Russian Far East Update December, 1997

The vessel was arrested for illegal fishing in U.S. waters and assessed fines of US $700,000. The case was settled on November 7; the settlement amount was US $190,000 and payment has been made. Observers close to the case told the Update that the high costs of maintaining the vessel while under arrest and the questionable results of auctioning the vessel helped move the case to settlement.

No bond was posted to release the vessel, and the costs of maintaining the vessel had already grown to over US $100,000. Once the defendant obtained legal counsel, a settlement became easier. International Commodity Management (ICM, Seattle, Washington) and Harris and Hull [attorney Daniel P. Harris] (Attorneys at Law, Seattle) facilitated the settlement on behalf of the vessel owner, a fishing collective located in Mago, Khabarovskii Krai, named the "50th Anniversary of the October Revolution."