Caspian Countries Extend Commercial Sturgeon Fishing Ban Until 2025
Caspian Countries Extend Ban on Commercial Sturgeon Fishing Until 2025
Representatives from Caspian countries have decided to extend the ban on commercial sturgeon fishing until 2025, as announced during the 8th session of the Commission for the Conservation, Rational Use of Aquatic Biological Resources of the Caspian Sea and Management of Their Joint Stocks in Astrakhan. Participants included representatives from Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.
According to a statement from the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries, the agreement also includes not setting export quotas for caviar and sturgeon fish for 2025. Sturgeon fishing will continue to be limited to scientific research and artificial reproduction purposes.
In an effort to protect fish stocks, the Caspian countries are coordinating conservation and artificial reproduction activities. Suggestions were made during the session to hold a forum for fishermen from Caspian states, publish an annual bulletin of the Caspian Commission, and release a collection of scientific articles on Caspian Sea research.
The Commission was established following an agreement signed in Astrakhan in September 2014 by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. Ratified by all participating countries in 2016, the agreement allows the commission to make binding decisions on the member states.
The Caspian Sea is known for its rich sturgeon population and species diversity. Sturgeon catches peaked in the early 20th century and again in the late 1970s, but numbers have drastically declined since 1991.
It is essential to continue efforts to preserve the sturgeon population in the Caspian Sea for future generations.
ORIENT
Photo: fish.gov.ru
