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The State Duma has passed at first reading a bill that introduces from September 1, 2022 a provision stating that licenses for aquatic bioresources catch are issued in the form of electronic documents, and also introducing permits for keeping electronic ship fishing logs.
The document (No. 1260573-7) was submitted to the parliament by the government in early October.
Fishing enterprises can use electronic ship fishing logs to provide in electronic form information on catch, acceptance, reloading, transportation and storage of catch and production of fish products.
According to earlier reports, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) and the All-Russia Association of Fishing Industry, Businessmen and Exporters proposed the digitalization of the fishing industry as one of the urgent measures to ensure the financial stability of the fishing sector during the coronavirus pandemic. According to their estimations, it will reduce fishing enterprises' administrative costs, which now reach 150 million rubles a year. German Zverev, chairman of the RSPP commission on fisheries All-Russia Association of Fishing Industry, Businessmen and Exporters, said the availability of original fishing license aboard ships is currently a mandatory condition for fishing. The highest costs associated with the fulfilment of this requirement are incurred by enterprises of the Far Eastern and Northern fishing basins. "Electronic document turnover will considerably increase the effectiveness of the work and will reduce business costs. There are situations when aviation has to be used to take permits aboard ships," Zverev said.