31.08.2007

ASTRAKHAN, August 31 (Itar-Tass) -- President Vladimir Putin has ordered the State Council Presidium to make suggestions about the customs clearance of fishing vessels within three days.

The Astrakhan meeting of the presidium focused on the administrative regulation of seaports and legal drawbacks, which are hampering effective fishing.

“Everyone knows about this problem, but why have not you done anything? Why do our laws contradict the reality?” he wondered.

Putin has called for giving more attention to aquaculture - the raising and harvesting of fresh- and saltwater plants and animals.

“The annual amount of the international produce of bio-resources has stabilized at 95 million tonnes over the past decades, and the majority of experts think that the raising of fish and other fresh- and saltwater animals and plants is our future,” he said. “In a number of countries this sphere grows by 7-10% per year.”

“Meanwhile, Russia gives little attention to this sphere, and it is developing slowly and fails to meet the modern requirements,” Putin said. “We should not just catch up with the others, but also introduce the most advanced technologies. We should start with the adoption of relevant laws.”

The absence of laws on aquaculture and other normative acts “is slowing down this business and investments,” Putin remarked.

The most economically important form of aquaculture is fish farming, an industry that accounts for nearly 20% of world fisheries production, and is steadily increasing its share.

Formerly a business for small farms, it is increasingly pursued by large agribusinesses. Successful aquaculture takes into consideration the biology of the aquatic species (feeding, water flow and temperature needs, disease prevention) and engineering design (water source and water quality study, pond and tank containment systems, water filtration and aeration) as well as issues pertinent to any business. Common products of aquaculture are catfish, tilapia (St. Peter's fish), trout, crawfish, oysters, shrimp, and salmon, and tropical fish for aquariums. Some are raised in huge freshwater tanks or ponds; others require the running water of rivers or streams. Saltwater species are often raised in saltwater ponds, in enclosed bays, or in pens placed in coastal or deeper seawaters.

The practice of aquaculture dates back to 1000 in China. It is growing worldwide, in part in response to overfishing and the deterioration of the world's fisheries and concerns about the effects of pollution on seafood.

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