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FE fishery cluster concept to be referred to Russian government September 18

Up to three million tons of marine resources are caught in the Far East now

VLADIVOSTOK, September 12 (Itar-Tass) - A commission consisting of representatives of all fish-catching regions of the country's east is to develop a project for a Far Eastern fishery cluster which is to be sited in Primorsky Territory's south. Foreign experts will be also invited to participate in the elaboration of the project. In particular, negotiations on participation of Japanese specialists in implementing the project are underway, PT Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky told journalists at the International Congress of Fishermen (ICF).

The Commission will get down to work following endorsement of the cluster creation concept. The governor said the concept would be submitted to the Russian government on September 18 for consideration. "A modern port, cold-store facilities, several processing enterprises, and a trade center will be built in the territory of the cluster," Miklushevsky said.

Lev Bocharov, general director of the Pacific fishery research center (TINRO-Center), said such a project will require considerable investments. "So far, the project is in the concept-forming stage and it is too early to speak of real amounts of investments. However, it may refer to 10,000 billion rubles in Federal investments. Another 30- 50% of the sum are to be invested by enterprises in the sector," he said, pointing out that the bulk of inputs is to be made into building modern piers and cold-store facilities.

"Up to three million tons of marine resources are caught in the Far East now. The prospective fishery cluster will be able to process up to four million tons of our traditional objects of catch, such as Alaska pollack, herring, salmon fishes, prawns, crabs, etc.," Bocharov pointed out, emphasizing that the main purpose of the cluster will be to increase the share of domestic-catch fishery products on the Russian market.

The project for the establishment of a fishery cluster will be discussed at the ICF here on Thursday. The Congress is being attended by delegates from eleven countries, as well as from all fish-catching regions of the Far East.