Izvestia: "Fast changes in fishing law"
The All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, demonstrated similar diligence – just four days after their meet ing with Putin, VGTRK resumed broadcasting TV programmes on sport fishing. On January 11 Putin used the Popular Front format to meet with the representatives of fishing organisations and discuss the Recreational Fishing Law and the problems it caused. All the suggestions Putin received at the meeting were reflected in the draft law that appeared on the Rosrybolovstvo website a week later. At the meeting Putin also promised to speak to VGTRK Head, Oleg Dobrodeyev, regarding the resumption of fishing programmes and sports marathons from different regions in Russia on sports channels.
Krainy told Izvestia, that a fishing marathon starts on February 19 at Mozhaiskoye reservoir. Further marathons will be held in Volgograd, Kazan, Yaroslavl, Astrakhan plus three deep sea fishing marathons in Kaliningrad, Murmansk and Vladivostok. On June 12 a fishing marathon will be held at Kremlevskaya Embankment. When asked if the fish from the Moskva River are good to eat, Krainy gave an evasive answer that sports fishing is not about fishing for food.
Putin was more concerned about whether Rosrybolovstvo has taken amateur fishermen's wishes into account.
"We had a bill ready, however, after the Popular Front meeting and the following two heated discussions at Rosrybolovstvo, involving 50 people from public organisations (in both cases), we changed the original version dramatically," Krainy told Izvestia.
After these meetings, fishing fees and fishing cards were cancelled and public organisations were given more authority — from now on regional committees, that determine fishing areas, will have an equal number of representatives from the government and from the non-profit organisations. Putin suggested paying special attention to the interests of small and medium-sized businesses; some businesspeople took advantage of the existing law by establishing private fishing clubs.
"We should find the solution, that will not violate the rights of those who have already started this work, the representatives of small and medium-sized businesses," said Putin.
Krainy assured the prime minister, that the new draft law will take into account the interests of both fishermen and businessmen. Fishing will be free in any body of water bigger than 150 hectares. Smaller water bodies, which are usually artificial, will be refined by their owners. In any case, businessmen will have to make new agreements. Besides, Rosrybolovstvo is now authorised to restrict areas that they consider valuable, from the list of paid water bodies as determined by the regions.
Anastasia Novikova
