Strengthening of Salmon Protection Should Have a Strong Public Support
Last summer the Silver Taiga Foundation jointly with the Federal Public Agency “Komi Basin Authority for Fisheries and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources” (FPA “KOMIRYBVOD”) and the agencies of the fishery inspection; with the participation of the researchers from Poland and from the Institute of Biology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences as well as the representative of the local community “Udorachi” organized two research expeditions under the project “Sustainable management of the fish resources: Model River Mezen”.
The interview of Przemyslaw Majewsky, the director of the foundation, the head of the expeditions is about the issue of poaching which affects the population of the salmon most significantly.
– Przemyslaw, have you changed to your view or hardened to it that the main reason of the reduction of our fish stocks, particularly of the salmon population, is poaching?
– I suggest descending from general things to details. Everybody knows that the fish resources decline and the salmon population is in endangered. This is the view of both the scientists and the locals. We start with the salmon. We know, that the dramatic decline in the population may be caused by following:
- the deterioration of the habitat and the breeding or by the overfishing in the feeding spots at the sea,
- the deterioration of the habitat and the breeding or by the overfishing in the lower reaches of the Mezen river,
- poaching on the migration route along the Mezen river,
- poaching on the spawning grounds.
It may be the combination of several reasons. Since last year we have examined the Mezen river from the outfall of the Uv-ju river in the upper reaches of the Mezen river to the outfall of its confluent the Sula river in the Arkhangelsk Region. Moreover, we observed 8 salmon-populated confluents (Upper and Lower Puzla, Elva Mezenskaya, Pyssa, Kurmysh, Pizhma Mezenskaya, Nizma and Sula). We had a talk with many villagers. And now we are sure that the natural normal conditions for the salmon reproduction on the salmon spawning grounds in the Mezen river are preserved. I concede that felling can cause some change but according to the survey expeditions results there are no apparent violations of the natural habitat and the breeding conditions. Dramatic decline in the salmon population is common to all salmon-populated confluents regardless of whether or not the forest was cut down. But ubiquitous catch of the salmon is striking – in the middle reaches and in the upper reach. All expedition participants are at one in thinking that the salmon population which is already cut up will not be able to survive.
According to our information the catching is also practiced in the outfall and at the sea. We work in both directions to study the situation and, fortunately, there are some responsible people who are concerned about the fate of the salmon.
– The media reports based on the data of the verification checks of the inspecting agencies usually tell only about some incidents of the poaching. Do you think that it occurs frequently?
– There are aplenty examples of poaching actions on the river. Poachers have spent great efforts for the construction of numerous stone fences in the upper reaches of the Mezen river, on the Lower Puzla river, on the spawning grounds… Every now and then we saw the abandoned nets … The poachers leave the imprints everywhere. I would like to emphasize that the poor villagers and the locals are not who do it: you need a lot of money and good transport to get there. It is more likely popular, but improper, sport of the wealthy. When the population is low this “sport” is particularly dangerous.
From one side, it is dangerous because even if the level of the catch is the same it is fatal for the declining population. If someone caught 15 fishes in the past and there were 100 ones in all in the spawning ground, it means that 15% were caught out and the rest spawned. But now if you catch the same number from the population of 25 fishes which are in the spawning ground, it will evidently lead to the destruction of the spawning ground. Secondly, the salmon in the spawning ground is very vulnerable and these fishes, which passed through all the difficulties of its life cycle successfully and which are the most valuable breeders, are fished. The artificial breeding cannot substitute this quality. So everywhere in the world the salmon spawning grounds are under full protection.
In the middle reaches – in Udora and Leshuconsky districts in Arkhangelsk Region – the salmon is caught out by drift-nets and by nets which are placed under specially made fences of the poles (the poles form a quiet backwater, the spawning salmon comes there and trying to follow the course, they get in the nets). There are dozens of such “traps” for the salmon; we found them every ten – twenty minutes of our way in the Leshuconsky district. The river is cross with nets almost completely in three places near the village Rodoma.
