NIKITIN V.
Fishing industry Union of the North, Russia

Dear colleagues,

Barents sea and the Norwegian seas in which zone there is an oil recovery, active researches of stocks of oil, gas are also suppliers of fish production for Russia and Norway.

Almost all food fishes which eat on water area Barents sea of the sea and in area Medvezhij-Shitsbergen, migrate for duplication to Norwegian sea. Some from them, as cod and herring is spawning on a shelf along northern and western coast of Norway, others, as the red fish, the halibut on the big depths of a continental slope. A part of kinds of food fishes as capellin, the polar cod, a sea flounder spend all life in limits of the Barents sea.

Thus, the fish represents a uniform population, and this circumstance forces us to approach and to an estimation of stocks of food fishes and to an estimation of possible hydrocarbonic pollution in view of work and the Norwegian and Russian companies. At the same time we understand, that process of an oil recovery and prospecting works to not stop. Stocks of oil and gas in northern seas are taken already into account in power balance of Russia and Norway and all world community. Therefore fishermen and oilmen are simply obliged to search for ways of the minimal damage for work each other, in fact and the extracted fish plays a significant role in food balance of the countries. Besides it is very important to keep image fishproduct, delivered of Barents and the Norwegian seas as non-polluting, and absence of cooperation at times creates additional hearings that can harm export of a white fish.

For example, the Union of fishermen and ours enterprises participated some years in the regional program «the Estimation of pollution of trade objects of the Barents sea».

Researches have shown, that trade kinds of fishes have low impurity oil hydrocarbons, the contents artificial radio-activity does not vary. Some years back Portuguese companies, buying to a cod from the Russian companies from areas Barents sea, have demanded confirmation of absence of radioactive contamination fishproducts and we had been used materials of the given researches, and all questions have been removed. Some questions have arisen and when in the autumn of 2007 in Norway by transfer of oil from a tower on the tanker the hose has damaged, and to Norwegian sea was poured out about 4000 tons of oil. The tower stood far from trade area, except for that the storm has broken a stain and real damage is not noticed. Therefore I think necessary carrying out of constant monitoring of a level of impurity of trade objects of the Barents sea, data exchange between corresponding institutes of Murmansk area and Norway that will help to keep a reputation fishproducts, delivered our countries on export. It is thought, that in this part it is possible to consider the problem signings of the corresponding agreement between biological and corresponding institute in Norway.

And nevertheless, completely to avoid harmful consequences for fish branch from influence of oilmen it will not be possible. For example, from projected Shtokman deposits of a line of pipelines will pass through productive areas of a trawling area in a southern part of the Barents sea where are practically all-the-year-round fattened and significant concentration of ground fish, pelagic kinds: polar cod and capellin. In view of alienation of trade sites along the main pipeline average losses by catch by calculations will make about 50-70 thousand tons ground and пелагических fishes or for the sum 25-30 million US dollars one year. Except for that there are also other physical influences on a fish from already working pipelines:

Acoustic, made by movement in a pipe under big pressure,
Thermal, owing to a difference of temperature of water and walls of pipes,
Change of structure of ground deposits, their washout along pipelines.

Thus, shipowners should search for other areas and ways of catch. Thus courts should make longer transitions and to work in areas with lower productivity. Proceeding from this, we, making use of experience of the Norwegian legislators who have considered recently the Law on sea resources, have addressed to deputies of Murmansk area to act with the legislative initiative about entering similar additions about mutual relations of fish and oil branches in the Law of the Russian Federation on fishery. Our offers are considered by the Murmansk regional Duma in June and by way of the legislative initiative are directed to the State Duma. They concern use of the technologies as much as possible reducing harm for fishermen, carrying out of search and seismic works in coordinated with experts of fish branch time, and also compensation of damage to trade courts at its documentary fixing. The matter is that all oil works are carried out on a background of an impetuous rise in prices on fuel and any inefficient use of a vessel, or its additional transition in trade area will lead to real losses. From its part we are ready to prepare offers by a technique of calculation of probable damage to the fishery companies from activity of the oil-and-gas companies in areas of catch.

