According to a report by Infofish, most of the unprofitable Russian tuna purse seine and long line fleet has been broken-up and sold off.
With a new policy the Russian Fisheries Committee ( RFC) is planning to return to global tuna fishing, and envisages that Russia catch worldwide could reach 185,000 M/T of raw tuna by the year 2010.
The RFC has entrusted the St. Petersburg-based Giproryblot vessel design institute with the task to work-out a five year tuna ship construction program.. Currently 5 tuna ship projects are already underway, involving 3 purse seiners and 2 long liners.
The Institute however maintains that the first step should not be construction, but actually the purchase of second hand purse seiners and long liners to start fishing under guidance of their former owners. Thus letting new crews gain more experience in managing a tuna purse seiner profitable, before investing in new vessels. Another option includes the conversion of trawlers to tuna boats.
The Russian vessels expect to operate in the open seas, the EEZ of Russian itself, and in those of foreign nations with tuna stocks within their waters. This would however require additional licensing agreements.