On June 10, the State Duma adopted in the second and third readings the law on the terms of the unified campaign for the renegotiation of contracts for the use of fishing grounds. The campaign will take place in 2026.
It should be recalled that in 2008, for the first time in Russia, fishing areas (primarily for salmon production) were allocated for a long-term period of 20 years. Although most contracts for land plots will expire only at the end of 2028, users will have to renegotiate them next year if they want to stay in this business for the next decades.
Over the past few years, there has been an active discussion between the Russian government, the fishing regions, and the fishing community about the terms of contract extensions. And finally, the State Duma approved the final version of the terms of the renegotiation campaign.
The campaign will end on June 1, 2026, instead of December 31 of this year, as previously planned. The deadline for submitting an application for renegotiation is April 1, 2026.
On the first day of the month following the month of the conclusion of the new agreement, the previous agreement will expire. The new agreement will be concluded for the remaining term of the previously concluded agreement and for another 20 years.
If the user refuses to conclude a new agreement, the current agreement will be valid until the end of its term. Then the site intended for industrial fishing or the organization of amateur fishing will be put up for auction, or for a competition if it is a site for traditional fishing of the KMNS.
The total fee of companies for the renewal of contracts for fishing areas, which the country’s budget will require, will amount to 161 billion rubles (initially it was about the amount of 178-200 billion rubles).
Land users should also assume additional obligations for the socio-economic development of the regions of their presence.
Despite the softening of conditions, it will still be a serious financial burden on fishermen.
Let us recall what forecast of subsequent events was given by Alexander Chistyakov, the former vice-governor of the Kamchatka region, who developed the “standard” for the previous distribution of fishing areas in 2008.:
“The salmon will spawn in the rivers anyway. Therefore, fish users will purchase marine areas at a distance of up to 10 km from the mouth of rivers and all river areas. No one will pay for less catchy marine areas. From 30 to 40% of marine fishing areas will remain without a host, and the load on used fishing areas will increase.
It is useless to sell unsold plots at auctions. No one will buy it.
Fish users, in order to raise money, will raise product prices and squeeze the resource base as much as possible. They have no other options. You can forget about new technologies and product quality. Today, the price of caviar in Kamchatka has doubled compared to last year and the year before.
20 years ago, Sakhalin produced from 30 to 40% of the total salmon volume, now no more than 10-12%. The reason is trivial – the desire to earn more and immediately.
Kamchatka fish users are the same people. They will not solve strategic tasks, they need to save their factories today and now.”
“The Fisherman of Kamchatka”