HURDLES TO INSHORE FISHERY IN FAR EAST

While the regional inter-agency commission was busy with quota allocation to inshore fishing companies, the industry is nearing it dead point.

"The fleet stands idle and it's not clear when it will put to the sea," says Viktor Ventsel, director general of Gessar company. "Even if catchers will go fishing, profitability will be next to zero after changes in fishing regulations."

Such pessimism is explained by the rule taking effect this year that inshore fleets are prohibited to fish beyond the 12-mile zone. This means a slow death for inshore fishing industry.

It is known that inshore seafood resources in Primorsky Krai are fairly limited within

the 12-mile zoneGo fishing will make no sense for RS and MRS catchers operating along the coast between Cape Povorotnyi and Cape Zolotoy. In general, profitability of small-size catchers was never high with sea endurance within 2 days. During this short time, they have to locate a fish school and cast the trawl. If they find no fish in the operating range, sea voyage will be loss-making.

"As a rule, inshore catch does not exceed 2 tons and we operate at about 20 miles off the shore," says RPC Poseydon director general Vasily Vasiliev. "Earnings cannot be high on less valuable commercial fishes such as flounder, Alaska pollack, greenling."

As a result, a catcher has to sail beyond the 12-mile zone for a minimum profit and necessarily be cleared by border guards, which takes a whole day. Next day, the procedure must be repeated and all this for the sake of one tonne of flounder. "It's easier to wrap up this business," said fishing company managers at the recent session of the Far Eastern Fisheries Council.

Not everybody shares fishermen's arguments. TINRO-Centre representative Sergei Pozdnyakov, who is a member of the inter-agency fish quota allocation commission, believes that fishermen make a poor mouth. Seafood resources are sufficient for inshore flotillas in the sub-zone of Primorsky Krai. Fishermen could switch to alternative commercial species such as squid and anchovy with reserves of over 100,000 tons each.

Border guards are also ardent opponents to poor-mouthed fish producers and blame them with poaching practices.

In addition, Primorsky Krai lost the battle for quotas: part of the crab quota in Shantarsky Islands area was turned over to Khabarovsky Krai, cod and halibut quotas went to Kamchatka, squid, greenling and saury quotas were allocated to Sakhalin. Even if fishermen change legal addresses, they will not have guaranteed fishing rights: quotas have been allocated for five years in advance, with the main condition being tax payments to the local budget, social importance of an applicant, availability of onshore infrastructures.

In the meantime, salmon season is nearing but inshore infrastructures, recovered a little some time ago of which Primorsky Krai administration was very proud, remain in the mid-air. "We're at the verge of bankruptcy," admits Gessar director. "Two are RS catchers have been idling for more than a month. The onshore processing module, for which they supply raw fish, is also laid up. People are on unpaid leaves. Ship crews will soon start dispersing."

Large fishing companies having quotas within the 12-mile zone are also concerned. Their headache is the State Fisheries Committee's recent directive No. 428 restricting the size of vessels operating inshore. Nakhodka BAMR director general Anatoly Kolesnichenko believes that the ban on squid inshore fishery by middle- and large-sized fleets is an absurdity created by Moscow bureaucrats. Squid is characterized by fast speed and tends to stay close to the seafloor. If large and mid-size trawlers are not allowed inshore, the squid TAC quota may remain underused by more than 50%.

Officials from the regional administration's Fisheries Committee did not make any comments. Development of inshore fisheries and associated infrastructure was a priority in their policies but they will be blamed for its collapse, though real initiators are far from Primorsky Krai. - Yury NURMUKHAMETOV.

BIDDING ANNOUNCED FOR 150 PLACER GOLD DEPOSITS IN KOLYMA AREA

Application procedures continue in Magadan Oblast for placer gold exploration and development licenses.

First 47 licenses of the 150 ones will be granted in March and next 45 licenses in April.

As Alexandra Nevolina, head of the regional Subsurface Use Department, informs, applications have been received to date only for 70% of licenses. Golden ore deposits will be put out for bidding in June. - Yury ROGOV.

PRIMORSKY KRAI EXPORT SALES REMAINS RAW MATERIAL-BIASED

Primorsky Krai was Far Eastern Federal District's most active region in terms of foreign trade in 2003.

It accounted for almost half foreign trade operators, with their total number growing by 17% during the past year. At present, about 2,500 legal entities in Primorsky Krai are engaged in export and import operations.

