By RIA Novosti,
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russia) : A vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of crab that was caught illegally in Russia’s economic zone has been detained, a coast guard spokeswoman said Monday.
The Cambodian-flagged Slava vessel, with a crew of 12 Russians, two Koreans and seven Indonesians, also had fishing equipment on board. The fishing permits provided by the ship’s crew were suspected to be forged.
“About 4,000 live crabs were released into the sea. Prevented losses stand at 1.6 million roubles ($53,500),” the spokeswoman said.
The vessel was escorted to the port of Nevelsk for further investigation.
Russia banned exports of live crab in May 2007, but large volumes are still smuggled out of the country, primarily to Japan and South Korea.