Russian State Fishing Committee Speaks Out For Bio-resources Protection In Oil And Gas Zones

The Information and Analysis Centre of the Russian State Fishing Committee reported on Tuesday that the committee was in favour of increased efforts to protect the bio-resources of waters in the regions of oil and gas fields. The development of new oil and gas fields in the highly productive areas of the Barents, Kara, Okhotsk and other seas washing the shores of the Russian Federation, could cause serious harm to maritime bio-resources. The matter in hand concerns the threat of thousands of tonnes of oil being dumped into the territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Russia. The committee believes that the incomplete legal basis in the sphere allows oil and gas companies to avoid spending money on environmental protection. The committee also believes that it is necessary to close all the legal loopholes to improve ecological control over the activity of investors in projects on Russian waters.