VLADIVOSTOK, September 04, 14:46 /ITAR-TASS/. Russia should impose protective duties on salmon exports to forestall the lack of the fish, Vladimir Miklushevsky, acting head of the country’s Far Eastern Region of Primorsky Region, said Thursday at an International Fishery Congress.

“I have already talked to the government’s deputy prime minister on the possibility of imposing protective duties. Currently the bulk of our salmon is sold to China, and we must take all necessary steps to ensure the Far East’s and the Primorsky Region’s food security,” he said, adding that as of today there is no lack of fish forecasted for the region.

The Far East catches about 13,000 tonnes of fish a year.

Previously, Gennady Gorbunov, the chairman of Federation Council’s committee for agriculture and food policy, suggested banning Japan from drift-net fishing in Russia’s exclusive economic zone as an answer to the sanctions it imposed on Russia.

Miklushevsky also said the development of a 35 billion ruble fish cluster in the region is almost finished and now it is up to the government to approve the project, he said.

The fish cluster will comprise cooling facilities, modern port and transport infrastructure and other facilities providinga complete production cycle, as well as a selling area. The cluster will allow the Far East to increase its annual turnover to 150 billion rubles by 2020.