Increased Soviet Fishing Effort Seen
Need Scientific Knowledge To Meet It
The expansion of their fisheries
was described as one means by
which the Soviet Union plans to
win the economic war, and thus
show that their way of life is a
preferred successor to ours. Dr.
Don Bevan, who spent 13 months in
Russia working with Russian scien
tists at the University of Moscow,
stated the Russians are aiming for
a “tremendous expansion” in their
fisheries, in a speech before the
Rotary Club Tuesday noon in the
49 Room.
‘Their target is 10 billion pounds
by 1965,” he said. “This is an in
crease of over 60 percent from the
1958 figure of a little over 6 bil
lion pounds. If this increase is ob
tained, the Soviets will be close
to Japan as a leader in world pro
duction.” Bevan stated this is part
of a seven-year plan, and that in
dications are that they are attain
ing their target catches.
“How can they expand to that
extent?” Bevan asked. He then
pointed out that their fisheries can
be divided into freshwater and salt
water. He said the Soviet Union’s
freshwater fisheries are substan
tial. In this fishery, ho said, they
are surpassed only by Red China.
Stating that this comprises only 18
percent of their fisheries catch,
Bevan said the rest would come
from inland seas and open ocean
fishing, the former providing one
third and the latter two-thirds. It
is from the open ocean fishing that
we can expect the expansion,
Bevan stated.
Dr. Bevan stated that the in
creases can be expected from bot
tom fish and herring. “Prior to
1948 they caught less than 1 per
cent of the herring. Now they are
up to 15 percent, nearly a billion
pounds.”
“Why are they expanding?” Dr.
Bevan asked. “Fish is a large part
of their diet. The Soviet Union
freezes over a third of the world
total of frozen fish; more than Ja
pan and the United States com
bined.” He said there is a great
variety of fish and fish products
of all kinds in their markets.
Bevan further stated Russia’s
importation of fish is substantial,
and they wish to replace this with
their own production. “They are a
little different from us in this re
spect. They are unwilling to put a
large part of their requirements of
fish into the hands of others when
they can harvest them with their
own men and equipment.” He said
the Soviets haven’t overlooked fish
products as a bargaining lever in
world trade.
“How are we going to meet the
challenge?” Bevan asked. ‘There
is only one answer and that is to
increase our knowledge of the re
sources of the sea. We are not
farmers on the sea, we are hunt
ers,” he said. “International Law
does not give us protection except
for purposes of conservation. This
is defined by the Law as ‘The ag
gregate of the measures rendering
possible the optimum sustainable
yield.” Bevan said we are going to
need all the information we can get
in negotiations with the Russians,
not “if” they engage in fishing in
areas we have considered our own
backyard but “when” they engage
in these fisheries.
Bevan mentioned several possi
ble questions that may come up in
future negotiations relative to fish
ing in the Bering Sea and adjacent
waters to Alaska. Facts gained
through research will provide the
answers.
“Even if we have a sound basis
of scientific knowledge, can we
successfully negotiate with the
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Soviet Union?” He quoted from re
marks made by Mr. Boris Kulikov
who made the following statements
before a recent meeting of the In
ternational North Pacific Fisheries
Commission, held in Vancouver,
B.C.: “The Soviet fishing industry
is interested in the development
and exploitation of all marine re
sources of the North Pacific ... I
shall make no attempt ... to hide
our growing interest in this partic
ular fish (halibut), or rule out the
possibility of starting experimental
fishing for halibut in the near fu
ture. . .
“Our fishing industry people
have no idea of developing seas
fisheries other than in close co-op
eration with other countries in the
field of rational exploitation of
marine resources, such co-opera
tion being duly based on the re
spect for each other’s rights and
interests.”
Bevan called these “fine sound
ing words.” “Although they might
be looked upon by some of us as
hopeful first steps, we need more
than words in order to successfully
manage any oceanic fishery.”
“We need agreements between
nations engaged in the common
fishery,” he said. “The negotiations
must be based upon sound scien
tific knowledge,” he said. “We be
lieve their form of society is wrong
but this should not blind us to the
fact that they are strong and able
competitors. We shouldn’t forget
that it is possible to have good
science and strong economic po
tential regardless of ideology.”
Dr. Bevan concluded his talk by
stating that we can be sure we have
increased competition coming our
way. We must be prepared to meet
it, he said.
A question and answer period
followed.
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