Governor Andrey Chibis took part in the final meeting of the Board of Rosrybolovstvo with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev.
Andrey Chibis stressed that despite the sanctions pressure, the Murmansk Region remains one of Russia's leading regions in the fishing industry.
"The share of the Murmansk region in the all–Russian catch is 9%, every 11 tons are caught here. In addition to fishing, fish farming and product processing are developed in the region. Meanwhile, due to natural factors, the total catch of aquatic biological resources has decreased by 36% over the past 5 years and amounted to more than 414 thousand tons in 2025, respectively, the volume of products decreased by 30%: in 2025, more than 347 thousand tons of processed and canned fish, crustaceans and shellfish. But our fishermen are holding their own, and this is evidence of the highly professional work of the teams," said Andrey Chibis.
The head of the region stressed that among the main challenges and constraints that the industry is struggling with is a record 16% decrease in the total allowable catch of cod in the Barents and Norwegian Seas since 1991, approved by the Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission for 2026. In addition, the quota for cod production in 2026 decreased by 1.9 times compared to 2023: according to scientific organizations, stocks have fallen by 20%, and a recovery period is required. The ban on commercial capelin fishing in the Barents Sea for 2025 and 2026 also affects; The sanctions imposed on the largest fishing companies include the denial of their access to the Norwegian economic zone and a ban on fishing in the Faroe Islands archipelago. The head of the region also recalled the need to develop the ship repair infrastructure, and stressed that relevant projects were being actively implemented in the Murmansk Region.
"Despite the challenges and restrictions faced by fishermen, tax and non–tax revenues to the consolidated budget of the Murmansk Region from fisheries enterprises in 2025 amounted to 8.79 billion rubles, an increase to 101.8% compared to the level of 2024. 6.2 thousand people are employed in the region's fisheries complex," the governor noted.
Investments in fishing, fish farming and food production in 2025 amounted to about 10 billion rubles, for a total of 61.6 billion rubles over 5 years. In addition, in the Murmansk Region, as part of our national program "Live in the North!", the governor's project "Our Fish" has been implemented since 2019 – weekly fairs in mobile and mobile format with high–quality products for northerners at prices 25-30% below market prices. Since 2019, about 1,650 tons of fish products have been sold, including chilled ones.
Large-scale work is also being carried out within the framework of investment quotas: 8 coastal fish processing plants have been built and put into operation. It is planned to build 16 fishing vessels, five have already been built and put into operation. Also, as part of the first stage of the investment program, the construction of 9 crab fishing vessels is planned, the first of them, the Vaygach crab processor, has already been built and put into operation. As part of the second stage of investment auctions for crab fishing, 4 contracts were signed with 3 enterprises in the region, providing for the construction of 3 crab fishing facilities and 1 logistics center.
"I would like to thank the federal government, Dmitry Nikolaevich Patrushev, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia for supporting our initiatives that are important for fishermen and residents. We have achieved an adjustment of the legislation on amateur fishing – they are allowed in the region, there is a clear legal mechanism. This includes an additional volume of fresh produce supplied to the shelves and catering. The initiative on the possibility of processing cod liver on board ships directly at sea has been supported, the bill has already been adopted in the first reading, and it is scheduled for a second reading in mid-April. This will also allow us to obtain additional volumes of products from raw materials. And the third initiative that has been supported is the elimination of legal uncertainty in the interpretation of the possibility of exporting a processed product that is produced from a catch in the coastal fishing regime. A number of other initiatives were also adopted, thanks to colleagues for quick and adequate communication, especially taking into account the sanctions pressure," the governor said.
Andrey Chibis noted the companies that continue to implement investment projects in the Murmansk region. Inarktika SZ LLC is building a modern smolt plant for the production of salmon and trout planting material based on closed-circuit water supply technology in Retinsky. Russian Salmon LLC is a roasting plant in the Polar Dawns area and a smolt plant for the production of salmon planting material in the Pechega district. Severnaya Aquaculture LLC is building a fry plant in the area of the Nizhnetulomsky reservoir. NOREBO Group is creating the Udarnik terminal in Minkino, a modern refrigerated marine terminal with full service for servicing fishing vessels and delivering fish products to domestic and foreign markets. A refrigeration complex with a capacity of 10 thousand tons has already been commissioned.
One of the most significant projects is the modernization of the Murmansk Sea Fishing Port, a key terminal for the transshipment of fish products and maintenance of the fishing fleet. The MMRP renovation project is also included in the long-term plan for the integrated socio-economic development of the Murmansk agglomeration approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.
"I express my gratitude to our fishermen. Their selfless, hard work in extremely difficult conditions is truly admirable. Despite all the difficulties, such as production cuts, sanctions pressure and logistical difficulties, they continue to fulfill their most important mission, develop the industry and ensure stable tax revenues to the budget of our region. We will continue to seek to protect their rights," the governor concluded.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /
Photo: The Russian Government