Features of development and state regulation of fishing industry in the Lower Volga in the 17th-18th centuries

The article was prepared in the process of studying the features of the evolution of state regulation of fishing and fish processing in the Lower Volga in the 17th - 18th centuries based on the materials of the State Archives of the Astrakhan Region (SAAR). Based on the materials of archival documents introduced into scientific circulation, the study examines the development of the fisheries in the region, the formation and implementation of state policy in relation to such a significant sector of the economy. The author notes that the fisheries in the Lower Volga were already a significant infrastructure complex in the 17th century; the state, representatives of the Russian merchant class from different regions of the country, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the main national groups of the region were active participants in fishing and fish processing. The geography of the main centers of fishing and fish processing - uchugs, their list and owners is determined. The author comes to the conclusion that the systematization of state regulation of fish production in the region occurs after the introduction of a state monopoly and the establishment of the Astrakhan Fishing Office in the early 18th century. It is concluded that in the 18th century. the fishing industry in the Astrakhan province became more active, regional merchants and tradesmen 19 were actively integrated into it. In the second half of the 18th century, the composition of Astrakhan fishermen traders also evolved, and the Russian state took an active part in the formation of their quantitative composition.