Yet in 1986 in the "North East" collected articles issued by the Kamchatka Department of the Far East Publishing House, I gave an open characteristic to the future president of the fishing company Polluks Co. Ltd., one of most promising companies in Koryak Autonomous Okrug (KAO). The sketch was small, therefore I bring it in full for the reader to have the general idea the author of these lines has somewhen had.

Too many years have passed to ask myself whether I was right or wrong giving that characteristic. In any case, what is writ is writ. I think I was right. Even if I was wrong then just a little. If a little that's because I couldn't imagine what global changes would occur in this country and what global changes might occur with each of us and with Vasilii Nikolaevich too.

I am reading the last paragraph of that microsketch once more – no, everything was and is of first importance.

Even when Polukarpov start working in Petropavlovskii Gospromkhoz (State Trade Husbandry) having left KamchatRybVod, they made an incredible thing — opened salmon fishing on the northernest rivers of Koryak east coast. It was incredible by some objective reasons — extreme conditions for the team to be brought to as well as fish equipment, food and fuel supply. It was the first reason. The second reason was the colossal difficulty to bring finished produce back and again people, fish equipment and so on. NOBODY had harvested there before. Plukarov's people assimilated in the area and so they consolidated their grip in Koryak National Okrug of that time. They were thought «insane». As it turned out they were farsighted — they saw HORIZON.

Nowadays Vasilii Nikolaevich's team fish from Olutorskii to Navarin Capes and own a network of coastal enterprises: fish-works in Palana Village and in Petropanlovsk-Kamchatskii, stationary nets in Karaginskii, Ust-Kamchatskii and Ust-Bol'sheretskii Districts, ten small seiners, SRTM "Nikolai Solodchuk" crab-fishing boat, and the main is two BATMs, but it's quite another story.

In our last issues we wrote about the history of Lenin's Kolkhoz in Kamchatka which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 1999 and also about captain Anatolii Ponomarev — the biggest star in a constellation of the Far East fishermen guard of the 60s–80s, a permanent captain and the first big refrigerator trawler director of the famous Seroglazka Kolkhoz.

Vasilii Nikolaevich is captain Ponomarev's son-in-law. When it became possible to acquire the first BATM for Koryak Autonomous Okrug and the Fishermen Council gave its permission, it was out of the question to name the vessel somewhat but «Anatolii Ponomarev». And this is nature of Ponomarev to be sincere with those he respects, loves, appreciates and worships as well as with those he hates.

But love, gratitude, filial respect and devotion are so rare nowadays. Although many who are a success in business understand that putting money into pockets and banks doesn't make anyone happy. It's time to make legacy. And first of all this legacy should be spiritual to be memorized. Spiritual legacy does not depend upon "bucks" and may be vice versa the less possibility to buy one's soul the higher its true value is.

Polukarov did not buy his heirs-he gave them memory about their grandfather as a family highest value. Who else can boast of such a present?!

During the first fishing season in the Sea of Okhotsk «Anatolii Ponomarev» showed the best results among others in the expedition. Doesn't it prove how serious were and are intentions of a new fishing company Polluks Co. Ltd., and also responsibility of its president–Vasilii N. Polukarov for the memory of a man whose name is given to a flagship of Koryak Autonomous Okrug fishing fleet.

With understanding and readiness did accept Vasilii Nikolaevich the offer of Valentina T. Bronevich, the governor of KAO, to include his fishing company into the Local Population Social Support Programme. Programme objective was more than clear-to support the fading life of aborigines having been cherished and pampered by the Soviet Authorities and now left to the mercy of fate by people's (i.e. already democratic) government of reformers and men of perestroika. There was no job in ethnic villages. In coastal villages people subsisted by hunting and fishing-it gave some food but provided no money to buy anything. Reindeer- herdsmen lived on meat but reindeer-herding with a thousand year history was getting hopeless — total head of stock severely decreased.

Specialists were leaving the okrug-schools, hospitals, even shops were consequently closed. All this means that aborigines got into the time-machine again but that time they were carrying away from socialism and democratic to primitive communal system and more rapidly.

Bronevich had no choice as nobody could have had it if he or she were the present governor — the okrug was able to survive owning exclusively to fish and under conditions that fishermen of Koryak would VOLUNTARILY contribute some profit to salvation of natives.

Polukarov was offered Lesnaya Village, the shabbiest village of all ethnic ones in Tigil District.

First what he did was (except for yearly reserve of provision and fuel) raising of Lesnovskii Gospromkhoz, opening of fishing on the Palana River, organizing of harvesting and stocking wildlings, opening of hunting season.

Polukarov was not a naïve newcomer to realize that it would be not easy to breathe new life into the Koryak ethnic village. He had already seen much in his life — he visited almost each corner of Kamchatka, including KAO, and clearly imagined what look and cast of mind a modern Koryak, Itelman, Chukchi man and Even had. Unrestrained drinking and habitual sponging are, on the one hand, the result of upbringing in a Soviet board school, where children were provided with everything and had no idea where it comes from; on the other hand, the reflection of a traditional way of life: quiet, contemplative, from fishing till hunting, unhurried, careless-life that can hardly be understood by ever rushing people. Rushing to please authorities trying to show THEMSELVES off or rushing to REPORT for their results, as a matter of fact, just for show.

Polukarov set one-in-two goal-firstly to feed, secondly to make people work. Exactly to make people work by waking a normal human wish up in one and by creating certain conditions for another. Of course, there is one more method-coercion, but how to put it in practice?

That was why we kept to the first two methods — we started with fishing, hunting, harvesting and stocking wildings that based upon old traditions of Lesnaya's inhabitants.

Today we can see the following lines in reports of the Department of Fisheries:

"It is the first time for the last decade when two hunting-farms-Lesnovskoye State Hunting Husbandry Ltd., and OAO* Tigil Trade Husbandry (OAO* - Public Limited Company) participate in a fur auction in Saint Petersburg."

Or more: "The first expertise of Lesnovsoye State Hunting Husbandry conclusively proves to us expediency of the direction chosen which let the restored enterprise, supported by Polluks Co. Ltd., material resources, achieve the level of salmon catch of 1987 and increase the numerical strength in Lesnaya Village up to 65 per cent of the former staff."

Facts speak for themselves. I am happy that characteristic I wrote 15 years ago is correct and the hero of that small sketch is still true to his principles and his nature even in the epoch of global economic, social and person changes.

He simply grew up. And grew up considerably. Isn't it wonderful! His motto is brief and comprehensible as well as his objectives and tasks,-"Time presses!"

Gennadii Lysyakov, our photographer, visited the first trawlers of Koryak Okrug "Anatolii Ponomarev" and "Polluks" during fishing season 2000 in the Sea of Okhotsk and brought an interesting photoreport with.