Russia’s Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) has plans to completely ban Norwegian fishing vessels from its exclusive economic zone and withdraw from cooperative fisheries management over Norway’s decision to ban two fishing companies from its waters.
Norway banned two Russian companies, Norebo and Murman Seafood Company, from entering its waters in July 2025, supporting sanctions adopted by the E.U. in May 2025. The E.U.’s sanctions were themselves an extension of efforts taken by the Netherlands, which began refusing Russian vessels access to its ports in June 2024 following an investigation by Pointer that claimed there was a link between Norebo and Murman Seafood Company fishing vessels and espionage in the country.
Rosrybolovstvo Head Ilya Shestakov said at a meeting of the Joint Russian-Norwegian Fisheries Commission that if Norway continues its ban, Russia will follow suit and ban all Norwegian fishing vessels from its territorial waters.
“The actions of the Norwegian side will inevitably lead to the destruction of the effective system of management and regulation of fisheries in the North Atlantic, which has been built up over many decades and is designed to ensure the long-term rational exploitation of joint aquatic bioresources,” Shestakov said during the meeting.
Russia and Norway have worked cooperatively via the commission since 1976, and Russian and Norwegian scientists have worked together in groups like the Russian-Norwegian Arctic Fisheries Working Group. Rosrybolovstvo said the two countries have managed to cooperate on fisheries management for decades – even during the Cold War.
“The unfriendly actions of the Norwegian side toward two Russian companies are unprecedented,” Rosrybolovstvo said in a release.
Recently, cooperation and agreement between the two countries has shown signs of strain, as quota proposals from Russia have run counter to findings of the working group. Russia proposed a Barents Sea Cod quota of 315,033 metric tons (MT) in 2026 – significantly higher than the 269,550 MT limit suggested by the working group.
Russia has also denounced and left the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) after years of being suspended from the international scientific body. While Russia was originally one of the co-founding members of the council, ICES voted to suspend Russia’s membership in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine.
Rosrybolovstvo said the country will take action in one month if the ban is not lifted – and also said that it will end any cooperation on fisheries management.
"If the Norwegian side does not reconsider its position within a month, Russia will close its exclusive economic zone to Norwegian fishing vessels,” Shestakov said. “In addition, fishing and distribution of catch quotas in the open waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas will be conducted based on Russian national interests."
