The governments of Russia and the Ukraine reached an agreement on quotas for fishing in the Sea of Azov, a water body adjacent to the disputed territory of the Crimean Peninsula.
The Sea of Azov contains commercial stocks of Black Sea anchovy, Black Sea sprat, and carp gudgeon, and produces an average annual catch of nearly 30,000 metric tons (MT). Stocks of other sought-after species, including red-finned mullet and pike perch, have decreased significantly over the last decade.
The unsettled status of the Sea of Azov has caused conflicts between frontier services and fishermen in both Russia and the Ukraine, as the waters are divided between both countries. No serious border disputes arose until 2014, when Russia took control over Crimea through a military intervention and subsequent referendum, thus calling into question the status of the Kerch Strait.
Russia’s sea borders quickly became the subject of dispute following the country’s takeover of Crimea. Ukraine has claimed its rights to the peninsula and consequently to adjacent waters, while Russia insists the waters are now its own. These different views of the matter have lead to an expected finale: in March 2018, Russian seine-boat Nord was arrested by Ukrainian police, who claimed the vessel had violated the Ukrainian border. The Nord’s captain was jailed in Ukraine but escaped to Crimea before a trial could take place.
The uncertainty over borders and political tensions occurring between Russia and Ukraine over the last five years have prevented fisheries agencies of both countries from coming to an agreement over total allowable catches in the sea.
However, in late February, that agreement was finally reached. The protocol signed by the parties involved envisages that any vessel thought to be violating borders or any other regulations must be transferred to its home port, not any other point. This regulation excludes incidents like the one which occurred a year ago.
Important decisions have been made on total allowable catch (TAC) for the most sought-after species: TAC for Black Sea anchovy is 50,000 MT; for Black Sea sprat, it’s 60,000 MT; for Black Sea herring, it’s 320 MT; carp gudgeon is allowed 15,000 MT; for red-finned mullet, 520 MT has been allocated; and for Azov roach, 550 MT has been permitted.
There are no national quotas for fishing Black Sea anchovy, Black Sea sprat, or red-finned mullet. The parties agreed to exchange information on catches to avoid exceeding the common TAC and overfishing any of these species.
A noteworthy decision to reduce quotas for Black Sea anchovy by 11 percent was also reached, in order to safeguard future harvests. This task is achieved through cuts in the number of vessels fishing the species and the gear used, which has been reallocated to fishing Black Sea sprat.
