Gaining access to these fisheries has become 

 increasingly expensive. The ROK National Fisheries 

 Administration reports that the ROK paid nearly $94 

 million in foreign fishery access fees during 1991, a 

 290 percent increase over such fees paid in 1 990. The 

 highest fees were paid to the former Soviet Union 

 ($52.8 million), tlie United Kingdom ($8.6 million), 

 Papua New Guinea ($7.2 million), and Kiribati ($5.5 

 million).'- Infonnation regarding ROK distant-water 

 fleet activity and joint ventures in foreign countries is 

 as follows: 



A. Former Soviet Union/Russian Federation 



Bilateral Agreement: The ROK and the Russian 

 Federation signed a fisheries agreement in September 

 1992. Under the agreement, each side is granted 

 access to the others' waters; joint ventures are 

 encouraged in fishing, processing, and aquaculture; and 

 joint resource assessment research will take place. In 

 particular, Russian officials hope for ROK investment 

 in onshore processing and storage facilities projects in 

 exchange for granting ROK vessels access to Russian 

 waters. 



The ROK North Pacific trawler fleet received 

 Alaska pollock allocations within the Russian EEZ in 

 1992 and 1993, but has so far managed only a 

 negligible Alaska pollock catch in Russian waters. 

 ROK vessels were given Alaska pollock allocations in 

 the waters of the disputed Northern Territories in 1992, 

 but the Japanese Government urged the ROK to respect 

 tlie Japanese claim to the territories, and thus the ROK 

 actually caught very little Alaska pollock in Russian 

 waters during 1992. In 1993, the ROK was given an 

 allocation in the Russian EEZ of 150,000 t, but the 

 inability of the two sides to reach quick agreement on 

 fees has resulted in limited ROK fishing within Russian 

 waters. 



Joint Ventures: ROK fishing companies first 

 formed joint ventures with fomier Soviet companies in 

 1989 which allowed over-the-side purchases in Russian 

 waters by ROK fishennen. By 1991, as many as 12 

 ROK companies with 23 vessels were participating in 

 these joint ventures. The Korean captains purchased an 

 estimated 90,000 t of Alaska pollock, up one-half from 

 the 61,000 t purchased in 1990. A total of 25 ROK 

 vessel owners were expected to purchase 1 10,000 t of 

 Russian fi.sh through these arrangements in 1992." 

 Final results, however, are not available. 



The giant ROK multinational corporation Samsung 

 has signed a 3-year contract (August 1991 -July 1994) 

 to purchase Russia-origin Alaska pollock from the 

 Russian Sobvryflot company. Samsung plans to 

 process the Alaska pollock in China and Thailand 

 where labor is inexpensive and sell the product in the 

 United States. Samsung will pay Sobvryflot $6 million 

 per year for 8,000 t of Alaska pollock.** 



Cooperation between the ROK and Russia is also 

 taking place in fisheries science and technology. At a 

 conference held in April 1992, Russia agreed to 

 provide krill processing expertise in exchange for ROK 

 salmon hatchery technology. The two countries also 

 discussed a joint squid jigging survey on the high-seas 

 of the North Pacific to measure the effectiveness of 

 jigging in comparison to the now-banned driftnet 

 method. '' ROK jiggers reportedly conducted 

 exploratory fishing for squid in tlie Russian EEZ off 

 the southern Kuril Islands in late 1992.'^ No further 

 information about tliis fishery is available. 



Russian and ROK officials reached agreement on 

 several additional fishery cooperation projects during 

 meetings held in tlie ROK in March 1993. Joint 

 projects include surveys of the Alaska pollock resource 

 in the peanut hole and cuttlefish resources in tlie waters 

 of the two countries, research and tests of trawling 

 gear, and the exchange of marine fishery science 

 information and scientists." 



The ROK fisheries industry fervently hopes 

 cooperation with Russia will provide a much-needed 

 boost to its distant-water fisheries. Access to Russian 

 waters will be especially vital for those North Pacific 

 trawlers which previously had access to U.S. and donut 

 hole waters. However, future expansion of this 

 relationship has been threatened by tlie apparently 

 unreasonable price demands and contract tenns 

 demanded by Russian joint venture partners. Russia's 

 detemiination to close tlie peanut hole to foreign fishing 

 has also deterred cooperation. 



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