The union fishowners the North has the corresponding Agreement with the Union of fishermen of Norway and in April т.г. In Trondheim we have discussed a state of affairs with mutual relations of oil and fish branches in Russia and Norway. We have noted alarm for probable renewal of research works in territory spawning around of Lofoten islands and along coast of Northern Norway on distance 35 kms from coast. Earlier it has been declared forbidden for installation of oil derricks. We have supported and we count proved requirements about definition of routes of movement of the Russian and Norwegian tankers with oil passing trade areas, necessity of definition of conditions of carrying out of acoustic shootings of stocks of oil and gas. On the lead researches of fish institute in Bergen acoustic signals operate on a fish on distance 20 miles. After influence of signals the fish leaves area of researches and does not come back here earlier, than in a week. It seems to us necessary to apply in Murmansk area and experience of the Norwegian fishermen when in some cases of the compromise it was not possible to reach and, fishermen carried unplanned charges in Norway the fund for indemnification of losses of fishermen has been formed.

It concerned in particular the facts of losses nets, necessities of additional expenses in connection with change of areas of catch owing to presence of petrotowers, etc. And, if towers and pipelines prevented traditional areas of catch and ways of extraction the oil companies compensated charges on re-equipment of a vessel under other kind of a catch. To provide the majority of questions of mutual relations of fish and oil branches we bring to your attention the joint appeal of the Russian and Norwegian fishermen on a question of protection of bioresources and interaction of two branches in Barents sea.* suggest to organize all work further under the motto: « One sea – one legislation ».

*The joint appeal the unions of fishermen of Norway and the Fishing industry Union of he North to the companies of oil-and-gas sector conducting the activity in trade areas Barents and Norwegian seas

Fish and oil-and-gas branches in Barents and the Norwegian seas are compelled to cooperate with the purpose of the most full use of power and food resources of both countries. At the same time, understanding importance of development of oil and gas, the enterprises of fish branch are concerned with probable consequences of pollution of the water bioresources playing a significant role in employment of the population of coastal regions, in maintenance of food safety of the countries and guaranteed deliveries of non-polluting fish production to export. Proceeding from a task in view:

To suggest the oil-and-gas companies:

1.To conduct the activity within the framework of probable potential ecological danger and a priority of precautionary measures above measures on liquidation of ecologically negative consequences.

2.To refuse activity on water areas with high trade value of water bioresources and to coordinate the search and industrial work in other trade areas with nature protection and fishing departments of the countries.

3. To use at construction of industrial targets, a lining of pipelines last achievements of science and technology allowing as much as possible to lower influence on water resources and conducting of trade activity.

4.To provide access and an openness of the ecological information, an opportunity of public control over activity of the companies. To carry out public hearings the projects, it is especial among the interested territories and departments.

5.Strictly to observe nature protection legislations of the countries and to not initiate change of them aside decrease in ecological requirements. To promote unification of ecological requirements of both countries.

6. To carry out the analysis of safety of all chain of an oil-and-gas complex from extraction and transportations processing and storage, to estimate all possible risks and elimination of consequences of possible failures.

7.To bring to the notice of the public plans and means of elimination of emergency cases, immediately to inform the population and the interested departments on the occurred emergencies, their consequences for an environment and measures on liquidation.

8.To include in I shall sweep away charges of an expense on compensation of damage from alienation of trade areas for the fishing companies at construction of objects, a lining of pipelines, from possible consequences of influence of emergency incidents on water bioresources.

The unions of fishermen of Norway and Russia in turn:

1. Inform the oil-and-gas companies on all changes in the trade activity, areas of a craft, time of the most active trade activity in them and take part in development of plans of carrying out of seismic and search works on presence of oil and gas, in development of the variants of search and industrial works most protected for fish branch in Barents and the Norwegian seas.

2. Direct the representatives in the commission on interaction of oil-and-gas and fish branches, give the offer under the offered projects of development of oil-and-gas branch.

3. Create or take part in the commissions according to damage from work of oil-and-gas branch for a fishing industry as a whole or for the separate enterprises.

4. All requirements and the conditions connected to work of the oil-and-gas companies bring to the notice of the fishing companies, together with shipowners take part in an estimation of the put damage for fish branch, to correct documenting of it.

5. Together with the oil-and-gas companies prepare for additions and changes in the legislation of the countries on nature protection activity in Barents and the Norwegian seas.

Oil and gas of Arctic shelf 2008