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Over 250 foreign fishermen detained in Russia’s Far East for illegal fishing

Additional border guard vessels have been deployed in the area

VLADIVOSTOK, September 12. /TASS/. In the past day, border guards of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) detained over 250 foreign citizens off the coast of the Primorsky region in Russia’s Far East for illegal fishing in Russia’s exclusive economic zone.

"A total of 16 North Korean small floating craft and more than 250 foreign fishermen were detained in Russia’s exclusive economic zone in the past 24 hours by coast guards of the Federal Security Service’s border guards department in the Primorsky Region. All of them were illegally catching the Pacific squid," the Primorsky region border guards department said in a statement on Thursday.

When the Primorye region was hit by Typhoon Lingling in early September, more than 500 ships entered Russian territorial waters citing their right to wait out a storm, granted by international maritime laws. The vessels, most of them from North and South Korea, entered the Olga Gulf and the Vladimir Gulf, as well as coastal bays near the town of Moryak-Rybolov.

Some of those boats have already left Russian waters under control of the coast guards. According to officials, about 100 ships still remain in Russia’s territorial waters in the area, and some of them are engaged in illegal fishing. Additional border guard vessels have been deployed in the area.

North Korean diplomats in Vladivostok and the country’s border guards have been informed of all cases of border violations and illegal fishing committed by its citizens.