The Japanese Fisheries Agency had announced on the 11th that it had begun, via web conference, negotiations with Russia to determine the operating conditions for salmon and trout fishing in Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in 2024, including the number of captures in 2024. Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine has worsened relations between Japan and Russia, but Japanese officials believe the impact on this year's negotiations has been limited.

 

The Japanese and Russian governments negotiate quotas for salmon and trout hatched in Russian rivers each spring in their respective waters. Since it is produced in Russia, even within Japan's EEZ, it is necessary to pay Russia a fishing cooperation fee based on the amount of fish caught.

 

The dispute over the Russian-controlled islands, which the former Soviet Union seized from Japan at the end of World War II, has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty that formally ends their war hostilities. In a diplomatic policy update released, Japan's Foreign Ministry said the islands are being “illegally occupied” by Russia.

 

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Japan needs Russia's permission to harvest salmon and trout from Russian rivers, including in Japanese waters. This is the reason why the two countries negotiate the fishing conditions of the Japanese driftnet fleet every year.

 

In 2023, the total catch of salmon and trout by Japanese fishing vessels in Japanese waters was 2,050 tons. It was agreed that the fisheries cooperation fee to be paid to Russia would range between 200 and 313 million yen (U$D 1.3-2M). In reality, because the Japanese fleet did not reach 2,050 tons, they only paid 200 million yen (U$D 1.32M).