Chase and gunshots stop poachers at Caspian Sea

Photo courtesy of the press service of the Border Guard of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan

There has been a chase and even some shooting in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea. Poachers tried to escape in a boat and Kazakh coastal guards had to open fire to apprehend them, Tengrinews reports citing the press service of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan.

The Kazakh coastal patrol vessel guards attested four Azerbaijani persons who were poaching on a small boat of the Baida type, equipped with additional outboard motors. Baida is a speed boat of marine use often employed specifically by poachers in the Caspian Sea.

The poachers did not respond to the calls of the coastal guards who approached on "Taraz" vessel and instead attempted to escape the territorial waters of Kazakhstan at high speed.

Seeing this, the border guards fired two warning shots and the poachers surrendered. Nobody was injured.

The search of the small boat revealed 25 boxes of kolados (fishing tackle of poachers) and 240 sturgeon weighing about 946 kilograms total.

The country's law enforcement agencies have been notified of the arrest. The investigation is underway.

There has been a chase and even some shooting in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea. Poachers tried to escape in a boat and Kazakh coastal guards had to open fire to apprehend them, Tengrinews reports citing the press service of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan.

The Kazakh coastal patrol vessel guards attested four Azerbaijani persons who were poaching on a small boat of the Baida type, equipped with additional outboard motors. Baida is a speed boat of marine use often employed specifically by poachers in the Caspian Sea.

The poachers did not respond to the calls of the coastal guards who approached on "Taraz" vessel and instead attempted to escape the territorial waters of Kazakhstan at high speed.

Seeing this, the border guards fired two warning shots and the poachers surrendered. Nobody was injured.

The search of the small boat revealed 25 boxes of kolados (fishing tackle of poachers) and 240 sturgeon weighing about 946 kilograms total.

The country's law enforcement agencies have been notified of the arrest. The investigation is underway.

Writing by Dinara Urazova, editing by Tatyana Kuzmina

sturgeon Caspian Sea Central Asia CIS fish guard Kazakh Kazakhstan news poaching border