Russian prosecutors charge Japanese trawler captain with poaching
Prosecutors in Russia's Far East said Monday they had brought poaching charges against the captain of a Japanese fishing boat detained last month in Russian waters with suspected illegal catch, RIA Novosti reports.
Zuisho Maru 38 was captured January 21, off Kunashiri Island, one of the four disputed Kuril islands, allegedly carrying over 1.5 metric tons of fish, including cod, Alaska pollack and flounder, while the crew did not have a permit to fish in the 3-mile territorial zone.
"The captain of the boat agreed with the evidence proving the illegality of fishing in Russia's territorial waters, admitted to his wrongdoing, and asked to review the case without a court trial," a spokesperson for the South Kuril Islands prosecutors office said.
Prosecutors said a preliminary investigation against the captain and owner of the trawler, Kawabata Takashi, started on February 1, and he remained in custody while other five members of the crew had been released.
There have been frequent seizures of Japanese fishing boats in recent months as Russian Coast Guard authorities have stepped up patrols around the disputed territory.
An incident in August last year near the Kuril Islands, some of which are claimed by both Russia and Japan, led to the death of a Japanese fisherman, who was killed when Russian border guards fired warning shots when the ship refused to stop.
Russian officials said the Japanese vessel was suspected of illegally fishing for valuable crab in Russian territorial waters, and that border guards had fired warning shots only after it had refused to stop.