Marine poaching acquires alarming proportions in Russia

Konstantin Totsky, Director of the Federal Frontier Service of Russia, says poaching in Russia's marine territorial waters has acquired alarming proportions. He told journalists on Friday that "frontier guards point to the threat to the biological resources of Russia." The sturgeon has virtually become extinct and marine resources in the Far East are endangered, too.

Several hundred Russian and foreign fishing vessels work in the Russian marine territorial waters every day, which explains the intensive service of coast guards, says Totsky. Since the beginning of this year, they have inspected about 6,000 Russian and foreign vessels, detaining over 200 and fining more than 500 of them.

The service director cited US research data according to which humankind will be short of some 40 million tons of biological resources in 20-30 years.