Russia's total fish catch reaches 20 mln tonnes - Darkin.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 6 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's total fish catch
output reached 20 million tonnes in 2010 and annual fish consumption per
capita increased from 12 kilograms to 19 kilograms, Primorsky Territory
governor Sergei Darkin told a plenary session on the sidelines of the 6th
International Fishery Congress that opened in Vladivostok on Tuesday.
Soon after the government adopted the law on fisheries and protection
of aquatic bioresources in 2004, Russia's fish output significantly
increased, he said.
However, the governor pointed to several problems that hamper the
fishing industry's development and remain unresolved.
"It is necessary to upgrade the Russian legislative base to eliminate
poaching," he said proposing to legislatively separate two notions of
"poaching" and "violation of fishing rules."
Another pressing problem on the agenda is the lack of highly skilled
personnel.
"We feel the lack of seafarers and navigators. It is unclear why this
happens, may be, young specialists have no motivation of working in the
fleet or colleges train insufficiently skilled personnel," Darkin said.
He named the fleet's modernization as one more problem that hampers
the development of the fishing industry.
The governor expressed confidence that this problem can be resolved
only with the government's support. The Primorsky Territory has already
taken first steps beginning to build two new shipbuilding yards.
The congress brings together around 600 representatives from 13
Russian regions and 17 countries, including delegates from Britain,
Germany, Norway, the United States, Japan, North Korea and South Korea.
Representatives from Russian fish-rich regions of the Far East as well as
from the Murmansk, Astrakhan, Rostov and Moscow regions, Moscow and St.
Petersburg attend the forum.