The state of hunting and fur farming in the Yakut ASSR in the early 1970s

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the state of the hunting and fishing industry in the Yakut ASSR in 1971, which marked the initial stage of the ninth five-year plan. Systemic structural and economic imbalances are identified, expressed in significant differentiation in the efficiency of various departmental systems. The dominant role of state farms under the Ministry of Agriculture contrasts with the low productivity of the consumer cooperative system and new state hunting enterprises. Special attention is given to the analysis of the territorial organization of hunting, demographic problems in the sector, the state of resource bases, and infrastructural limitations. Critical conditions of moose populations and a deep depression in the resources of forest and waterfowl are identified, as well as the increasing number of wolves that cause significant economic damage to livestock farming. The incompleteness of the process of institutional consolidation of hunting grounds and geographic differentiation in the effectiveness of protective oversight activities are noted. The materials of the article serve as a valuable source for studying the economy of natural resource use in the extreme natural-climatic conditions of the North during the period of developed socialism. The methodological basis of the research is built on the principles of historicism, systematicity, and scientific objectivity. A combination of general scientific and specialized historical methods was applied to address the tasks set. The main conclusions of the conducted research indicate that the territorial organization of the hunting industry reflected the extensive nature of the development of northern territories. Furthermore, socio-demographic indicators showed a deep personnel crisis: the failure to meet the plan for attracting hunters and the catastrophic situation with the training of young successors indicated a progressing aging of the hunting community and the risk of losing traditional hunting skills. Environmental monitoring also recorded the critical state of moose populations and a deep depression in the resources of forest and waterfowl, alongside relative stability in the populations of sable, elk, and reindeer. The increase in the wolf population caused significant damage to livestock, amounting to 493 thousand rubles annually. Additional damage was inflicted by infrastructural limitations, manifested in the transport inaccessibility of hunting grounds and the absence of primary processing points, leading to significant losses in production. Thus, by the 1970s, the hunting and fishing activities in Yakutia retained an extensive character with a pronounced dependence on natural cycles, necessitating a transition to intensification through strengthening the material and technical base, developing infrastructure, and addressing personnel issues.