historical overview of the Soviet 

 fishery fleets. The number of the 

 Soviet high-seas fishing (figure 1) 

 and fishery support vessels (figure 

 2) was uneven, but basically was 

 increasing over the past 17 years 

 (appendices 1, 2, and 3). 



The 1,999 units inherited by 

 Russia include vessels of about 

 100 different classes which were 

 constructed in 16 different 

 countries (appendix 4^). The 

 average age of Russia's fishing 

 vessels is 15 years, while the 

 fishery support fleet has an 

 average age of 17 years. Many of 

 these vessels have reached, or are 

 approaching, obsolescence. 



2,500 



Number of vessels 





Figure 1 



92. 



USSR. Number of fishing vessels, by gross tonnage; 1975- 



One of the major problems in the years to 

 come will be the replacement of aging and 

 aged fishery vessels. This can be 



accomplished in two ways: first, by 

 restructuring and modernizing existing fishing 

 vessels and thus prolonging their useful life. 



500 



Number of vessels 



400- 



300 



200 - 



100 - 



nnnrinnnnnnnnn 



 500-999 GRT 11:500-1,999 GRT 

 01,000-1,999 GRT □2,000-3,999 GRT 

 OOver 4,000 GRT 





and second, by purchasing new vessels, either 

 from domestic or foreign shipyards. 



It is believed that Russian fishery 

 administrators will choose to purchase fishing 

 vessels from foreign shipyards as the primary 

 replacement method. Large amounts of 

 scarce foreign currencies will be 

 necessary to accomplish this. It is 

 unlikely that such funds will be 

 available from the regular budget 

 of the Moscow Committee on 

 Fisheries. Therefore, new, 



creative financing schemes will be 

 required. 





Figure 2. USSR. Number of fishery support vessels, by gross tonnage; 

 1975-92. 



The August 1993 proposal by 

 the Far Eastern Fisheries 

 Administrator, Yuriy I. 

 Moskaltsov, is an indication of 

 what might be in store. 

 Moskaltsov wrote a public appeal 

 to the Russian Government 

 spelling out his plan to modernize 

 the Russian Far Eastern fisheries 



97 



