Fishery
© RIA Novosti. Igor Zarembo

Grigory Ledkov: Traditional fishery should move forward

On April 13, 2015, the Association of the Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North, Siberia and the Far East, signed an agreement with the Federal Agency for Fishery, FishNet.ru reports.

The three-year agreement involves cooperation in developing a legal framework, federal targeted programs, holding joint analytical research and promoting Russian and foreign experience in the fisheries sector.

The parties will focus on joint efforts to provide the nation with quality fish products, boost consumer demand for domestic products, encourage the production of high value added goods, and developing fish processing plants on the coast.

"Fishing is one of the main traditional activities of our people, critical for survival in the harsh climate," the association's president, Grigory Ledkov, told FishNet.ru. 

He added that the concept of industry legislation, as suggested by the Federal Agency for Fishery, which includes building fish processing facilities on the coast, will help the indigenous peoples take a role in this new stage of development in the industry. "We are very much interested in the delivery and coastal processing of fish. Our homes, families, communities and jobs are there," he said.

According to Mr Ledkov, the indigenous peoples have an opportunity to become an important element in the country's fishery sector.

Yulia Yakel, head of the association's legal center, expressed hope that the agreement would provide for a better understanding between the indigenous peoples and the Federal Agency for Fishery.

"I hope the agreement will boost our interaction and improve the mutual understanding between the government and the indigenous peoples in general, and that we will agree on joint amendments to benefit the interests of both the indigenous peoples and the industrialists, and to make it work in all regions," she said.