S. Korea, Russia sign pact to control illegal fishing

SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Russia signed an agreement to control
illegal fishing and transactions starting in the new year, the Seoul government
said Tuesday.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the illegal,
unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities agreement calls for South
Korea to provide information on Russian fishermen operating in Russia's exclusive
economic zones (EEZs) without permission.
Because these fishermen cannot sell their hauls in Russia, they frequently send
the fish to South Korean ports, making it hard for Russian authorities to clamp
down on such activities.
There are no clear statistics, but people may have been selling illegally caught
fish and crabs here since 1999.
The ministry said once the pact goes into effect Jan. 1, there will be a drop in
illegal fishing by Russian boats.
The agreement is the result of talks held by the presidents of the two countries
in September.
"By signing the treaty, Seoul is joining worldwide international efforts to deal
with IUU fishing," an official said. He added that by providing information on
illegal fishing, the country has secured a basis to win meaningful fishing
quotas in the Russian EEZ and preserve fish stocks. South Korea catches most of
its pollack in Russian waters.
Reflecting Moscow's interest in this sector, Russia pledged that it will raise
South Korea's pollack fishing quota in its waters by nearly two-fold this year to
39,000 tons.
The agreement is expected to allow more South Korean boats to operate in Russian
fishing grounds in the future.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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