Ad'cir.istrgtloP
Soviet fishing operations are controlled by the Ministry of Fishing Industry which is subordinate to the Council of Ministers. The ministry consists of five chief directorates, one for each of tho country's five sea basins.^ These directorates control subordinatewhich oversee the activities of the fishingand whaling flotillas in their regions. The fleets based in the Far East and the Baltic account for about two-thirds of the fleet; the landlocked Caspian Sea fleet is the smallest.
The ministry is spending about SIear under theillion budget of theear plan. Moraf this budget is allocated for ship eople are employed by
the fishing industiy, compared withn Japan. Soviet fishermen earn more than the average Soviet laborer; for oxampic, masters, among the highest paid seafarers in the fishing and merchant fleots, earnar year. To assure continued support for the industry, the ministry has establishedducational institutions, five at the university level andt the secondary level.
Soviets are members of most of therregulatory commissions havinga geographic region or species of fish andthe USSR abides by internationalby these bodies, fearing the unilateralof strict controls by coastal states.often opposes conservation measures such as
in e" "directorates for: northern Waters, Western Waterszov-Ulack Sea Wafers ar Eastern watersaspian Sea Waters (Astrakhan).
larger not openings and limitations on fishing seasons recommended by these international commissions.
Soviet Pish Catch and Consumption
13. oviet vesselsillion tons of fish,f the world's total catch ofillion tons, and second only to7 million tons (seehe currentear plan calls for the
5
Catches1 of
Countries,
of
Tons
total
(est.)
(est.)
states
including ocean fish and shellfish, sea mammals, and fresh water fish. Ocean fish constitutef the take.
catch torop from the annual goal ofn theear plan, liven this reducedwas not reached in the first years of the plan, but the catch improved3 ana preliminary reportsthe Soviets exceeded their goals in 4 (see
14. Despite improved operations3he planned catch4 million tons5 will not
Vu y
increase their catch byonsn ambitious undertaking based on recent performance. such as reduced delivc?ri ef. of fishing vessels, depletion of: traditional fish stocks, and restrictive fishing regulations imposed by coastal states make it unlikely that5 plan will be met.
SECJTE'J
Table 6
Fish
Catch
Tons
Tons
11
(est.)
(est.)
(est.)
(est.)
(plan)
to meet the planned catch5 will directly affect plans to increase protein intako in tho Soviet Union. Fish and fish products aro an important component of tho Soviet diet, providingf total Soviet consumption of animal protein The Soviets had plannod to increase this share5 but will not reach this mark.
Shortfalls in the catch of traditional species of fishherring, mackerel, cod, and flounderare forcing the Soviets to tap species not normally consumed and to experiment with several new fishing techniques. The Soviets are enlarging their catch of krilla shrimp-like shellfish found in the Antarctic and are processing it into fish protein concentrate. In addition, oLhcr species such as squid, ray, and sharkall relatively now to Soviet consumersaro beingpursued by the Soviet fleet. Controlled breeding of traditional species such as salmon and mullet is
also under way. The Institute cf Sea Fishinq and Ocean Research has established fish farms in tho Sea of Azov, other hatcheries aro operating on the shores of the Baltic and Black Seas. Finally, an ambitiousresearch effort complements the Soviet fishing
industry. Research in this area is yielding valuable data on fish habits such as migration patterns and specie availability at various depths that can be used to exploit potential new species.
Soviet Fisheries Aid Programs
The Soviet Union has an active aid program for the development of fishing industries around the world.85 million in aid was extended to developingries for port development, storage facilities,oint fishing expeditions, and seabed research. Repayment is largely in shipand service facilities. Promulgationile territorial limit by many developing countries is leading Moscow to offer aid in return for fishing privileges. In some instances, joint companies are formed in which the USSR supplies ships and crews in returnhare of the catch.
Soviet fisheries aid has goncrally followed the geographic pattern of the overall Soviet aid program, but special grants have been made to gain access to specific ports or fishing grounds. For example, as Moscow's interest in the Indian Ocean increased in the, aid to fishing industries in the area began. By 14 nations bordering the Indian Ocean had received aid.
Jurisdictional Problems
Atlantic off frica: the and the Bering Sea3 the Soviets off US coasts, about Oregon-
id the
19. The Soviets are already tapping most of the world's high-productivity fishing grounds (see theausing various jurisdictional disputes with other fishing nations and coastal states, the Grand Banks, Cape Cod, and West northern Pacific; the Gulf of Alask are among the most productive areas caughtillion tons of fis evenly divided between the Atlantic
Washington coasts. In some instances, Soviet intrusions into US waters have led to seizures of Soviet vessels.
20. Conflicts with Japanese fishernen north ofi1 c: 'i-.m As Soviet inrcr-'" i cr-c- ivaincreased, the number of Japanese fishingeach year has risen, invi? '. v n.- nO
have harassed Soviet fishing vessels. Conflicts with Norway arc also occurring as the Soviets intrude into
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the Barents and Norwegian Seas, traditional Norwegian fishing grounds. The Soviets recently terminated their agreement with Norway and the United kingdom to restrict the cod catch in the Barents Sea.
Indian Ocean, the least intensivelythe world's major ocean areas, is one of theregions with large untapped reservoirs The Soviets have been investigating thethis area forecade, often inlittoral states. Over the last year,has accelerated, but current activityto research.
Problems and Prospects
slowdown in the acquisition of vesselsSoviet fishing fleetumber ofthe Soviet fishing industry. Expansionfishing fleet has outpaced the introductionon-shore processing and storage facilities,
the capabilities of the inland distribution system, and the capacity of fleet repair bases, all of which reduce the efficiency of the industry. Moreover, as the range of the Soviet fleet has increased and long-distance operations have become more prevalent, the number of support vessels needed to sustain such operations has grown, leading to falling productivity. esult, the soviet fishing industry is unlikely to meet its goals ir. thecar plan.
USSR and other major fishingin long-distance operations faceuncertainties in the years ahead. Underof tho UN's Law of the Sea Conference,will probably impose restrictiveiles of their shores. Such areduce access to the world's prime fishinqall of which lie over the relativelyshelves which do not extend much more than
mi 1< ex s'-.g:
of traditional fish stocks isfacing the USSR. Much of the recent increaseworld fish catch has been based on new grounds
and new species. The present maximum sustainable yield of normal fish species is estimatedillion tons. Any catch over this limit will begin to interfere with normal reproduction cycles. Competition for thissource of protein is expected to stiffen as other countries develop their fishing industries and world demand for scarce food resources intensifies.
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Original document.
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