The scandal surrounding the second stage of allocating fishing quotas does not subside until…

The scandal surrounding the second stage of allocating fishing quotas does not subside while riots are brewing in the regions. The fact is that they decided to take away the right from regional fishermen to catch fish, crabs and shellfish and give it to large players, who in return will have to build new ships and factories. The first quotas – 20% of fish and half of all crabs – were distributed in 2019 in exchange for 105 new vessels. Only 9 were actually built. But the right people got rich (the Accounts Chamber has already announced the inefficiency of the mechanism and the monopolization of the market). And they will enrich themselves even more – now the state wants, in exchange for 70 new ships, to give them another 20% of the fish, all the remaining crab and shellfish. To legalize the next wave of quotas, a bill is being adopted. The quotas will simply be taken away from their owners, who in 2018 entered into contracts with the state for 15 years.

Absolutely everyone is against the initiative. Regional authorities talk about a sharp drop in budget revenues (in the Magadan region – by 40% of fishing income, in Sakhalin they promise unemployment and social tension). Those opposed in the Federation Council are Matvienko herself, all industry unions, the LDPR, New People, Right Russia and many others. Except, oddly enough, for the communists.

But lobbyists are pushing the bill with all their might. To formally remove discontent, a conciliation commission of deputies and senators was created. From the State Duma it included the communist Kashin, the head of the agrarian committee, and the deputy chairman of the State Duma from United Russia Gordeev, a former minister of agriculture with huge garters from big business. Their task in the conciliation commission is to agree on everything that customers need. If it works out, the communists were promised a large contribution to the 2024 election campaign. And Gordeev, a well-known political entrepreneur, will improve the family budget, which has become fairly thin. His entire business was closely tied to the state. For example, under the pretext of illness, all the pigs in the Voronezh region were slaughtered, and his son took over the vacant clearing. The same thing happened with the breeding business in Kaluga, which received government subsidies. The obligations under it were not fulfilled, as it turned out, they did not build anything, and selection was simply called the purchase of seed abroad, now it is difficult to do this and the loophole has been closed. The fish story will make it possible to at least pay a pretty penny of taxes for the Gordeev family’s one and a half billion assets.

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