Russia is on the verge of taking another major step to control crab poaching, which is still two to three times the legal limit according to Hokkaido crab dealers. A treaty will be signed in September between Russia and Japan requiring separately transmitted documents from Russian officials for every crab landing in Japan. In the past, these measures have been effective when enforced by the Port state – in this case, Japan. Overall crab quotas in the Russian Far East are 46,000 tons, of which most is snow crab.
Another dispute involving Russia and Norway is building with the arrest of Russian vessels operating near Svalbard. Some Russian officials are threatening to retaliate with another ban on Norwegian seafood imports.
Source: www.seafoodnews.com