This will allow the small indigenous peoples to earn more and develop their villages.

The Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation has prepared amendments to the legislation, which proposes to divide quotas for fishing into two types: to ensure the traditional way of life and to carry out economic activities.  This will give the small indigenous peoples (SIP) an opportunity to receive higher catch quotas, Yulia Yakel, an expert of the association, an honorary lawyer of the Moscow Region Bar Association, told TASS on Friday.

 "There are people who catch fish only for personal consumption, and there are communities for which fishing is the only traditional economic activity. And their fishing is seasonal. Once a year they catch, sell, and with this money the communities exist as a legal entity,"  and now it is very unfair that communities do not receive a separate quota for their traditional economic activities, but [receive] only quotas for personal consumption, which are calculated based on the number of community members. They may not even be registered in these areas, but they catch hundreds of tons, and the community has a few times less quota and only for personal consumption. We want to eliminate this injustice," said the agency's interlocutor.

She noted that many communities not only provide jobs for their members, but also with the money they earn from selling fish, provide assistance to community members, develop villages, put roads and social infrastructure in order.  The introduction of fishing quotas for traditional economic activities will allow small indigenous peoples to earn more and, accordingly, spend more money on the development of their villages.

The Association has prepared the text of the relevant bill and will discuss it with the relevant departments.

Now in Russia there are 47 indigenous minorities, more than 300 thousand people in total.  They mainly live in the North, Siberia and the Far East, including the Arctic zone, and have a special status and a number of preferences from the state.

Source: TASS