S. Korea's pollack quota in Russian waters rises to 45,000 tons

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean fishing boats will be allowed to catch
6,000 more tons of Alaska pollack in Russian waters next year, the fisheries
ministry said Thursday.
Russia agreed to raise the pollack quota for South Korean vessels to 45,000 tons
from the current 39,000 tons during a meeting of the South Korean-Russian fishing
commission in Seoul this week, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries said. It also said Russia would initially give a quota of 40,000 tons,
with it to be raised by an additional 5,000 tons in the first quarter of next
year.
"Fishing season starts in May, so this will not affect our catch of Alaska
pollack," a ministry official said.
The gain is the result of a meeting between the two countries' presidents in
September last year.
During the four-day meeting that started in Seoul on Monday, the two sides set
the total quota for all types of fish at 65,565 tons for South Korea.
The two sides also agreed to further boost cooperation in the fisheries sector by
exploring investment opportunities in Russia's Far East, such as building a
shipyard for fishing boats and a processing plant for marine products. They will
also celebrate 2010 as the year of South Korean-Russian fisheries cooperation to
mark their 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
ecuedy@yna.co.kr
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