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Cyprus-registered fishing company poaching off Sakhalin fined

The criminal case was also opened against the Phoenix captain and will be tried soon

VLADIVOSTOK, April 9 (Itar-Tass) —— The fishing company Redovia Investments, which was registered in Cyprus, but was poaching off Sakhalin, was fined for 2.5 million roubles. Two fishing ships of this company Phoenix and Iskander, which were flying the colours of Sierra-Leone and were registered at the Freetown port, were detained off eastern Sakhalin in May 2011 with over 30 tonnes of living crabs, which, according to the captains, were to be delivered to the Japanese port Mombetsu. However, instead of the Japanese market the crabs were dropped back in the sea. According to moderate estimates, the damages of 25 million roubles were averted to the Russian sea biological resources. The poaching ships were detained, but then were released on a big bail and the fishing company was fined. “The fine is paid in full,” the press service of the Sakhalin border department of the Federal Security Service Coast Guard reported on Monday.

The crews of the poaching ships were made up of Russian citizens. In early 2012 Iskander captain Vladimir Kochura was already brought to criminal responsibility for poaching off Sakhalin and was fined 200,000 roubles. The criminal case was also opened against the Phoenix captain and will be tried soon.