A Challenge To Competition!

 

V.P.: Respected Anatoli Nikolayevich seems to forget that much water has flowed under the bridge since Primorsky fishermen used to be masters of the Pacific Ocean. It’s true they used to be. They whaled, fished hake, small shrimp and grunter near Antarctica, South America, Canada, the USA. This used to. Although they have never had any fish close by Primorye. But no one took it into account then.

Fishermen of Primorsky region had also other things — largest ports in nonfreezing bays, railway connecting the Far East with almost any part of the Soviet Union, biggest shipbuilding facilities and ship repairing yards, high-capacity refrigerators…

They HAD!

What happened to it all? Why do our — Russian — boats have to export all fish? Why can’t we repair our ships in Primorye? What happened to those high-capacity port installations, refrigerators?

What is left after that powerful fishing fleet of the Soviet Union stationed in Primorsky region and privatized by those people themselves?

Vladivostokskaya Base of Trawl and Refrigerated Cargo Fleet of the highest capacity in our country; all plundered and ruined.

"Vostokrybkholodflot", unmatched in the country; all plundered and ruined.

"Dalmoreprodukt" — the joy and pride of the Soviet Union, its business card, the absolute monopolist in crabbing. What happened to its fleet? "American Monarchs" and "Blue Spaniards"?

And what about Nakhodkinskaya BAMP? According to the information of the Russian Clearing House, privatizing was also successful there — a powerful and up-to-date fleet was sold for almost nothing. I cite: "Nakhodkinskaya Active Sea-Fishery Base which had had 84 boats of catching, processing fleet and navy before privatizing and which provided annual fish catch up to 500 thousand tons of seafood was assessed at $ 1048 US; it is cheaper than building of a middle-capacity fishing boat."

I have no claims to BAMR or to Kolesnichenko personally either. Such kind of privatizing was more a rule than exception. Each made "privateering" as he could, as he was allowed. Although they privatized what had already been founded, built, purchased by several generations of fishermen for the money of not one — even so vast as Primorye — region. It was a state property, property of the whole nation. It’s a fact! And these were achievements of neither Kolesnichenko nor BAMR. The achievements of Anatoli Nikolayevich and BAMR labor collective were that they haven’t sold the fleet for scrap iron or at the cost of one dollar per boat to countries of the Third World as other did it in Primorye but carry on catching fish.

We, in contrast to BAMR and other "traditional consumers of natural resources", started from the beginning. The state gave us nothing. NOTHING! And the first large-capacity boat, which "Polluks" acquired, was found in Nakhodka on a wharf of BAMP in front of the windows of the general director A.N. Kolesnichenko. In front of his windows. It was BATM "General Pushkin", that belonged to fishermen of Novorossisk ready to departure to China for scrap iron.

We took credit in a bank on the security of our own property, of well-being of our families and we bought that BATM exactly at the same cost paid by Kolesnichenko and others of that ilk to redeem their fleet (84 units!) — it includes either RTMSs or BATMs — for one million US dollars.

That’s how a large-capacity fleet appeared out of nowhere in Koryak autonomous area. In the year 1996. First there was "General Pushkin" renamed by us after Anatoli A. Ponomarev, probably one of the most famous fishermen of Kamchatka in the Far East who worked in V.I. Lenin kolkhoz. Then we got BATM "Polluks".

So?! What do we enter the third millennium with? With the state of affairs when we, "Polluks" Fishing Company of Koryak, are not able to fish — as NBAMP general director claims — send a challenge to fishermen of BAMP to catch Pollock, assigned to "Polluks" and BAMP jointly, on the Olympic system at a ratio of two BATMs of "Polluks" to three BATMs of BAMP. To fish to the end, to the victory, i.e. to take up quotas either those of Koryak or Primorye. And the date the challenge should be accepted on January 1, 2001.

V.P.: I am not. I’ve got a report on December 15. It was only "Ponomarev" which fished herring. BAMR had three BATMs. The total sum of fish catch produced by one our and three their boats is about the same. In Pollock fishing we had even greater results: from year to year "Ponomarev" produces best fish catch in expeditions. "Polluks" remains abreast. Today after some repair and checking in the register for class rate — by the way, we repaired "Polluks" in Nakhodka — they made a public announcement that there was no better vessel than "Polluks" in the Far East. And we are proud of it.

