Vladimir Voitikh, captain of the Kapitan Morgun trawler, at anchor in the port of Murmansk, in northwest Russia accused Norwegian naval vessels of "demonstrating force."
"Our naval units could protect sailors just as well and be present in neighboring areas, because the Norwegians are exerting moral pressure," Voitikh said, adding that they felt more secure in Soviet times.
Dmitry Medvedev acknowledged the problem and pledged to cope with the issue and "draft instructions."
He also proposed that Russia open its fishing industry to foreign investment: "We should not bar them from foreign investment, but we should introduce benefits for domestic companies," the official said.
The lower house of Russia's parliament is currently considering sanctioning foreign investment in national fishing companies.
Russia and Norway have been involved in a decades-long dispute over maritime boundaries in the Barents Sea, which is rich in oil and gas reserves, as well as fishing resources.
In October 2005, Norway pursued the Russian vessel Elektron with two Norwegian inspectors on board across the Barents Sea for five days. The inspectors had become stranded on the Russian ship after trying to detain it for illegal fishing.
The captain of the Elektron was later fined $3,900 for poaching, but acquitted of holding the fishing inspectors captive.
