State Duma deputies approved a bill denouncing an agreement that allowed British sailors to fish along Russia’s Kola Peninsula coast in the Barents Sea, east of Cape Kanin Nos and along Kolguev Island.
The accord between Moscow and London dates back to the spring of 1956. It was signed by USSR Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Kuznetsov and Britain’s ambassador to the USSR, William Hayter. Even during the fiercest days of the Cold War, British vessels were permitted to operate within Russia’s segment of the Barents Sea. The agreement persisted after the Soviet Union dissolved, and Russia emerged as its legal successor.
On March 15, 2022, the United Kingdom moved to end the most-favored-nation regime in bilateral trade with Russia and imposed additional duties on iron, steel, fertilizer, wood, whitefish, and other Russian goods. Russia responded by considering the termination of the fishing agreement.
According to the explanatory note accompanying today’s bill, the treaty with Britain is described as “predominantly one-sided and lacking comparable or proportional benefits for the Russian Federation.” The initiators insist that ending the agreement would not trigger significant foreign policy or economic repercussions for Russia.
“They ate our fish for 68 years”
Welcoming the MPs’ decision, Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house, asserted that Russia had reclaimed “the fish the British had been consuming for 68 years.” He noted that President Vladimir Putin personally steered the bill.
Volodin remarked that Putin had restored Crimea to Russia and had returned the country’s fish, which the British had benefited from for decades. He also commented that the sanctions from London had not stopped the flow of British appetite for certain cod products, and suggested that the British should rethink their approach as they observe changes in the global fisheries landscape. He pointed out that the British had cherished a favorite dish built on Russian fish: fish and chips, a battered fillet served with fries.
The Speaker added that, thanks to the president’s initiative, Russia has reclaimed this favored dish. He also warned that Britain continued to gain from the existing fishing agreement despite London’s anti-Russian sanctions.
Decline in imports from Russia
The All-Russian Fisheries Union (VARPE) had previously backed the decision to terminate the fishing accord with Britain. VARPE’s leadership explained that withdrawing from a one-sided agreement is a matter defined within one article of the document and does not violate international law.
The union framed the move as a response to hostile measures by Britain. They noted that Russia once held the most-favored-nation regime within the World Trade Organization.
Zverev highlighted that Britain’s duties on whitefish from Russia have reduced the price appeal for UK processors and distributors, underscoring that in 2020 more than 11 percent of Russian fish shipments reached the United Kingdom.
Analysts from Norway and Iceland commented that, after Britain imposed duties, suppliers to the UK increased their exports from those nations instead.
The traditional dish under discussion
The Daily Mail had warned in January that ending the deal could deprive Britons of their iconic fish and chips. The article noted that British companies harvest substantial quantities of haddock and cod within Russian territorial waters for use in cooking. It cited estimates suggesting that roughly 40 percent of cod and haddock sold as fish and chips across the United Kingdom originate from Russian waters. The publication also referenced a large catch in the Barents Sea, stating that 566,784 tonnes of cod were landed by British vessels in the prior year, a stark contrast to the 158,000 tonnes recorded in 1961, five years after the original agreement was signed.