Russian Ministry of Agriculture Abolishes Minimum Daily Catch Rule for Far East Crab, Effective October 27

The Russian Ministry of Agriculture has invalidated its order on the minimum catch per vessel for crab in the Far East basin, with the document set to take effect on October 27, 2026. The news was reported by the Coordination Council of the Far East Fisheries Association in its commentary on the new order; the council believes that abandoning the practice of regulating crab fishing through a minimum daily catch will help improve fleet operating efficiency.

The minimum daily catch was previously used to calculate fleet operating time in crab fishing. According to Georgy Martynov, chairman of the Primorsky Krai Fisheries Enterprises Association, who recalled the matter at the Fishnews Online conference, the measure was originally introduced to combat poaching—to prevent illegal fishers from catching more crab than permitted under the cover of licenses with small quota allocations.

Industry organizations noted that fishing organizations and the regulatory system itself have since changed, and fishers now tend to operate legally. "Today's quota holders are responsible users who value both their reputation and the resource," said Maxim Kozlov, chairman of the Sakhalin Oblast Fisheries Enterprises Association.

The Coordination Council of the Far East Fisheries Association believes that abandoning regulation through the minimum daily catch will help reduce the administrative burden on fishers and improve fishing efficiency.