46-year-old man in Vladivostok faces Khasansky District Court over illegal catch of more than 360 crabs in Peter the Great Bay

The Prosecutor's Office of Primorsky Krai has sent a criminal case involving illegal crab fishing to court. According to the prosecutor's office press service, which informed Fishnews, the defendant is a 46-year-old Vladivostok resident, and prosecutors have approved the indictment against him on charges of illegal harvesting of aquatic biological resources under Part 3 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

According to the investigating authorities, in February 2026 the defendant used a motorboat equipped with an outboard engine and crab traps to illegally catch more than 360 crabs of various species in the waters of Peter the Great Bay. The violation was stopped by officers of the Primorsky Krai Border Administration.

Law enforcement determined that the catch caused damage to aquatic biological resources exceeding 4 million rubles. The Prosecutor of Primorsky Krai has filed a claim seeking recovery of this damage.

The case has been sent to the Khasansky District Court for consideration on the merits.

Fishnews previously reported that the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation had opened a criminal case over crab smuggling in Primorsky Krai.