A Russian helicopter fired several missiles at the Cheng Hui No. 1 trawler not far from the Kuril Islands on September 17, after the vessel failed to stop, Rossiya television reported late yesterday.
Russian guards from the frigate Sokol then boarded the trawler and found 200 tonnes of fish and other sea products, officials with the Russian Border Guards Service said.
"The trawler's crew put their life vests on and were ready to board their life boats. They tried to set their vessel on fire using flares but the vessel did not catch fire," 1st Mate Boris Udovichenkos said.
The trawler was then escorted to an unnamed harbour, Rossiya reported.
Admiral Alexander Ivanov, a deputy regional commander for the Russian Border Guards Service, said officials would ask a court to confiscate the trawler.
It was not immediately clear what would happen to the crew.
"We are currently planning and will conduct shortly some serious operations to prevent the foreign vessels from poaching in our economic zone," said Lieutenant General Vladimir Lakizo, acting commander of the Far Eastern Department of the Russian Border Guard Service.
Every year, poachers roaming Russian waters catch from US$2.5 billion-US$5 billion ($2.03-$4.06 billion) worth of seafood, including valuable king crab, according to government estimates.
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