Why are BAMP’s vessels incapable to compete with us? They are, as they had them for a song and they can’t assess the importance of their own boats, of their own work for themselves, for their company. They spare on trifles, but as it is said, the sparing pays twice as much. They have problem in fishing not because they are unprofessional (although their qualification goes down — best men leave for small companies like ours), but because they have poor tackle, poor equipment, some complications with fuel provision, cargo transshipment and so on. They live for the day, as they know no other way. They had all provided when they were founded and they want it to last forever. In no way. We won’t not let them.

Now a debate about payment for the resources is hold. BAMR, of cause, strongly objects. It means ruin and bankruptcy … for them.

But form our point of view it means salvation. Salvation of the industry in general.

How long shall we give our resources free gratis and for nothing? They must be used exclusively on a paying base. If you are able to take one thousand tons — pay, risk your money, your fortune. Think it over. Weigh the pros and the cons of it. If you can’t — don’t start. Buy as much as you can catch and process. Why should the state take a risk because of you: whether you catch fish or not. If you catch it — good. You don’t — it’s your fault. You bear responsibility for yourself.

But they want to heap their problems on other’s shoulders. Let the state be liable for our blunder and failure, and we will get free quotas and live carelessly. To incur debts and later to ask the state to be responsible for those debts. The president of "Dalmoreproduct" does suggest nationalizing his company — to buy in to the amount of debts. Should "Dalmoreprodukt" incur debts and the state purchase shares of the bankrupt? It would be wonderful! And the fish will be free.

By no means — whether "Polluks" is able to fish as much as BAMP, let’s see it in contest. We win, we outbid quotas — it’s their fault they haven’t used the advantage. A contest again? No doubt. And we want to participate in it. On equal terms. No one has former achievements — those were achievements of the state. Forget it. All former achievements cannot be redeemed at a low price like fishing-boats. It’s all in the past life. Like the Communist Party. Like the Red flag. Like the Soviet Union. We have three colors now. A multiparty system. And Russia. So, start from the very beginning, from nothing. Like we did. Work for the glory. But in today’s business. Being governed by the rules the whole world is — competition. And later we know what one is worth of.

Fair business for "Polluks" is a point of honor. We don’t steal. Not an ounce. And we don’t advise anybody else. We’ve put too much at stake to risk. But what is more important is our wish to develop the company to be proud of; since "Polluks" is a family company, which joints our common interests. The patriarchy of our big company is Anatoli A. Ponomarev, now deceased, his name is given to the company flagship BATM "Anatoli Ponomarev". And how can we possibly disgrace his sacred name.

Therefore — Mr. Kolesnichenko is not right — we do not resell resources abroad: there is a large-capacity fleet in Koryakiya, capable to work even better than that of Nakhodkinskaya BAMP he is the head of. The fleet that can send BAMP a challenge to contest and able to win it. We anticipate it with hope.

V.P.: I agree. All mass media are stuffed with some unreal figures about thefts in fish industry. At the same time they keep silence when it comes to export of such materials of national wealth as oil, wood, metal. You just remember the information about gas stealing in the Ukraine, about colossal indebtedness of countries of the former Soviet Union. And above all this they come hard on fish industry, they make improvements — re-improvements, governments constantly change, a real monster "Dalmoreprodukt", trying to secure decisions in government in favor of "monarchs" and "blues" and having opposite interests to those of all fishermen of the Far East, pressures on us.

Moreover, there is a warfare for resources between Far East regions, provoked by the government, which takes most absurd decisions.

With the catastrophe of the Okhotomorsky Pollock stock, fishing in the Sea of Okhotsk will become unprofitable for fishermen of Primorye. There is nothing to fish in the Bering Sea — just to scrape shelf in Karaginskaya subarea, undermining resources that provide base for local fish industry. Judge for yourself: how can it be profitable for "Blue Spaniards" to catch 8–10 tons of fish a day. There is one explanation only — cheating. They catch one amount, claim another one and at the same time Goskomrybolovstvo (the State Committee of Fishery) says they don’t pay anything to the budget. But for all that they go on fishing as if nothing has happened! How can it be in a normal state, which protects its national interests — natural resources?

