The Economics of the Eastern Bloc Ocean Policy
Abstract
As a background to the analysis of the development of marine resources of the Soviet bloc countries, it seems appropriate to compare fishery activities of the Eastern nations with world tendencies in the utilization of marine-living resources. Table 1 indicates the following trends in the socialist countries use of ocean resources in recent years: 1) During the first half of the decade of the 1970's, the Soviet bloc rapidly increased its share in the total world harvest of marine organisms. 2) The rate of growth of the catch volume in socialist countries was many times higher than that registered during the same period by world fisheries. 3) Beginning in 1976, Soviet bloc fishing nations showed a sharp slowdown in the rate of increase of their catch. Some fisheries (for example, Poland) even registered a decrease in harvest compared to 1975. This was probably the turning point in fisheries development in the Eastern nations. One of the most important reasons for the rapid growth of the Soviet bloc's long-range operations is that Eastern countries have based their expansion on resources of high abundance, even if they are not of highest value. Large concentrations of commercial species underutilized by coastal nations are presently the main targets of Eastern fleets (see Jan Elwertowski). Soviet bloc fisheries have shown a high level of technological flexibility and adaptability to the various conditions of resource use. This has enabled them to make frequent changes in ocean areas and species exploited, while at the same time maintaining high production rates in their harvesting process (see A. T. Pruter). The ability to respond to the variety of challenges of ocean resource use is in turn based on the well-developed maritime economies of some Eastern countries, particularly of the shipbuilding industries in Poland, East Germany, and the Soviet Union. Soviet fishing potential experienced tremendous growth based principally on supplies obtainable from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and Polish shipyards. Bulgaria and Rumania also developed their ocean fisheries with ships built mainly by the GDR and Poland. According to the Lloyd's Register of Shipping Statistical Tables six socialist fishing nations (Bulgaria, Rumania, Cuba, GDR, Poland, and the USSR) owned 60 percent of the total world fishing fleet tonnage (vessels over 100 GRT). The Eastern bloc's fleet is also growing more quickly than the tonnage of the world fleet. In the Soviet Union, the most characteristic feature of fishing fleet development is the increasing number of large factory trawlers over 2,000 GRT each. In 1977, this part of the Soviet fleet constituted about 64 percent of the total Russian fishing potential. In 1977, the total number of factory supertrawlers (over 2,000 GRT) of the six Soviet bloc fishing countries reached 932 vessels. This fleet grew during the period from 1975 to 1977 by 215 vessels and it is the group which demonstrates the fastest growth rate in Eastern fishing fleets. Large factory trawlers are necessary for developing super-deep-water and pelagic fisheries. In open ocean areas and in Antarctic operations, the difficult hydro-meteorological conditions and the long distances from home ports require high seaworthiness, a high degree of autonomy of navigation, and high engine power. In their ocean fishery activities, Eastern countries are able to harvest any type of marine-living resources with the full utilization of their internal economic and social factors, and without the necessity of imports or larger hard currency outlays. Indeed, exports of a part of the fish production generates currencies which in turn can be devoted to finance emergency fish imports or to pay license fees for fishery activities within *NORFISH, Institute of Marine Studies, University of Washington.
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