Fishing development of the exclave region in the conditions of the import substitution

Abstract

Fishing industry of the Kaliningrad region is one of the most important economic sectors in the region, including wide range of activities – from raw material base forecasting to production and processing of marine biological resources. Nowadays the fishing industry of the Kaliningrad region is in the so-called bifurcation point. The fishing industry is in the critical state due to the influence of external factors, mainly political: They are Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization, the introduction of food sanctions, embargoes and the ending of the preferential customs period of the Special Economic Zone in 2016. One of the prior directions of the fishing industry development in the exclave region is partial import substitution. The fishing industry along with agriculture is a key of the region’s development and it also provides food security of the geographically separated region. A key objective for the government and businesses is to ensure a balance between the volume of production of finished fish products and the need for the population, as well as the established consumption rates. The main vector of the industry development is related to the necessity of companies consolidation, creation of a verticallyoriented holdings. The best scenario for the fishing industry is called technologically driven, that focuses on the standard technologies of raw materials processing and the production of mass products.