Nigeria: Two Latvian trawlers, belonging to 

 a cooperative (former kolkhoz) fleet, are 

 fishing in a joint venture with a Nigerian 

 company. Details are not available. 



Russia: The Riga Trawler and Refrigeration 

 Fleet deployed 2 ATLANTIK-III class vessels 

 in the Russian EEZ off Kamchatka in 1993. 

 The Latvians concluded a joint venture 

 agreement with a Kamchatka company and 

 are leasing their vessels to that company 

 which reportedly pays for the catch delivered. 



The Latvian fishermen operated in the 

 Russian Pacific 200-mile zone previously, 

 while the country was still part of the Soviet 

 Union. Full details on this fishery are lacking 

 but, in July 1991, the Latvian Ministry of 

 Fisheries reported that 6 Latvian stern factory 

 trawlers had been idling in the Pacific for 

 more than 2 weeks because of a diesel fuel 

 shortage.*" No information is available on this 

 fishery in 1992, but it appears that most of 

 the fleet returned to Latvia except for the two 

 vessels that had a joint venture with a Russian 

 company. 



The Latvian companies are currently 

 experiencing financial difficulties that have 

 resulted in several vessels being seized in two 

 countries. 



Argentina/Uruguay: Six Latvian stern 

 factory trawlers are being held in the ports of 

 Buenos Aires and Montevideo (3 trawlers in 

 each) for nonpayment of various expenses 

 incurred while fishing off Chile, Argentina, 

 and Peru (with 2 vessels in each country) in 

 1990-91. The Latvian crews were finally 

 flown back to Riga in April 1993; the 

 trawlers will probably be sold at a public 

 auction to the highest bidder. Their price will 

 most likely be low because of their age. The 

 names of these 6 trawlers are not available. 



United States: Two Latvian trawlers (Durbe 

 and Muravjova), belonging to the Liepaja 

 High-seas Fishing Fleet, are being held by the 

 Trinity Shipyard in Beaumont, Texas. Trinity 

 accepted the vessels in 1992 for 

 modernization through a Seattle law firm, but 

 was unable to obtain payments for the work 

 completed. The case is in court. 



The remaining Latvian high-seas 

 vessels, representing almost one-half of the 

 distant-water fleet, are idle in Latvian ports, 

 either for lack of diesel fuel or because the 

 catch allocations by foreign countries are 

 insufficient to support their operations. The 

 upkeep of the idled high-seas vessels is an 

 expensive proposition and the Latvian 

 Government would like to dispose of them as 

 soon as possible, either by selling them off, 

 or by scrapping them. Most of these vessels 

 are aged, and even if catch allocations m 

 foreign fishing zones became available, it is 

 not likely that these vessels would be able to 

 operate profitably. Most Soviet vessels were 

 not built with diesel fuel efficiency as a high 

 priority because diesel oil was dirt cheap 

 (when compared to Western prices). Diesel 

 fuel prices have increased several times since 

 the breakup of the Soviet Union. Since 

 Latvia currently receives its fuel from Russia, 

 which is increasing its price for diesel fuel to 

 the world market level, the Latvians expect 

 fuel costs to continue rising. 



The Latvian Government faces other 

 problems associated with the fisheries sector. 

 The fishing companies continue to pay 

 minimum wages to the fishing crews and 

 officers of the idled high-seas vessels. This 

 represents a heavy burden on the already 

 cash-strapped companies which are actively 

 trying to dispose of the non-operational 

 vessels. 



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