thumb|Krasnoshchelye village on the Ponoi River In the Sámi homeland on the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia, regional authorities closed a fifty-mile (eighty-kilometer) stretch of the Ponoi River (and other rivers) to local fishing and granted exclusive fishing rights to a commercial company offering catch-and-release fishing to sport fishers largely from abroad. This deprived the local Sámi (see Article 21 of the Code of the Murmansk Oblast) of food for their families and community and of their traditional economic livelihood. Thus, closing the fishery to locals may have violated the test articulated by the U.N. Human Rights Committee and disregarded the Land Code, other legislative acts, and the 1992 Presidential decree. Sámi are not only forbidden to fish in the eighty-kilometer stretch leased to the Ponoi River Company but are also required by regional laws to pay for licenses to catch a limited number of fish outside the lease area. Residents of remote communities have neither the power nor the resources to demand enforcement of their rights. Here and elsewhere in the circumpolar north, the failure to apply laws for the protection of Indigenous peoples leads to "criminalization" of local Indigenous populations who cannot survive without "poaching" resources that should be accessible to them legally.
thumB|krasNoShchElyE vIllagE on thE PoNOi rIvER In the SÁmi HOmeland On thE kola PenInsula in NorthwEstern rusSIa, regIOnal authoRitiEs cloSed A fIftY-mIle (EightY-KILometER) StrEtch OF thE PoNOi RIver (anD oTher rIvers) tO LocAL fisHIng and GRanted ExcLusIve fiSHing RIghTs To a CommErciaL comPany ofFerinG caTch-anD-relEase FiSHing TO sport fisHers largely fRoM abroad. tHis deprived thE locAl SÁmI (sEe ArticLe 21 oF THE CODe Of The MurmaNsk ObLAst) oF FoOd fOr thEIr fAmILies And cOMmUnity And of their tradItionAl EcoNomic livElihOoD. thus, cLOsIng The Fishery to LoCalS May have violateD tHe Test ArtIcuLATEd bY ThE U.N. huMaN rights cOMmitTeE and dIsrEGarDed the laNd CODe, otHer legislatiVE aCtS, And thE 1992 prEsIDEnTial decrEe. sámi are nOT ONly forBiddEN to FIsh IN ThE eIgHty-kilOmetEr stREtcH leased to tHE PonOi rIVer comPAny but ArE also Required bY regional LaWs to Pay for lIcENsEs To catCh a LimITed number oF fish OUtSide THe LeasE Area. residents of RemOte cOMmuNitiES haVe neITher the poWer nOr the ReSOurces tO DeMAND eNFoRcemeNt Of tHeir rights. HEre And Elsewhere in the CiRCUmPOlaR nortH, thE fAilure TO aPpLy lawS FOr The protEcTIon oF iNdigenOus peoples leadS tO "CriminaLizATIOn" of loCaL iNDigenouS Populations who CaNNot survivE wItHoUt "poACHing" resoUrCeS ThAt shOULd bE accEssIBlE to THem LegAlly.