Vladivostok, Aug 28 (RIA Novosti) Some 8,000 live crabs, confiscated by Russian coast guards earlier in the week, have been released into the Sea of Japan, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard Service said Friday.

Natalya Rondaleva said that coast guards detained the Cambodia-flagged Trojana fishing vessel Aug 24 with 12.5 tonnes of live crab on board, worth some 5.5 million rubles ($174,000).

'The captain failed to provide documents verifying the legality of the catch. The Trojana was escorted by coast guards to the port of Nakhodka Thursday,' she said.

Russia banned exports of live crab in May 2007, but large volumes are still smuggled out of the country, primarily to Japan and South Korea.