By data of the Far Eastern Customs Authority and Primorsky Krai State Statistics Committee, the region's foreign trade turnover grew by 5.4% and exceeded $1.9 billion. As "ZR" was informed by the regional administration's committee on foreign economic links, exports declined by 5.6% ($936.6 million) and imports went up by 18.8% ($964.4 million). Under the new coding system for customs declarations introduced in 2003, some goods exported through Primorsky Krai were excluded from local customs statistics. On the other hand, state of the market changed for some commodities and it became more profitable to export them to European markets.

For instance, reductions in coal exports occurred due to the above said two reasons. Thus, coal from Yakutia is presently shown as exported by producer, while earlier it was registered in the name of its affiliate in Nakhodka established for convenience of customs clearance. As a result, customs statistics showed a 94% decline in coal exports from a total of $82.1 million worth exported in 2002.

Another circumstance also had a negative effect on Primorsky Krai's overall foreign trade statistics. One Moscow-based company completed delivery of medical equipment and instrumentation to Singapore in 2002 (total value of $132.2 million). As a result, there was practically no export sales in this commodity group in the past year. On the whole, exports consisted mainly of raw materials: fish, seafood, wood, steel and nonferrous metals, inorganic chemical products.

Imports are dominated by food, clothes, footwear, fabric, vehicles, machinery, equipment, including electrical appliances, plastic materials and plastic products. A slow gradual rise has been registered since 2001 in imports associated with development of the real sector, modernization and revamping, higher individual incomes and demand for higher-quality goods.

Primorsky Krai traded with 82 countries in 2003, CIS states accounting for only 0.2% of turnover. Largest trade partners are China (38% of total goods turnover, $720.8 million), Republic of Korea (23%, $440 million), Japan (20%, $376.6 million), USA (5%, $97.2 million). China has almost doubled its turnover with Primorsky Krai during the year ($376 million in 2002) and overtaken leaders of earlier days - Japan, ROK and USA.

Goods turnover with Japan grew by 34% in 2003, mainly due to imports of steel, machinery, equipment and mechanisms, transport vehicles. It should be born in mind, however, that one of main factors in this change was change in the automobile import recording system. Previously, individuals cleared vehicles using a receipt ticket and now they fill in customs declarations. As a result, customs statistics showed 3.9-time growth in the commodity group of "personal cars, freight trucks, buses and spare parts."

There is a programme to rectify the raw-material bias in Primorsky Krai's economy and optimize foreign trade links, developed as part of the region's development strategy through year 2010. The governor made an order to its developers for 15 economic sector-specific programmes. By the end of March, specialists are expected to make public their formulas to raise profitability of export-import operations. - Irina DROBYSHEVA.

SCHEDULE SET FOR CINEMA FESTIVAL PACIFIC MERIDIAN II

The second international cinema festival of Asia Pacific nations "Pacific Meridian" will take place in Vladivostok during 3-8 September.

As festival director general Yefim Zavenyatsky informs, the festival will have mainly the same organization as a year before. There will be a contest of short and feature-length films from Asia Pacific nations but its geography will be broader. Along with Russia, Japan, China, ROK, USA, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, new participants will be New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, DPRK, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and others. Experts have already started pre-qualifying films.

Yefim Zavenyatsky also informed that a new person will preside the festival each year. Last year it was Mosfilm Concern director Karen Shakhnazarov. This year's festival president will be Oleg Tabakov and vice president will be popular actor Sergei Stepanchenko, graduate of the Far Eastern Academy of Arts.

By the way, Tabakov's famous theatre "Snuff-box" will be on a tour in Vladivostok with five plays in September.

The prize fund will remain at $105,000. Participants will also receive original prizes designed by artist Ilona Gansovskaya, including the governor's personal prize. The public will select the best Russian film from 20 features shot in 2004.

Many films first introduced to the public in Vladivostok received awards at subsequent cinema festivals, for example, the Magnetic Storm by Vadim Abdrashitov. And Harvy Krampet recently received an Oscar Prize as the best animation film.

One of events will be the "World's Cinema Schools" - most prominent works by young producers from five Asia Pacific nations as well as films awarded prizes at major cinema festivals in the Asia Pacific region. Organizing committees of virtually all festivals expressed their willingness to take part in the Pacific Meridian.

Retrospectives of the world cinema will also be presented. One of them will be 5 films of well-known script writer, producer and artist Sergei Paradzhanov who would have turned 80 this year.

One more pleasant information for cinema enthusiasts. The Days of French Cinema will be organized in Vladivostok during 13-16 June. Five films shot in 1998 - 2002 will be presented to the local audience. Yefim Zavenyatsky says there is an idea to convert the show of French films to the Days of France in Vladivostok and invite "perfumers, cooks, couturiers to fell the aroma of Paris." - Irina DROBYSHEVA.