©RIA Novosti
Kazakhstan insists that all the pre-Caspian countries introduce a ban on catching sturgeons in the Caspian Sea, Tengrinews reports citing Kazakhstan Minister of Environmental Protection Nurlan Kapparov as saying at Majilis (lower chamber of the parliament) meeting. “Conservation of sturgeons remains one of the most important ecological tasks. The commission on water resources of the Caspian Sea is working on a five-party moratorium on sturgeon fishing. Kazakhstan has already introduced the ban,” Kapparov said. The fish-protection campaign called Bekire is held every year together with law-enforcement and environmental protection authorities, he added. It is aimed at protection of sturgeon population and countering illegal fishing. “The Ural river is currently the only river with places for the natural spawning ground for sturgeons. Every year the state-run companies release 158 million artificially-bred sturgeons,” the Minister said. Earlier Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan Andrey Kravchenko said that sturgeons could disappear completely in Kazakhstan in the nearest 4-5 years. “According to Kazakhstan Agency of Applied Ecology, the population of sturgeons has gone down from 3 to 1.3 million specimens over the last 3 years. This means that around 2,000 fish are killed every day. At such pace we will come to full extinction of sturgeons in 4 to 5 years,” Kravchenko said. Last summer Russia also suggested to introduce a 5-year moratorium on sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Iran were ready to support the initiative. By Baubek Konyrov
Kazakhstan insists that all the pre-Caspian countries introduce a ban on catching sturgeons in the Caspian Sea, Tengrinews reports citing Kazakhstan Minister of Environmental Protection Nurlan Kapparov as saying at Majilis (lower chamber of the parliament) meeting.
“Conservation of sturgeons remains one of the most important ecological tasks. The commission on water resources of the Caspian Sea is working on a five-party moratorium on sturgeon fishing. Kazakhstan has already introduced the ban,” Kapparov said.
The fish-protection campaign called Bekire is held every year together with law-enforcement and environmental protection authorities, he added. It is aimed at protection of sturgeon population and countering illegal fishing.
“The Ural river is currently the only river with places for the natural spawning ground for sturgeons. Every year the state-run companies release 158 million artificially-bred sturgeons,” the Minister said.
Earlier Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan Andrey Kravchenko said that sturgeons could disappear completely in Kazakhstan in the nearest 4-5 years.
“According to Kazakhstan Agency of Applied Ecology, the population of sturgeons has gone down from 3 to 1.3 million specimens over the last 3 years. This means that around 2,000 fish are killed every day. At such pace we will come to full extinction of sturgeons in 4 to 5 years,” Kravchenko said.
Last summer Russia also suggested to introduce a 5-year moratorium on sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Iran were ready to support the initiative.
By Baubek Konyrov