Delimitation agreement no threat to Russian fishermen
The Russian-Norwegian agreement on delimitation of the Barents Sea does not imply any threat to Russian Fishermen and will only be to the benefit of both countries, says Valentin Balshov from the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency.
- It took the two countries 40 years to reach an agreement. Finally it was signed, which is good, right and to both countries’ benefit, Balashov said to Nord News. The joint Russian-Norwegian fisheries committee can show to 30 years of success in management of fish resources in the Barents Sea, something is admired by other international fishery organizations, he added.
Valentin Balashov is Head of the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency’s Regional Department for the Barents Sea and the White Sea.
He does not share the concern of some people within the fishery sector that the agreement will end in Russian fishermen being forced out of the most fish-rich areas in the Arctic, and believes that the joint committee will play an even bigger role in the future.
- The committee was established by the countries’ governments, it has the authority, the regulations and all the needed instruments to settle any conflict that might occur, from mesh size to fishing grounds, he said.