We have to admit that the people who do it here are locals – the villagers who experience dire economic straits. They recognize that the salmon disappears; they understand that they bite the hand that feeds one. But nevertheless they continue doing it. The same thing happens on the confluents of the Mezen river – the salmon-spawning rivers such as Sula, Pizhma…The confluents are fished methodically, laboriously, in an orderly manner and effectively, because no one hinder to do it. The explanation is as follows: if I do not catch the salmon somebody else will catch it. But this circle is fatal for the salmon and for the well-being of the local residents.
We do not know the rate of reduction in the population but it is obviously that with this scale of poaching the process may become irreversible very soon.
– And what is necessary, in your opinion, to do to change this situation? How do we need to act?
– I have said that the people who catch the salmon on the spawning ground are rich and nothing can jestify them. The protection should be measurably strengthened and it should get strong public support because complete destruction of the salmon is not profitable for anybody including poachers.
In the middle reaches people fish for their own needs and food: we have no facts if the locals sell the salmon or not. We cannot approve of such poaching but we can understand the motivation of these people. What should we do in this case and what should we do with local poachers? At first, it is necessary that at the first phase the locals could catch other fish species legally (with the help of quotas). Secondly, people should recognize that primarily we should restore the salmon, only then we can plan the further management with the use of the restored resource and the introduction of the fishing license and etc.
If such future is realistic, if people feel that they are lawful owners of the river sections, the attitude to the poaching will change. And it is possible. The salmon populations have recovered in many countries and people can use this resource legally. If the quotes are justified and distributed fairly such future must be promising to local residents. Licensed fishing, including sport fishing, if it has conditions for its development, serves the interests of the locals: the residents can work as guides, rent boats, develop guest tourism, etc.
Moreover, it will contribute to the improvement of the fish resources protection: I have noticed that, for example, in Polish game husbandries the state of the animal population is always better than even in the protected areas. So it is always good to leas some part of the river but people should be prepared for reasonable and responsible management. People need to shift from exploitation to the management of the resources. Also it is necessary to build the partnership of the stakeholders along the Mezen river because nobody is interested in the disappearance of the salmon and many people are ready to act. The coordinated program of joint actions to restore the salmon is needful.
– Przemyslaw, we are speaking about the salmon but the poaching problem is related to other fish species, and, unfortunately, their populations are endangered too…
– We are speaking about the salmon because it is the most attractive catch for poachers and it is the most vulnerable species. It kindles the greatest public interest. So it is difficult to find a person who is indifferent or not familiar with this problem. Moreover, taking into account the migratory mode of the salmon life we should say that the solution of the issue needs very broad cooperation – it means the geographically widespread cooperation and the attraction of numerous organizations to the monitoring and the recovery of the population. The recovery of the pike and other settled species is easier – a responsible owners plus reasonable level of fishing should be on each spot.
– Do you mean the quotas are unreasoned now?
– This issue needs close cooperation with the scientists and the ichthyologists from the FPA “KOMIRYBVOD”. I am not an expert in the sphere and know nothing about how the quotas are calculated today. I do not think that they are unreasoned. But I understand that the figure which shows the maximum permissible level of the extraction and which is based on the size and nature of the wood or hunting lands (the permissible quota) exists, but the real level of the extraction must be based on the state of the population of each species, the goals, objectives and the level of the management. This separate significant issue is a part of our project.
Returning to the problem I want to emphasize that the system monitoring is very important – at least on the spawning grounds. But it is a topic for different conversation.
– What are you planning to do under the project “The Mezen Model River” in connection with the foregoing and taking into account mass poaching?
– At first, in the near future the project will support the enhance protection on the salmon spawning ground in spawning period. We encourage the residents of the Udora district to understand the necessity of this action and to support the fishery inspections. All of us, especially villagers living on the Mezen river, are interested in this activity. And further, it is very important to consider and to develop a coherent joint program of the gradual changeover to reasonable, responsible, sustainable and effective management of the fish resources of the Mezen river. We plan to meet the locals, to discuss the situation collectively, to listen to the opinions and suggestions of people, to work together to find the opportunities and variants of reasonable management of the river and to facilitate their implementation…
Interviewed by Valentina Semyashkina