Need for interregional Mezen Salmon conservation program

The working group of the Model River Mezen Project has initiated the development of interregional program for the restoration and conservation of Atlantic salmon population in the basin of the Mezen River.

The promotion of the conservation and restoration of salmon is an important part of this project. During this project Silver Taiga organized several field trips to the upper reaches and tributaries of the Mezen River involving ichthyologists, the sightseeing expedition from the source to the mouth, and also made a seminar “The experience of recovery and management of salmon populations in the Baltic region.” Every year together with State Organization “Komirybvod” Silver Taiga monitors the spawning grounds and supports the conservation measures of fishing inspectors.

The researches have shown that the Mezen River hasn’t yet lost its environmental properties required for natural recovery of salmon populations, and it can be achieved by proper management of fishery resources. As the Mezen is a transboundary river and the salmon is a migratory species, any efforts to preserve the salmon taken only in the district or regional level, will not give the desired outcome.
So, more than a year ago Silver Taiga firstly attempted to unite interested parties from both regions – the Komi and Arkhangelsk – to solve this problem.

Unfortunately, few persons responded to this invitation. But the project was been supported by Vyacheslav Gaiser, Head of the Republic of Komi, thanks to it Silver Taiga together with Department of Agriculture and Food of the Komi Republic was able to organize interregional workshop “The condition of Atlantic salmon population in the basin of the Mezen River and possible ways to restore the resource.”

The representatives of the State Council of the Komi Republic, Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment of the Komi Republic, the Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division of RAS, Research PINRO, Interregional social movement “Komi Voityr”, communities of the local population “Udorachi”, State Organization “Komirybvod”, administrations of Udorsky and Leshukonsky metropolitan regions, Komi Department of State Control, supervision and protection of marine biological resources and Silver Taiga took part in the meeting on May 30, 2013.

The meeting had a good start for further action to develop and agree a holistic approach to solve the problem of Mezen salmon conservation. All participants agreed that it’s necessary to combine efforts  to preserve and restore the resource and that it is possible to reach the target by creating interregional program for the conservation and reproduction of salmon.

In the meeting delegates determined what this interregional program should include. According to the participants it should include the cooperation of stakeholders of Komi and Arkhangelsk region in the basin of the Mezen River based on the Model River Mezen Project; optimization of fishery conservation measures in the basin the Mezen River considering the migration and spawning of Atlantic salmon; analysis of the capabilities of establishing  fisheries protection conservation area. Also should analyze the fishing activities in the areas provided for use, and identify common approaches to their creation. Also we need an objective assessment of the extent of illegal fishing of Atlantic salmon throughout the river, from the mouth to the headwaters. It is also necessary to analyze and evaluate the possibility and advisability of organizing licensed fishing by the local population.

In addition, according to the participants of the meeting the program should have proposals to adapt the legal framework and fishing rules in the basin of the Mezen River considering the views of civil society organizations and citizens. It should also initiate specific fisheries projects in the basin of the Mezen River, including activities on artificial reproduction and stocking various types of living aquatic resources, and assess the existing ones. The program should also have measures for the organization and development of public oversight and guidance to users of fishing grounds to create a basin fisheries associations in order to conduct a coordinated sustainable management.

The participants decided that the program will be developed by interregional working group, and it would be a great idea to create a Coordinating Council at the level of the two governments of the region for administrative support.

Silver Taiga Foundation, on behalf of the meeting, has already sent an appropriate letter to  Vyacheslav Gaiser, Head of the Komi Republic. The letter lists proposals for the establishment of the Coordinating Council, and it should include apart from the representatives of the Governments of the Komi Republic of and the Arkhangelsk region representatives of the administrations of Udorsky, Leshukonsky and Mezen municipal districts, as well as regional public organizations.

As the Komi Republic and Arkhangelsk region have an intergovernmental agreement, the Head of the Komi Republic is proposed to initiate the including of cross-regional meeting resolutions on the conservation of salmon as a separate item in the protocol which is signed by the parties as part of the intergovernmental agreement annually. The working group is going to develop a program on September, 2013.