Russia seizes Japanese fishing boat
SAPPORO (Jiji Press) The prefectural government of Hokkaido said Saturday that a Japanese salmon fishing boat operating within 200 nautical miles off the coast of Russia has been seized by Russian border guards for its excessive catches.
The Russian side notified the Hokkaido government of the incident.
Separately, a fisheries cooperative in the Hokkaido town of Hiroo, to which the No. 10 Hoko Maru belongs, was informed by Russian authorities through the Japan Coast Guard that the boats 11 crew members are safe, cooperative officials said.
The No. 10 Hoko Maru, which was using drift nets, was seized around 6:50 p.m. Friday Japan time by border guards from the Russian Far East region of Sakhalin, after being found in an on-the-spot inspection by the Russian side that its salmon catches exceeded the limit of 103.25 tons set per fishing boat, according to an explanation by Russian authorities.
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