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;