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# 1, 1997

KAMCHATRYBVOD (KAMCHATKA FISH AND GAME): GUARD OF LIVE OCEANIC RESOURCES

Vladimir BURKANOV, PhD,
Director of the Kamchatka Fish and Game Inspection (Kamchatrybvod)

Kamchatka fishing basin is the region with the richest live marine resources in the world, although they had not been given much consideration for quite a time. In 60--80-s, the fishing industry of the ex-USSR took bearing on exploration of oceanic fishing grounds, which resources were thought to be limitless. The fishing expeditions of those years were targeted at Bristol perch and sole, Canadian heck, Antarctic krill, etc.
The revolution, for want of a better word, in the fishing industry happened not so long ago, when with the introduction of exclusive economic zones Soviet fishermen where shut out from the abundant fishing grounds within the coastal waters of other countries, when the economy started being governed by the market rules not arbitrary orders from above (every rouble spent and arned was counted, new economic mentality brought a notion of profit in the normal sense of the word).
It was then that the whole fishing "armada" of the Russian Far East--minor, medium and big boats--rushed into the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. Kamchatka had never seen such a number of catching and processing vessels plow the surrounding waters. It took just a few years for the unified effort of the Russian Far East fleet to get over with the largest stock of Olutor herring in the North Pacific, which just started to regenerate thirty years since. Pollock became a new harvesting item, which in the 60-s was a mere technical, no-food species. No one even suspected that the demand for pollock will sky-rocket in the 90-s, especially in Japan, Europe and the United States of America. This is a good thing as a waste-free fish processing is an ultimate goal supported by Kamchatrybvod.
However, the market abnormalities gave way to the scale poaching. Thus, in pursuit of fabulous profits, processing of pollock roe became an end in itself. The fishing crews put out tens of tons of out-of-account pollock roe for smuggling into South Korea, and the surplus of fish went overboard. Isn't that the reason for the recent concern over the Sea of Okhotsk pollock resources raised with the fish protecting agencies and scientists?
Besides, vessels "scavenging" for fish are not above of "grazing" at off-limit shallows. As a result, Kamchatka Fish and Game inspectors annually issue scores of fishing violation protocols and deprive masters of fishing licenses.
Economic "revolution" triggered a "warfare" over Kamchatka crab fishing resources. Small wonder, experts say profitability of crab harvesting is estimated at over 60%. Now, instead of one crab resource user, Dalmoreproduct, we have a whole bunch of companies, each operating several crabbing boats. How is it possible to control all of the crab catchers given about 400 vessels engaged in pollock catching in the same region and at the same time?
Hiring new inspectors and purchasing modern vessels is the challenge faced by Kamchatrybvod today to be able to handle fish resource protection issues in Kamchatka coastal regions, which account for 2 million ton of product annually.
One of the focal points in Kamchatrybvod fish protecting activities is salmon aquaculture. Kamchatka is the cradle of the largest stock of Pacific salmon species in the Far East: Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Chum. However, the latest runs witnessed a sharp decrease in salmon returns in formerly abundant rivers: Kamchatka, Bol'shaya, Avacha, Paratunka, located in the most populated part of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Finally, we realized, that without artificial reproduction we could not preserve the salmon in the above rivers. Therefore, we included into Kamchatrybvod structure 3 salmon hatcheries: Paratunskiy, Malkinskiy, and Vilyuiskiy. What's more, illustrative is the example with Sakhalinrybvod (Sakhalin Fish and Game), which achieved a 30 thousand ton Pink salmon return from salmon hatcheries in Sakhalin and Kuril islands.
Kamchatrybvod pays a great deal of attention toward research of sea animals topping the ecological pyramids. The state of these resources reflects more or less precisely the overall picture of the existing ecological equilibrium, although this isnot a thing unanimously accepted. In Japan, for instance, they keep slaughtering the seals as they would do pests, thinking they devour too much fish. But nature is much more subtle and complex, and learning about the existing ties and correlations between live organisms, one can evaluate natural resources in realistic terms, as well as round up ways and methods of effective impact-free control. Sea animals are live signals. Those we want to decipher, understand and apply in our daily practice. We conduct this work together with American and Japanese scientists.
Of course, the basic activity of Kamchatrybvod is to fight against poachers who are apt to kill in the name of the profit. Annual assaults on the salmon spawning grounds are fraught with multi-billion rouble damages to fishing industry of the peninsula. Especially in the remote locations. Unfortunately, these are equally remote for Kamchatrybvod inspectors either, who need small airplanes, helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, and eventually, weapons. Today, Kamchatrybvod forms special task force.
There are also peaceful methods in fighting poachers. Licensed fishing of salmon is up to every resident of Kamchatka. About 40 sites for licensed fishing open every year throughout the peninsula, visited by 120 thousand fishermen for the last year only.
50 year history of Kamchatrybvod saw variations in forms and methods of operation, depending on periods, this country's economic structure, and finally on instructions of powers that e. Though invariable quantity here remained preservation of live resources, Russian national riches, in the northern Pacific region.

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