On December 16, a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation Commission on Legislative Activities was held, at which the issue of paying for contracts for the right to use fishing grounds was discussed. Let us remind you that in 2027–2029, approximately half of the contracts for the right to use fishing grounds will expire. To extend them for the next period, enterprises will have to contribute a significant amount to the country’s budget.
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation № 959 made it possible to divide the fee into three parts: 40 % immediately, 30 % – no later than 1 year and 2 years from the date of conclusion of the contract, respectively.
The fishing community offered another option: 10% when concluding a contract, another 30 % – in the first year of use, the remaining 60 % – over the next 2 years in equal parts.
At a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation Commission on Legislative Activities, we returned to this issue again. The head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Alexander Shokhin, proposed linking the adoption of a bill on the renegotiation of contracts for the use of fishing grounds with amendments to the government resolution on the calculation of fees for the site and the procedure for its payment. A similar position was expressed by the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Agricultural and Food Policy and Environmental Management, Alexander Dvoinykh.
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture agreed with the arguments and informed that clarifications to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 13, 2024 № 959 were posted for public discussion.
The following procedure is proposed: 25% of the fee must be paid when concluding the contract; 15% – no later than a year from the date of conclusion of the contract; 30% – no later than two years from the date of conclusion of the contract; 30% – no later than three years from the date of conclusion of the contract.
At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture does not plan to postpone the re-registration of fishing grounds until 2026, as the fishing community proposed. This is evidenced by the corresponding draft law prepared by the ministry. In accordance with this document, it will be possible to voluntarily renegotiate agreements only in 2025. If fishermen refuse this procedure, the contracts will continue to be valid until the end of their term, but then the plots will be put up for auction.
According to the estimates of the authors of the project, given in the explanatory note, procedures for all 100% of sites will bring the budget ₽180 billion. VARPE estimates show that the cost of renegotiating contracts for salmon plots could reach ₽219–239 billion.
In total, there are 9,192 fishing grounds in Russia, of which 2,175 — are for salmon. Approximately half of the contracts for the right to use the latter expire in 2027–2029. In 2023, a law was passed that allowed agreements to be renegotiated without bidding, but subject to the integrity of the tenants themselves. They must also take on additional obligations for production control and socio-economic development of the regions where they operate.
«Fisherman of Kamchatka»