OREANDA-NEWS. April 17, 2014. The 9th Arbitration Appeal Court confirmed legitimacy and reasonableness of FAS decision to recognize that 21 fishery company in the Russian Far East1 – members of the Pollock Catchers Association violated the antimonopoly law.

The Antimonopoly Service proved that in the middle of 2006 several fishery companies entered into an unlawful agreement (cartel), aimed at limiting Pollock catching and, as a consequence, restricting its supply to the Russian market. The ultimate goal of the anticompetitive agreement was to maintain prices for Pollock and products from it. The Pollock Catchers Association unlawfully coordinated economic operations of companies.

As a result of investigating the case, FAS imposed administrative fines upon the violators – over 120 million RUB. The case materials were also handed over to the law enforcement bodies to hold executives of those companies criminally liable.

“Thisartel affected the entire fishery sector in Russian Far East”, explained the Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department, Andrey Tenischev. “The ruling of the Appeal Court confirmed the rightness of the Federal Antimonopoly Service. We hope that competition in the industry will be developing”.

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FAS found that the following companies violated the law by concluding a competition-restricting agreement (cartel): “Ayan” Ltd., “Vostokrybprom” Ltd., “Dalvest” Ltd., “Sovgavan’ryba” Ltd., “Peliagial” Ltd., “Sofko” Ltd., “Tralfflot” OJSC, “Sakhalin Leasing Flot” CJSC, “Dalryba” OJSC, “Nakhodka Active Deep-Sea Fishery” OJSC, “Intraros” CJSC, “Kamchatimpex” CJSC, “Magadanryba” Ltd., “Okeanrybflot” OJSC, “Ostrov Sakhalin” CJSC, “Polluck” Ltd., “Preobrazhensky Trawler Fleet Base” OJSC, “Roliz” Ltd., “Sakhalin” Fishery Co-Operative Farm” Ltd., “Pacific Ocean Department for Exploratory Fishing and Scientific Research Fleet” OJSC and “Fish Rain” Ltd. FAS also found that the Pollock Catchers Association unlawfully coordinated cartel operations.