Consequently we keep on destroying fish industry, our country, our people till there is a principle of inequality of Russian citizens before the law and conscience.

We will be torn into pieces by officialdom that lives like a lord taking advantage of inequality.

What prospects do we have, if no commercial quotas are given when you come to buy them on the bases that foreigners have already bought the quotas out. You don’t feel like citizens of Russia in your own country. You are like outcasts, second- or third-class citizens in contrast to people from abroad. And it’s in your own country.

But somewhere in South Korea or in Cyprus, where "Polluks" produce is highly valued as it’s one of the first-class, you feel like a real man, a businessman and a citizen of Great Russia, since there in Korea or in Cyprus they estimate you because you are not only their equal but also the master of the situation, since you brought a very valuable produce, since you made new jobs there and you invested money into that country.

Me — a modern Russian capitalist — want to make jobs in Russia, to provide my people with a very good fish produce; I want my dearest country in the world become rich together with me and not to feel shame to old men for their miserable pensions, for stolen savings, I want a teacher to teach, a doctor to treat but not be shuttle-traders, wandering the country to earn money for the life they curse, selling goods at a vast market which grew on the ground of our country by the efforts of those rulers who succeeded greatly in selling the country and its resources…

But no stranger will come to make us happy. The stranger can’t help waiting us to collapse, to exchange blows and even better — to kill each other.

That is why I hope Kamchatka as well as the whole Far East will have great future during next one thousand years. I hope much that different generations will reconcile at last. In Kamchatka (and I suppose in the whole country) the situation is fifty-fifty: a half supports the former government (this refers to the government of the past decade), the government with which new capitalists of Russia including us did big work to set up market economy. Us means those who were thirty-forty years old in the beginning of perestroika, who could and did accept new rules of the game, could take his place and gained a foothold in this new for all of us world.

Another half — old-aged pensioners and public sector employees — couldn’t handle normal life in those appalling conditions of a strong economic gale when ideals tumbled down, wages and pensions drained and ruble turned into a bit of paper in no time. Those old men certainly have nostalgia for their past.

Resent elections of the governor and the mayor show that reconciliation of generations, formation of a multiparty crew of different colors united by common intentions to build normal life on the peninsular are possible. If it is really so, it means we have moral resources to make grand deeds together. It doesn’t mean establishing socialism in one single region or establishing some special capitalism. This is simply a usual work in the interest of all and sundry either it concerns Kamchatka or its inhabitants, Russia or Russians. We just realize ourselves as people, not adversaries, foes and enemies or other sort of opposition, which wipe out any feeling of a human being.

In real life we all are different. And it is no wonder that people who I respect regardless of their party affiliation, though some of them were leaders of the (Communist) Party, Soviet officials, managers of economic sector, played significant role in me becoming a citizen, the very process, which brought me to fish industry and fisheries in 1968, later to fish business, to capitalism. Those were leaders; those were (why were, some are still) personalities — bright, not ordinary, striking. The deceased Kirill V. Ginzburg and Dmitri F. Kolmogorov.

Those are my senior tutors: Vladimir Y. Abayev, Vasili F. Dergachov, Anatoli G. Kovalenkov, Garry Y. Plotitsa.

Those are present friends and colleagues.

What we need today is a feeling of oneness, community, a feeling of being a part of something whole — of a great power and great people. And may God give us a feeling of being full citizens in this large family of different nations in the twenty-first century, who have not only contributed to bygone glory and splendor of Russia, but also kept it for many ages and passed it down with care. I am a lucky man — my family, where we revere the patriarchy memory, our common business, into which children in addition to parents are involved, traditions and ideals that we follow and hold sacred let me realize how important it was not to be a grain of sand, a person without kin, but to be surrounded by people you respect, love and feel proud of. It makes us understand fuller how much we have lost and still losing in endless wars against each other. That is why I speak in support of reconciliation, of any kind. People know for sure that lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit.