1.   The trawler had been fishing five miles off the coast in international waters but within the prohibited area.

2.   All four trawlers were fishing under agreements that Russia has with Japan and South Korea.

3.   Canada denied accusations by Spanish captains that the patrols had tried to board the trawlers and cut their nets while the trawlers were fishing in international waters.

4.   Japan on Monday lodged a protest against Russia for allowing North Korean and Ukrainian trawlers to fish in waters near the disputed Kuril Island chain.

5.   Thai trawlers frequently fish in Bangladesh waters, and such practices have increased in recent months, police said.