Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed a decree prohibiting Russia from exporting fish harvested from the Barents Sea beginning in 2009, the Russian News Service reported late last week.
The decree is intended to curb illegal fishing and prevent Russian trawlers from reloading their catch onto foreign freight vessels.
The decree, which includes fishing in the Barents Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Caspian Sea, comes as the Russian government cracks down on illegal fishing, spearheaded by the director of the Russian Fishery Agency, Andrey Krainy.
