The Russian Coast Guard said on Friday it had detained two Cambodian-flagged fishing vessels near the island of Sakhalin in Russia's Far East on suspicion of poaching fish and crab.
The first vessel, the Jae Su, was spotted by a patrol boat in the Russian exclusive economic zone off the southern coast of the island on Wednesday night. The ship attempted to escape and stopped the engines only after warning shots had been fired.
"The search of the vessel revealed about a metric ton of live crab, four tons of frozen pollack and a ton of frozen herring on board. The crew failed to provide documents verifying the legality of the catch," said Irina Shebeko, a spokeswoman for the regional Coast Guard.
The second vessel, the Mariner, was detained by the same patrol boat three hours later. The ship also attempted to flee but surrendered after a short chase without warning shots.
The crewmembers of both trawlers are mainly Russians.
The ships have been taken to a nearby port of Korsakov for further investigation, Shebeko said.
Russia banned exports of live crab in 2007, but large quantities are still smuggled out of the country, primarily to Japan and South Korea.
The Russian Coast Guard service is actively involved in fighting illegal fishing in Russia's territorial waters. Last year at least 20 boats, including many foreign vessels, were detained by the service.
The first vessel, the Jae Su, was spotted by a patrol boat in the Russian exclusive economic zone off the southern coast of the island on Wednesday night. The ship attempted to escape and stopped the engines only after warning shots had been fired.
"The search of the vessel revealed about a metric ton of live crab, four tons of frozen pollack and a ton of frozen herring on board. The crew failed to provide documents verifying the legality of the catch," said Irina Shebeko, a spokeswoman for the regional Coast Guard.
The second vessel, the Mariner, was detained by the same patrol boat three hours later. The ship also attempted to flee but surrendered after a short chase without warning shots.
The crewmembers of both trawlers are mainly Russians.
The ships have been taken to a nearby port of Korsakov for further investigation, Shebeko said.
Russia banned exports of live crab in 2007, but large quantities are still smuggled out of the country, primarily to Japan and South Korea.
The Russian Coast Guard service is actively involved in fighting illegal fishing in Russia's territorial waters. Last year at least 20 boats, including many foreign vessels, were detained by the service.
YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, March 26 (RIA Novosti)
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