A criminal case against the captain of a fishing vessel responsible for the illegal harvesting of over 3.5 tons of cod has been submitted to the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky City Court. The incident occurred in April within the waters of the Bering Sea – an area where the vessel lacked the required cod fishing permits.
To conceal the regulatory violation, the captain directed the processing of the catch into frozen products using falsified data. The packaging was labeled with a later date and a different fishing zone – one where the vessel actually held valid permits. The harvest was omitted from the official logs, and the vessel subsequently sailed to the location specified on the falsified labels to legitimize the cargo.
Border patrol authorities detected the illegal operation. The financial damage to the state from the unauthorized catch exceeded 300,000 rubles. The captain has since admitted guilt and fully compensated for the financial losses incurred. Under the Russian Criminal Code, the offense carries a potential penalty of up to five years in a penal colony.