Japan and Russia have clinched a deal on Japan's fishing quota for salmon and trout spawned in Russian rivers, Japan's Fisheries Agency said Saturday, with the agreement coming despite Tokyo's economic sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
The two countries agreed on a quota of 2,050 tons within Japan's exclusive economic zone for 2022, the same level as last year, and a payment to Russia of a "cooperation fee" of between ¥200 million ($1.5 million) and ¥300 million, depending on the actual catch.
The lower end of the fee — which Tokyo pays to Moscow since salmon and trout, according to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, belong to the country in which they were spawned — was reduced by ¥60 million from last year due to a decline in catches in recent years.