River Fishing

There are large reserves of rever fish in the Caspian Sea basin rivers, especially, in the Volga River delta, such as: Caspian roach, pike-perch, wild carp, bream, etc. Volumes of these reserves change with the sea level fluctuations - with the level falling the conditions for fish reproduction deteriorate. But volumes of fishing can be maintained at more or less stable level if fishing conditions - make it possible to widen or shrink die fishing area.

To solve this problem it is necessary to re-tool in the proper way ail fishing vessels irvespective of their ownership.

Sea Fishing.

The main catch of sea fishing in the Astrakhan Region is sprats. Experts estimate total commercial reserves of sprats at 230 thousand tons. Russian share (the Astrakhan Region and Dagestan) is about 120 thousand tons. In practice the Astrakhan Region fleet catches slightly over 61 thousand tons.

The main reason for such low catch is a shortage of fishing vessels.

Until 1980 the fisheries industry fleet in the Astrakhan Region regularly got new vessels with freezer-holds for catching the Caspian sprats. In subsequent years many vessels came to the end of their normal service life.

Now fishing enterprises of the Region have: 3 fishing and processing small vessels of the Volga type, 20 fishing and processing vessels of the Moryana type. 10 fishing vessels with freezer-holds of the 502 М design and 7 fats-and meal factory vessels of the 1375 design. Out of this number vessels of the Kaspiy type and the fats-and-meal factories are beyond their normal service life. Besides privatized fishind vessels of the Kasprybholodflot fleet are sometimes used for other purposes.

By now development is completed and technical documentation is ready for new types of vessels - of the 12921 design (instead of the Kaspiy-type vessels) and of the 70270R design.

Building such vessels, equipping them with modem fishing implements can become a target for cooperation of .Astrakhan fishing and fish-processing enterprises with domestic and foreign investor-partners.

Maintenance of stable equilibrium of the Caspian Sea environmental system.

Such natural events adversely affect environmental situation in the Caspian Sea, from the point of view of fishing, as fluctuation of the sea levels, and. to a much greater degree, results of human activities.

Some work on conservation or creation of favorable conditions for existence ‘ fish and its catching can become a target of investment cooperation of partners. Such work can include:

_ melioration, soils reclamation and so on;

_ construction of protection facilities preventing water pollution by industrial sewerage and oil spills from the areas of the sea shore where oil and gas field are located.

_ constant systematic monitoring in the Caspian Sea basin.

Remember the words and phrases:

Caspian roach - Каспийская вобла;

pike-pearch - судак;

wild carp - сазан;

bream - лещ;

spawning ground - нерестилище.

Answer the questions about the text.

1. What directions does fishing industry in the Astrakhan Region operate?

2. Why is the fishing industry the leading one in our Region?

3. What is the main factor negatively affecting sturgeon fishing?

4. How can the problem of restoring fish production be solved?

5. How can volumes of fishing be maintained at stable level?

6. What work can affect environmental situation in the Caspian Sea?

Text 9. BIOS.

Bios is a commercial sturgeon farm and research centre which was established in 1994 in Astrakhan on the mouth of the Volga. This Centre combines the scientific work the Caspian Scientific Fisheries Research institute (Casp-NIRKH) with those of other departments of biology in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It also has a modem production farm: the Ikryaninsky Experimental Sturgeon Hatchery.

BIOS’s principle scientific and production activities are:

- the commercial breeding of sturgeons;

- the selection and creation of parent stock pool and the establishment and conservation of a sturgeon gene pool.

- the production and rearing of such stock materials as fertilised eggs, larvae, young fish, one year old fish;

- the testing of new fish feed, and methods of feeding,

- the study of the value, and biochemical properties of commercial sturgeons grown in artificial conditins,

- the breeding of sturgeons in order to increase the population in the wild.

BIOS is developing fast growing types of hybrid sturgeon (bester, shister, Russian-Lena sturgeon, etc.) for ponds, tanks, warm water fish culturing facilities and in hatcheries at natural water temperature. The Centre has collected speciments of various ages of white sturgeon, find their hybrids along with "ship" srerlet and Lena sturgeons. We have also developed a sturgeon sperm bane based on the principles of cryobiology which makes it possible to obtain sturgeon offspring in the necessary period needed by fish farm scientists.

BIOS can offer fish stock material, mostly made up of sturgeon hybrids ich can easily adapt to artificial conditions, are more productive, and reach id marketable condition at an earlier age (2-3 years). If the correct scientific approach is followed it should only take one of our hybrids for example a cross between a sturgeon and white sturgeon 6 months to reach 200 g. 18 months to reach 1.5 kg and 30 months to reach 3 kg.

BIOS can offer as a scientific consultancy services, and give advice on the technology of sturgeon breeding, provide training for experts, and practical training offish farmers both from Russia and abroad.

