Korelsky, V. F. Fish, fishermen and fish industry in Russia / V. F. Korelsky. - Bremen : Krebs, [1993?]-.

Chapter 4 The Formation of the Market: Problems and Search for New Economic and Management Solutions The management of the fish economy as a whole and in the Northern fishing regions, in particular, during the years of Soviet power passed through the following stages: regional management, the trust, the regional chief administration, Council of National Economy, Chief Administration of the Basin, the All-Union Fish-Industry Administration, Basin industrial corporation, the Association. All kinds of administrative structures before the Association were initiated and introduced into practice by Party, Soviet and administrative organs, and only the transition to the Association, was considered and approved by working collectives in the majority of enterprises. Prior to the “Basin Industry Association” (BIA “Sevryba”) all administrative structures carried out only commanding functions, were ideologically and politically minded. The “All-Union Fish Industry Association” (AUFIA “Sevryba”) was the last classical commanding administrative basin structure which lasted from 1976 to 1988. As all the preceding structures, this association carried out centralized planning, it planned the assignments for more than 200 items. These plans served as the basis for working out a large number of norms, instructions, propositions which, because of their large number, were often contradictory. The main indicator of labor productivity was the gross output which included the recalculations and, therefore, was interested in the use of the former labor force in large amounts rather than in any reduction of expenses. The economic assignments were not scientifically substantiated, balanced with resources and production capacities but were determined, to a great extent, by the wish of the upper Party or Soviet organs. Enterprises were deprived of the possibility to take the initiative and use the results of their labor. The money earned in the form of profit and depreciation deductions was centralized by the budget and Minrybkhoz and redistributed. The level of social and economic development of the collectives, the status of managers, the structure and the technological level of the production assets depended only slightly on the financial results. Fishers received piecework wages, which were actually time wages since they were limited by the wages fund which, in turn, was defined by the “gross product” and the number of workers. All this generated irresponsibility, full dependence, lack of initiative and incompetence both among the managers and engineers, and among fishers. 4.1. Methodological Approach to Revealing the Conditions Necessary for the Transition to the Market Economy 9 7