Interview with Vadim M. Brukhis,

The Staff is not a commercial structure. Its purpose is to combine the everyone's to the common benefit, if expressed by high-flown words. That is to secure the maximum catches of the natural resource. This was the priority target. Then, again ... Every company works on its own. Every one has been given economic freedom. This is fine. It seems everyone’s acting to his best individual interest. But... Common interests are less taken care of. So, we are here to marry the individual and public interests.

Our objective is to coordinate operations of fleets and on-shore fisheries in different regions. We should pool the efforts of Kamchatka Administration, scientists of KamchatNIRO, Kamchatka Fish and Game, together with those of vessels, fleets, and companies on fish resource handling. This is a tremendous work. We were able to accomplish what we did only due to a good communication. Yes, we dispatched orders to vessels, if need was, and they filled them. The Staff’s goal was to control the fleet dislocations if necessary.

Scientific support was provided by KamchatNIRO, TINRO, and SakhNIRO. Besides, operating in high seas were two research vessels: "Professor Levanidov" and "Professor Kezeketter". Also, involved in research was a joint-venture "Kamchatka-Pilenga Godo's" vessel, "Kamchatskiy Losos'". She was a great help: she took temperature readings, set testing nets ... The forecast was right: the sea abounded with pink salmon. The only unknown was where it will go: if not to western Kamchatka, then maybe to Sakhalin, or Kurils? The local fisheries there should embrace themselves...

Yes, the nature had its own way: the overcrowding of spawning grounds was offset by the higher survival among salmon. As the salmon stock abundance is a significant economic factor, we, as producers, cannot afford having record-high catches in one year and record-low in the following one. Nature should be helped in that regard. Here, in Kamchatka we cannot take chances with fish runs. If in the even year the salmon catches are high on the western coast and low on the eastern, next year the situation will reverse.