SENATOR

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Trawler banned from crabbing in Svalbard

The Supreme Court of Norway has ruled the "Senator" and banned it from crabbing in Svalbard. The Ccurt ruled snow crabs to be a sedentary species, meaning it can be considered a resource of the continental shelf, just like oil and gas. Any other interpretation would also raise questions concerning these natural resources. Had the Norwegian court ruled that snow crabs were a migratory species the arrested "Senator" would be free to resume crabbing. The ship was idle in Båtsfjord since March 25, 2017. The vessel could be put into operation if its owner North Star LTD paid a guarantee deposit equal to the fine imposed by the Norwegian authorities, but since the vessel has been specially rebuilt and upgraded for crabbing it cannot be used for other purposes. Also, the exact amount the owner was required to pay in fine and court fees to Norway had yet to be determined. The "Senator" was arrested on Jan 16, 2017, for fishing snow crab in Norwegian waters around the Svalbard archipelago. The Norwegians insist that the vessel had been fishing there illegally while Latvia maintained the fishermen had been acting in compliance with international agreements and an EU regulation about the fishing rights in Svalbard. After the incident the Latvian Foreign Ministry presented a note to the Norwegian Embassy in Riga, asking to release the crab trawler and not to interfere with crab fishing which has been taking place in accordance with international agreements.

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A court of first instance was due to start hearing the case of the "Senator" that has been arrested by Norwegian authorities for catching crab in a disputed territory on May 4. Representatives of the Agriculture Ministry confirmed the date and that for the time being there are no other news concerning the case. Norway has accused the owner of violating rules on fisheries - a claim that has been rejected by the Latvian party as the "Senator" was crabbing off the Svalbard archipelago in accordance with the 1920 Svalbard Treaty and the European Union's regulations on Jan 16. The Norwegians insisted that the vessel had been fishing there illegally while Latvia maintained the fishermen had been acting in compliance with international agreements. The "Senator" was docked in Båtsfjord since March 25, having sailed from Kirkenes on March 24 after more than two months arrest.

Agriculture Ministry works on release of detained trawler

The Latvian Agriculture Ministry was doing everything in its power to havethe "Senator" released. Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs sent a letter to European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella, informing him about Latvia's rights to fish in the region where the boat was arrested, and asked him to promptly solve the problem. On Jan 23, the Agriculture Ministry's representatives met with high-ranking officials from the European Directorate-General for Fisheries to discuss the matter, and Latvian Ambassador to Brussels Juris Stalmeistars also participated in the meeting. The trawler has been arrested for fishing snow crab in Norwegian waters off the Svalbard (Spitzbergen) archipelago. The Latvian Foreign Ministry on Jan 25 presented the Norwegian Embassy in Riga a note asking to release the crab trawler with a crew of 30. The "Senator" had reportedly put out 2,600 snow crab traps in the area without the Norwegian authorities' permission. The crabber was subsequently forced to set course to the port of Kirkenes.