Japan, Russia to agree to curb poaching in Russian economic zone

4/2 Tass 79

TOKYO, February 4 (Itar-Tass) -- The Japanese fisheries authority
intends to agree with Russia on joint measures to curb poaching during the
permitted fishing in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Far East.
The consultations that will be held in the Russian capital on February 7
will be devoted to this issue, a spokesman for the Japanese fisheries
authority told Itar-Tass on Friday. This meeting will be held for the
first time, he said. High-ranking officials from the Japanese fisheries
authority and the Russian Federal Fishery Agency are reported to
participate in it.
"First of all, we will lay down the investigation results in the
criminal case of four Japanese fishing vessels, which were caught
red-handed in the illegally excessive fishing quota in the Russian
exclusive economic zone and were brought to administrative responsibility
for this. Secondly, we would like to discuss cooperation with Russia for
this not to recur anymore."
The Japanese spokesman noted that the consultations would be held
behind closed doors. "We are not aware about the Russian position in this
issue and what is interesting for the country and would like to learn it,"
he noted. Alongside, the official elaborated that the Japanese agency is
not empowered to combat bribes that Japanese fishing vessels gave to
Russian officials.
At the end of the previous year the Japanese taxation service found
out that four fishing companies have concealed more than six million
roubles from their revenues in 2007-2009. Officials of the fishing
companies confessed that these funds were paid to Russian officials for
the illegally excessive fishing quota in the Russian exclusive economic
zone. According to media reports, the bribes were passed either onboard
the fishing trawlers or were remitted to the bank accounts, including in
Cyprus.
These fishing companies had to pay fines and their fishing vessels
were banned to go fishing for 70 days starting from this week. This
measure was taken in Japan for the first time over violated coordinated
fishing terms in the Russian exclusive economic zone. Since February 2011
more than 260 other ships, which have fishing licenses in this sea area,
have been subject to inspections. The inspections will be held as
voluntary interrogations of the top managers of the fishing companies and
the captains, which will have to report whether they gave bribes to
Russian inspectors for the excessive fishing quota.