Remember the words:

Sturgeon Hatchery - осетровый рыбоводный завод.

parent stock pool - маточное стало

gene pool - генофонд,

stock materials - рыбопосадочный материал.

fertilised eggs – оплодотворенная икра;

larvae -, личинка,

one year old fish - сеголетка:

population in the .wild - естественная популяция,

warm water fish culturing facilities - тепловодные хозяйства,

white sturgeon – белуга

Text 10. Commercial banks in the Astrakhan Region.

The regional banking structure consists of the Department of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, 11 commercial banks, 43 branches from other cities including those of the Saving Bank.

The banks financial standing is generally stable. Almost all of the commercial banks are licensed to transact banking operations in foreign currencies.

The operations of die banks are focused on the following priorities: financing of highly effective and competetive production, settlement and credit operations for legal entities and natural persons, operations in securities, etc.

VCA-bank.

The Volga-Caspian Bank was established as an open-end joint stock company. The major promoters of the bank are: "Astrakhanenergo" production association, Astrakhan Geoprospecring Expedition, "Astrakhangazstroi" Corporation, "Astrakhanburgas" enterprise.

The bank maintains six branches located in the Astrakhan region. It renders the following services:

- all kinds of credit;

- universal credit and cash services in rubles;

- operations in securities;

- broker, advisory services;

- operations in promissory notes, factoring, leasing:

- overall expert risk estimation in commercial operations, preparation of documents for shares emission and privatization:

- accommodation and running of deposits;

- operations in foreign currencies within the score of an extended home license.

Agroprombank

The Astrakhan Regional Branch of "Agroprombank" was established as an open-end joint stock company, and has nine affiliated branches located in Astrakhan and the Astrakhan Region.

It is licensed to transact banking operations in foreign currencies. The major promoters of the bank are enterprises and organizations of the agro-industrial complex.

On a contractual basis, the bank transacts credit, settlement and other operations in rubles and foreign currencies in favour of Russian and foreign legal entitles and natural persons:

- attract and runs monetary deposits and loans under contracts with the borrower,

- makes payments on behalf of clients and correspondent banks and renders cash services;

- opens and runs accounts of its clients and correspondent banks including foreign ones;

- finances capital investments on behalf of the owners’ or executors of the invested funds as well as from the bank’s own funds;

- issues, purchases, transfers and keeps settlement document and securi­ties;

- renders broker and advisory services.

Astrakhan Direction of Mosbusinessbank.

The bank transacts all kinds of banking operations including:

for legal entities - settlements and cash services, loan grats, issue of guaran­ties and promisory notes, factoring operations and operations in securities, export and import payments of any kind accepted in banking practice, e.g. transfers, cash-in services, chegues, letters of kredit, invoices; operations in foreign currency cash, travellers cheques and credit cads on behalf of its clients, purchase of currencies at home currency exchanges, coversion operations, advisory and legal services;

for natural persons - opening and running of accounts in rubles or foreign currencies for citizens, attracting and keeping money as deposits.

As one of the promoters of and active participant in the Interbank Currency Exchange, "Mosbusinessbank" enjoys stable standing in the Interbank foreign currency market.

It renders a scope of services to banks, individuals or legal entities in any’ form of ownership in selling Visa and Thomas Cook travellers cheques for US dollars, pounds, German marks and French francs, or any currency in cash. "Mosbusinessbank" has a general-license for operations in foreign currencies and maintains correspondence relations with banks in Austria, Great Britain, Hungary. Germany, Netherlands, USA, France, Switzerland. Sweden and Japan.

Remember the words and phrases:

Settlement and credit operations - рас четно-кредитные операции,

legal entities - юридические лица,

natural persons - физические лица:

securities - ценные бумаги,

promoter-учредитель,

promissory note - вексель, поручительство,

overall expert risk estimation in commercial operations - комплексный, экспертный анализ рисков при проведении коммерческих операций.

accomodation and running of deposits - привлечение и хранение депозитов.

borrower - заемщик;

owner - владелец:

executor ~ распорядитель;

to purchase - покупать;

to loan grants - предоставлять кредиты;

transfer – перевод;

cash-in services - инкассо;

letter of credit - аккредитив,

invoice - требование-поручение

Find the English equivalents in the text.

Финансовое положение, конкурентоспособное производство, операции с ценными бумагами, филиал, брокерские услуги, консультационные услуги, вексельные операции, акционирование, валютные операции, в рамках внутренней расширенной лицензии, акционерное общество открытого типа, на договорной основе, привлекать и размещать денежные вклады, по поручению клиентов, платежные документы, юридические лица, физические лица, ведение счетов, Межбанковская валютная биржа.

Answer the questions about the text:

1. What does the regional banking structure consists of?

2. What are the operations of the banks focused on?

3. What arc the major promoters of the Volga-Caspian Bank?

4. What services docs VCA bank render?

5. Is Agroprombank licensed to transact banking operations in foreign currencies?

6. What services does Agroprombank render?

7. What kinds of banking operations does Astrakhan Direction of Mosbusinessbank transact for legal entities (for natural persons)?

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