Английский язык: Сборник текстов и упражнений. Дьякова Н.П. - 11 стр.

USSR, 22–24 kg throughout the Russian Soviet Federate Socialist Republic, and
up to 40 kg in some coastal areas. Import of fish ceased to play the crucial part
in the overall fish supply. It fell short of 200 thousand tons, while the export
grew up to 300–550 thousand tons. Oceanic fisheries made a considerable con-
tribution into this country’s food security, inputting about 20–25% of animal
proteins annually.
    Traditionally, Russian Federate Republic’s fishing fleets accounted for
75–80% of all annual catches in the whole Soviet Union. The largest portion of all
catches came from the Far Eastern seas – the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea,
the northern Barents Sea, the Atlantic and Pacific high seas. Out and beyond own
200 mile zone Soviet fishing fleets, Russian included, landed 5,2–5,6 million tons.
Despite the high catches outside the Soviet waters, Russia of those times was
spared the haggle over the marine resources with the foreign fleets operating un-
der the market economy.
    However, the fishing states with market economy in sight of the Soviet Un-
ion’s fishing efforts to increase catches in 70-s, ousted our fleets from their off-
shore regions, and later from their respective 200 mile zones as soon as they were
established. As a result of these actions, the Soviet Union’s catches dropped to the
unprecedented 10,4–9,2 million tons over the period after the WW2. However,
the Soviet Union managed to keep its fish landings level at a steady 10–11 million
tons due to exploitation of newly discovered resources of mackerel, krill, ice-fish
etc. in the high seas world wide. Getting adapted to the new marine laws, Russian
fisheries regained control over their steady growth.
    The reforms under way since 1990–1992, hasty as they were in transition to
the market, forced fisheries to switch most of the fleets to the resources within
the exclusive 200 mile zone, which were greatly in demand in domestic and in-
ternational markets. Simultaneously, for a number of economic reasons, aban-
doned were many fishing grounds in the high seas of the Atlantic and Pacific
regions. The Government first curtailed then totally shut off financial support
of the industry. Liberalization of the fish export trade and mistakes in privati-
zation brought about the growing export and loss of a good part of the fishing
fleet. All this caused not only a dramatic decrease in Russian catches from
7,9–8,1 million tons in 1988–1989 to 3,4–4,3 million tons in 1994–1995, but a
sharp drop in the per capita consumption of fish from 18 down to 10 kg. The
depth of the current crisis faced by the Russian fishing industry has no analo-
gues in its history.
    In the meantime the Russian domestic market is being actively invaded by
foreign companies from Europe and Asia, while the scale exportation of pollock,
cod, shrimp, crab, and other seafoods by Russian fishing companies considerably
destabilized the prices both in Europe and Asia. The ultimate damages will be in-
curred by Russian fishermen in the first place. In order to mend the situation, the
Government was rather late to adopt the 1995 Federal Task Program named
«Fish», setting the tasks of maintaining the catches at 4,2 million tons by the year
2000, although relying on a rather moderate finances, and directing most of the
product to domestic consumers.
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