MOSCOW, February 29 The Baikal omul fishery in Russia may resume in the next two to three years; stocks are now being restored, said the head of Rosrybolovstvo, Ilya Shestakov.
«We are engaged in important programs for the restoration of the Baikal omul. Unfortunately, this species is endemic to our famous Baikal — it had a degradation of its stock, there were certain difficulties due to the fact that there were problems associated with poaching,» Shestakov said during an information marathon about the fishing industry, held at the exhibition-forum «Russia».
«Now, by decision of the president, a moratorium on industrial fishing for omul has been introduced, and there is a program under which we are engaged in the reproduction and restoration of stocks. I think that within In 2-3 years we will be able to reintroduce such a valuable fish species for Baikal into the fishery,” he added.
Reproduction of the population as a whole is an important component of the industry — it is important not only to catch fish, but also to stock water bodies with fish and maintain fish stocks in those where they are in a depressed state or on the verge of extinction. “Last year we produced more than 2 billion specimens of various types of fish, more than 100 factories operate throughout the country, and this allows us to maintain stocks or increase them for various species,” said the head of the department.
As an example, he cited the situation with sturgeon on the Volga, where so far it is only possible to maintain stocks, since the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power stations has complicated spawning opportunities. “But for some stocks of the same sturgeon — for example, for sterlet — we now see how much of the stock has already been formed. We will open fishing for sterlet — for now for amateur fishing in the Middle Volga,” Shestakov said.