Photo/Illutration Fishing boats at this port in Nemuro, Hokkaido, wait to put out to sea as negotiations with Russia over the salmon and trout catch were stalled. (Masami Ono)

Fishermen in Hokkaido let out a collective sigh of relief after Japan reached an agreement with Russia on this year’s salmon and trout catch.

There were fears the negotiations might take a different course this year due to economic sanctions imposed by Japan against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

But the Fisheries Agency announced April 23 that an agreement was reached the previous day.

The deal will be formally signed on April 25. The amount that will be paid to Russia was also cut by 60 million yen ($467,000) over last year and set at between 200 million yen and 300.13 million yen, depending on the eventual tonnage of the catch.

The talks determine the sum that Japan pays to Russia, as well as the size of fish catches, to allow Japanese fishing vessels to catch salmon and trout within 200 nautical miles of Japan.

At the beginning of spring, salmon and trout migrate to these waters, but since they spawned in rivers in Russia, Moscow effectively owns the resource.

This year’s quota was set at 2,050 tons.

In past years, the bilateral negotiations were held from late March until early April to allow for the start of the fishing season from April 10. But this year’s talks did not begin until April 11, which meant Hokkaido fishermen were left in limbo.

Catches of salmon and trout have been poor in recent years, but the fatty chum salmon, known as “tokishirazu,” caught in the fishing season remains a much-prized delicacy that can fetch high prices.

A Fisheries Agency official said it would likely be early May before the Hokkaido fishermen can begin harvesting the tokishirazu variety.

Last year’s catch quota was also set at 2,050 tons, but the actual haul came to only 652 tons, netting Russia a payment of 260 million yen.

Commenting on the lower amount to be paid this year, an agency official said: “The money had been a heavy burden on fishermen, especially with the lower catch volume in recent years. That was the most important point of the talks.”

Officials also added that no reference was made during the talks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the sanctions imposed by Japan.

Japan consumes more than 300,000 tons of salmon and trout annually, including imported fish. The volume covered by the negotiations with Russia only makes up a very small percentage of the total.

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