Russia and South Korea agreed positions on co-operation over fisheries in the open part of the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as agreeing to facilitate joint activities on technology and aquaculture with the aim of attracting Korean investment for mariculture projects and fisheries in the Russian Far East. Agreement was reached to develop a plan for joint investment aquaculture projects up to 2020.
Seoul hosted the 27th session of the Russian-Korean Commission on Fisheries. The Russian delegation was led by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries Ilya Shestakov, and the Korean delegation by the Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, Cho Seung-hwan.
Russia noted the great importance of the decision taken by the Korean side in April 1993 on the voluntary ending of unregulated fishing on pollock in the open part of the Sea of Okhotsk, which contributes to the conservation of stocks of this species. The Korean side confirmed that in 2018 the necessary measures will also be taken to prevent Korean fishing companies from fishing in the open part of the Sea of Okhotsk.
The Russian delegation voiced its appreciation of the work done by Korea to implement the Intergovernmental Agreement of December 22, 2009 on co-operation in preventing IUU fishing by providing reliable information on unloading catches and inspecting Russian vessels in Korean ports. Russia and the Republic of Korea discussed the possibility of introducing additional measures that would ensure the control of the legality of the origin of all types of marine products transported from the territory of one country to another. The proposals will be considered at the next round of Russian-Korean consultations on the practical implementation of the Agreement in September-October 2018.
Russia and the Republic of Korea reviewed the results of joint scientific research in 2017, agreed on a work plan for 2018 and agreed to discuss promising areas for further research on marine mammals at the annual meeting of the North Pacific Marine Science Organisation (PIKES). It was decided that the annual meeting on scientific and technical cooperation in the field of fisheries will be held in Busan in June 2018.
