Russia Considers Fishing Ban on Norway Amid EU Sanctions Dispute

On Wednesday, Russia’s fisheries agency issued a warning that it may prohibit Norwegian fishing boats from operating in its territorial waters in response to Norway’s decision to align with EU sanctions against two Russian fishing companies.

In May, Brussels imposed sanctions on Murman Seafood and Norebo, citing their involvement in activities unrelated to fishing, including suspicious movements in proximity to NATO exercises, undersea cables, and vital infrastructure. There were also allegations of some vessels having connections to Russian state-sponsored surveillance.

Norway, which is not a member of the EU, adopted these sanctions in early July, a decision that was met with condemnation from both Russia’s Foreign Ministry and Murman Seafood. The Foreign Ministry pledged to retaliate against these sanctions.

During an urgent bilateral meeting of the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission on Wednesday, Rosrybolovstvo reiterated this threat.

“Should Norway not reconsider its stance within a month, Russia will close its exclusive economic zone to Norwegian fishing vessels,” stated Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo, according to agency reports.

Furthermore, Shestakov indicated that the management of fishing and the allocation of quotas in the open waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas would be based on Russia’s national interests.

Despite the tensions of the Cold War, Norway and Russia reached an agreement on fishing quotas in the Barents Sea back in 1976. Since then, the two countries have renewed this agreement annually to manage the fish-rich waters.