The Norwegian Coast Guard is planning a drastic increase in air surveillance over fishery areas in the Barents Sea, after a Norwegian-Russian agreement on satellite tracking of fishery vessels was suspended on December 1.

Murmansk Regional Trade Union Council plans to open a representative office in Kirkenes in January 2009. The office will give legal assistance to Russian fishermen working or spending time ashore in the Norwegian town.

The Russian Fishery Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) is preparing a proposition to the Russian government on prohibitive duty on import of fish products that are being produced by domestic industry. Removal of import duty and VAT rate on vessels built or modernized abroad is also under consideration.

Murmansk Governor Yury Yevdokimov has appealed to First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov to lower prices on railroad transport of fish products.

A new Russian law on fisheries that comes into effect on January 1 2009 demands that all fish caught in Russian economic zone shall be delivered in Russian ports.

The fishery patrol vessel ”Teriberka” is expected to return to Murmansk tomorrow, thus concluding this year’s patrol season.

An Icelandic membership in the European Union would inevitably influence also Norway’s relationship to the union. If Iceland does become a member, the Norwegian Fish Association is ready for a new debate on Norwegian EU-membership.

When police in Murmansk suspected that the trawler “Sever” had been engaged in illegal catch, the trawler captain decided to sink the vessel in order to conceal irregularities.

The Norwegian Government does practically nothing any more in their fight against pirate fishing in the Barents Sea, says Greenpeace. After a good start initiative, all further efforts seem to have vanished, the organisation argues.

While most industrial sectors suffer from the global financial crisis, Norwegian fish industry may earn more money than ever in the time to come.

In one year the number of reported cases of illegal fishing has doubled in northern Norway. Better controls of the vessels are part of the explanation.

The salmon export company Kirkenes Processing was visited by Russian veterinary inspectors this week. If approved by the Russians, the company will be able to export major volumes of salmon across the nearby Russian border.

-There are serious differences in how Russia and Norway control the use of marine bio-resources, a representative of the Russian Accounts Chamber says. He now calls for the harmonization of regulations in the Barents Sea.

“The stock situation in the Barents Sea is very encouraging, and this will benefit Norwegian and Russian fishermen and coastal communities", Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Helga Pedersen said after the end of this week's session in the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fishery Commission.

Following the introduction of new Russian fish quota regulations, tens, perhaps hundreds, of fishery companies might next year be deprived their quotas, Russia’s top fishery official Andrey Krainy says. At the same time, the official is confident that the country’s total catch volume will increase.

There are currently three Russian fishery patrol vessels operating in the Barents Sea, Russian authorities confirm.

Head of the Icelandic Central Bank is reported to have given Russian authorities guarantees in fishery resources, tourism, aluminium industry and the energy sector in return for a 4 billion EUR loan.

Russian authorities are introducing stricter regulations on fish imports from the European Union. From January 1, only enterprises which have been improved by Russian inspectors will be allowed to sell their fish to the country.

The Russian Fishery Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) intends to achieve tax cuts for the Russian fish industry. The tax benefits will help double Russian catch by year 2020, the agency argues.

The almost three year long dispute between Norwegian fish export companies and Russian veterinary authorities might have come to an end, after Norwegian minister of Fisheries and Costal Affaires met with the Russian authorities this week.