Japan and Russia have reached an agreement over Tokyo’s annual catch quota for Russian-born salmon and trout, the Japanese Fisheries Agency said Saturday, despite delays and chilled relations between the two sides amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The agreement on Japan’s quota for the popular fish in waters near disputed islands north of Hokkaido is a relief for Japanese fishermen who were worried about the prospects amid worsening ties between the two governments.
Japan and Russia concluded talks Friday, setting a catch quota of 2,050 tons for salmon and trout this year in Japan’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, the fisheries agency said in a statement. The quota is unchanged from last year, and Japan will pay 200-300 million yen ($1.56-2.34 million) in fees — depending on the actual catch — to Russia.
The deal will be formally signed Monday, the agency said. The payment for the fish of Russian origin is stipulated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
This year’s annual fishing quota negotiations began after the usual salmon season in the region started, amid growing tensions between Tokyo and Moscow over Japan’s sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
On April 11, the two governments started negotiations over the fishing quota for salmon and trout even though Tokyo has been stepping up sanctions against Moscow in an effort to pressure Russia to stop the war in Ukraine.
In Hokkaido, the ban on net fishing for salmon and trout is normally lifted on April 10. But this year fishing has not been allowed as the ban remained in effect pending the outcome of negotiations.
“This is part of Japan’s cooperation in resource management undertaken by Russia,” an agency official said. “I don’t see any problem with it.”
In last year’s talks, the two countries agreed on a payment to Russia of between ¥260 million and ¥300 million depending on the catch, with the actual fee being ¥260 million.
Japan’s quota within Russia’s EEZ, which is usually discussed along with the quota within Japan’s EEZ, remains undecided.
The negotiations are part of many similar frameworks surrounding fishing between Tokyo and Moscow.
The two countries discuss their quotas for fish resources such as saury and squid within each other’s EEZs throughout the year.
The two countries agreed on a quota of 2,050 tonnes within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for 2022, the same level as last year, and a payment to Russia of a “cooperation fee” of between 200 million yen (US$1.5 million) and 300 million yen, depending on the actual catch.
The lower end of the fee – which Tokyo pays to Moscow since salmon and trout, according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, belong to the country in which they were spawned – was reduced by 60 million yen from last year due to a decline in catch in recent years.
