RF patrol ship opens warning fire in detention of poaching vessel

VLADIVOSTOK, January 11 (Itar-Tass) -- A Russian patrol ship had to
open the warning fire in the detention operation of the Cambodia-flagged
fishing schooner Narwhal off the Sakhalin coast. The Federal Security
Service aviation landed a group of border guards aboard the Narwhal. Some
28 tonnes of crab were found onboard the poaching vessel.
During the detention operation of the Narwhal on January 8 "the
schooner captain was trying to escape from an inspection, was making
dangerous maneuvering putting at risk the life of crewmen," the public
relations group of the Sakhalin FSB Border Service of the Coast Guard said
on Monday. The Russian border guards had to open the warning fire.
On January 10, another fishing schooner Corsair flying the colors of
Cambodia was detained in the Tatar Strait (the north of the Sea of Japan
(the East Sea)) in the Russian exclusive economic zone. About six tonnes
of snow crab were found onboard the poaching schooner.
On January 5, a Russian coast guard ship stopped the schooner
Belozerskoye (Nevelsk - the port of registration) off the island of
Anuchino in the Smaller Kuril chain. About 3.5 tonnes of grey sea urchin
were found in the cache onboard the vessel. The captain failed to produce
any documents for catching, transportation and storage of sea urchin. The
investigation was launched into the poaching cases of all detained
schooners with the crew consisting of Russian and Ukrainian citizens.
-0-baz